To everyone who has favorited this story so far…thank you from the bottom of my heart.
RHatch89: Thank you love! Hope you're still reading!
Mads11: I appreciate that, thank you! You'll get more June in these next two chapters. I'm proud of her development. Hope you're still reading as well…thanks for the kind words and support.
mngirl: Hello dearest! THANK YOU! I'm so happy that you liked the interaction, and I know! I don't think I could resist him in that moment. Ugh! No, I seriously still have issues keeping track of the men, because not all of them come out in the series, even though they're interviewed in We Stand Alone Together. It's annoying. I won't give away anything about the ending yet…but I think you'll like how I conclude it. OMG DID YOU SEE THE NEW GILMORE ON NETFLIX?! I HOPE YOU'RE STILL HERE and ENJOY this chapter!
InfinityMars: It's so hard, and I know I slip up with the language/rhetoric because cursing can be fun, but I truly appreciate that compliment. I'm glad you like my Winters too. Please, I hope you're still reading, and thanks for taking the time to review.
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Song Credit: "Riverman," by… you guessed it. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds!
21
"Riverman"
Sturzelberg, Germany, March 1945
There's something in the way she moves me to distraction
I've travelled all this way to try and make amends
'Cause heavy in the air are the words she left hanging
I've tried to walk away, but I only stand and stare
In the rain that comes
All of the love that was left behind is gone
When the Riverman runs
Find me the girl who electrified the storm
'Cause in a little while…she'll be gone
June's POV
We had been in Germany for a little over a month since leaving Haguenau. Germany, compared to our past campaigns, seemed relatively tame. Nothing drastic had occurred. There had been no jumps for the 101st, and the men were simply trying to enjoy whatever leisure time they had been granted. I saw my sister frequently throughout this month, but not Lewis. Although I thought we had parted amicably in Haguenau, I had been sorely mistaken.
I considered Lewis my friend first. That one night we shared in Haguenau had to be forgotten about until things between him and his wife were settled. Then we could worry about our romantic relationship. But that didn't mean I didn't want to spend time with him or talk to him. He had been MIA here at Regiment, and the rumors were spreading that his drinking was getting out of control. So, instead of believing the chatter, one afternoon in March, while we were stationed in the town of Sturzelberg, I sought out the man who knew him best.
"June, what can I do for you?"
"Dick, it's Lewis. I'm worried about him. I haven't seen him, really, since we left Haguenau. Is he alright? I've heard so much at Regiment and—"
He interrupted me by gesturing me to sit down in front of his desk. He calmly asked me if I wanted a cup of coffee, to which I wholeheartedly agreed to.
"He's not alright. Whatever you've been hearing at Regiment isn't a lie. He's been drinking too much, and it's been affecting his work."
"Oh…" I could feel my heart fall at the news. How I wished he could have reached out to me.
"Dick, do you think I should've tried to reach out to him? I mean, I did look for him, but maybe I could have done better…"
"No, June. He's keeping to himself most of the time, out of choice, and desperately seeking out bottles of VAT 69, or really, any other kind of booze he can find. He's blaming it on his wife, but something tells me there's more behind his isolation than that. I don't think even you can bring him out his stupor."
"Then let's just hope he comes to one of us sooner, rather than later, Dick. Thank you. Thank you for talking to me. For being here for me."
"What's a future brother-in-law for, Junebug?" he asked, smiling kindly at me. I couldn't help but return it, feeling a little better about why Lewis was being so distant.
It was as though fate was playing a cruel joke on me. One morning, just a few days after I had talked to Dick, Uncle Bob sent me to find Lewis. We'd heard that he had made it back from his jump with the 17th Airborne over Berlin (the 101st had been very disappointed they didn't get the chance to make a third combat jump). Uncle Bob needed me to give him two items: the "current events" news that had just been sent to Regiment from Division, and a pot of Army-grade black coffee. Lewis would be in charge of relaying the news to the battalion. Uncle Bob wasn't too sure if he'd be sober or not, so he sent along the coffee, just in case.
Easier said than done. I hadn't been able to find him, so what made Uncle Bob think that I'd be able to locate him for this in an instant? As I made my way out of Uncle Bob's office, thinking about where on earth he'd be this early, one of his runners told me that Lewis had been seeing going towards the direction of Battalion HQ, so I quickly took my jeep on over that way. As soon as I went inside, I could hear Dick and Lewis in conversation. I was about to enter the living room they were in, but I stopped when I heard Dick tell him that, yes, unfortunately Uncle Bob had demoted him back to Battalion S3. He had been worried about his drinking as of late.
That did not seem like a terrible idea. I could tell it pained Dick to say it, but I didn't blame Uncle Bob for wanting to put Lewis back at Battalion. To have him focus in a less stressful environment…
…until he at least sobered up a bit.
He responded to Dick's news. "Yeah, demoted. Got you."
I noticed his tone of voice. He wasn't upset or disappointed by the demotion—if anything, he sounded as though he really didn't care. He didn't even let Dick say anything; he just kept on talking.
"Cause I don't know how to tell them their kids never made it out of the goddamn plane."
Shit. I must've missed some detail about Lewis's combat jump. What the hell had happened?
"You tell them what you always tell them. Their sons died as heroes."
Dick, as always, offered great advice. Damn, though. It seemed as though Lewis made it out of the plane, especially since he had gone as a jumpmaster-slash-observer, but the other paratroopers didn't. Something awful must've occurred in that split second between the jump orders.
"You really still believe that?" he asked, as though he didn't quite have faith in Dick's words.
"Yeah. Yeah, I do. Don't you?"
Lewis didn't say anything to that, and it broke my heart that he was feeling so antagonistic towards the war. I couldn't blame him—they'd been through so much since Toccoa, but at the same time, if Dick could keep up his optimism, then why the hell couldn't he? An awkward silence had formed between them, so I took this as a good way to interrupt their conversation.
"Good morning, gentlemen. Hope I'm not intruding."
"Lieutenant Summers, hello. Of course not. I was actually on my way to go see your sister, so if you'll excuse me…"
"Keep your hands where she can see them, Major Winters," I teased. "But I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. Join us for dinner later?"
He smiled at the prospect, and agreed, before taking off from HQ. I stepped towards Lewis, who was sitting slumped over in an armchair, nursing an almost empty tumbler of VAT 69. He swallowed the last bit of it, and grabbed the bottle that was perched on the coffee table next to him. I placed his fresh carafe of coffee and cup next to it. I rolled my eyes at the sight of him, pathetically trying to get whatever was left of the bottle (a few drops, if anything) before gazing despondently outside of the window. I cleared my throat to let him know that I was there, but he didn't even acknowledge me, so I marched in front of him and flung the folder with the current events news in his lap.
"What?!" he shouted, glaring up at me.
"You speak to your wife like that, Captain Nixon?" I admonished.
"June, I don't want to—"
"Your news reports, Captain Nixon. The battalion's meeting up to hear it in an hour, and you're to deliver it to them, under order of Colonel Sink. I suggest you sober up and at least pretend to look sharp! Don't be late! If you'll excuse me, I've got to get going. I'm certain you won't mind, seeing as you haven't been available lately!"
I turned on my heel, but he stood up, took my hand, and dragged me back to him.
"You don't have to go anywhere," he slurred, pulling me into his lap. "I want you here. And I am not drunk."
I scoffed, as I struggled to free myself from his possessive hold.
"You're many things right now, Lew, and that also includes being a liar. You don't think I can smell the alcohol wafting from your lips? You don't think I can see all the empty bottles of VAT 69 around me? You don't think I've realized that you've been avoiding me since Haguenau?"
His lips, which only getting dangerously close to my own, as they nibbled ever so carefully on my neck…oh god, how he made me feel.
"Lew, I really should g—"
I could taste the lingering VAT 69—it slightly burned my tongue and lips as Lewis planted one on me, but I wrenched myself away from Lewis at the thought of his wife. He knew I was off limits after our brief dalliance in Haguenau, but there he went, trying to take advantage of me, especially after being incommunicado for so long. The audacity of him! He cried out in annoyance before he tried to pull me back to him. This time I managed to get myself out of his arms, pushed him off of me, and stood up.
"NO! You're drunk—you don't know what you're thinking right now—"
"Oh, June, I do. I know exactly what I'm thinking of, and it involves a helluva lot more than a kiss—"
"Stop it! No, Lew! You're married! You have a son! I told you that nothing could happen until you're divorced! You know that. I won't be your whore. If you can't understand that, then nothing can come of this, Lewis!"
"I don't know, June. That kiss sure had you moaning like a whore."
Slap. Before I could tell myself not to do it, my hand harshly collided with his cheek.
"You're an asshole, Captain Nixon. A disgrace!"
He simply laughed at me as I marched out of the room, saying that Kathy had done and said worse to him before.
"The distance you kept was great! Can you make sure it stays that way?!" I screamed, slamming the door on my way out so hard that the entire house shook violently.
Nixon's POV
Damn, that woman sure could give out a good slap! I waited for a little while for the red mark to die down before I gave out the latest news to the battalion. I forced some coffee in me, and headed outside Battalion HQ, where the men were waiting for me.
Okay, I was drunk. I could barely read out what the news reports said, but honestly, I attributed that to what had just happened between me and June. There I went again, running my big mouth, only to upset her. Of course I respected her wishes. But of course, I wanted to do nothing more than make love to her.
I'm sure she thought I just wanted to fuck her (and I deliberately made that the impression earlier before she slapped me), but I didn't. I fucked my way around Europe…there had been that girl in Aldbourne, and probably a few in Holland and France, but I only dreamt about one girl. The girl with the pretty, long, red hair and almond shaped hazel eyes. The girl that wasn't afraid to just tell me the truth. The girl that, if it hadn't been for my wife, wouldn't be afraid to be with me. Me, with all of my problems.
I loved her. I wanted her. I needed her. But I couldn't have her…not just yet, and I took those frustrations out on her. The combat jump I'd been on had not helped my mood, and it only furthered the thoughts that had been in my mind since we left Haguenau.
Why the hell was I here?
What was the point of this war? We'd all been gone for long enough. For what? Couldn't we all pack it up, and go home to our lives? I could divorce Kathy, properly court the beautiful girl I loved, and play true happy families with her.
So I read out the news. Oklahoma was still on Broadway, and they all sang the musical's eponymous number. Something about an engagement, Abbott and Costello…then I finally got to the wartime news.
"Resistance in Ruhr is crumbling. It looks like there might be a breakout in Remagen. Apparently the Krauts forgot to blow up one of their bridges when they headed back over the Rhine. I guess the boys in the 17th Airborne did okay, after all."
Thank God for that.
They were dead. But perhaps their deaths had not been entirely in vain. Still wasn't going to make writing those letters home any easier. Still wasn't going to change my mind that we were wasting our time in Europe. The weeks continued, and to my disappointment, June didn't try and look for me. On order from Caroline and Dick, I didn't look for her. I occupied my time by scouring the area for VAT 69, going to the APO to try and get more intel on if it was possible to get me a few bottles, all while refusing to drink the local. I gambled my money away playing poker with Ron, Lip, and Harry, and I think, at some point, broke into the house of a German woman who was, quite possibly, the widow of a Nazi.
I was just a man, passing from day to day, with no hope that the war would be over soon. I was a man, stuck in a marriage to a woman that hated me. I was a man, in love with a woman that he was nowhere close to having. I was…an empty shell of a man, lost and miserable. The war effort didn't mean a thing to me and June wasn't mine. I frankly didn't care anymore.
June's POV
"Did you hear the news?"
"No, what? Do tell."
"Captain Nixon's getting divorced. His wife, apparently, Dear Johned him and he was very upset when he received the letter."
"That doesn't make sense, though. I can't imagine why he'd be so angry! He's been sleeping his way through Europe, and he's upset now that he's actually free to do so? I would think he'd be over the moon with the news!"
I tried focusing on my work, but the secretarial pool's latest gossip, naturally, was distracting me. If their intel was correct, then the magical news had arrived. Lewis was going to be free from Kathy, and we could finally figure our relationship out. I, however, wanted to hear the news from him, rather than merely believe the mindless chatter of the secretaries. Was he really upset that she was finally leaving him? I needed to know.
I decided to take a 'coffee break,' and got up to go find Lewis. If I was lucky, he'd be somewhere nearby in our HQ, but then Uncle Bob's door opened, and he called out for me.
"Yes sir?" I asked. I noted how dour his face looked. What the hell was going on?
"Get a camera, and be ready to take notes. Meet us outside; I've got a jeep waiting for us."
"Colonel Sink, why, may I ask?"
He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "I got a call from Major Winters, and he said to brace ourselves…that we wouldn't believe what we're about to see…which is why we need to get as much evidence as we can. Just get your things, and I'll see you in five."
"Where are we going?"
"A site called Landsberg."
And with that, before I could even salute, he turned quickly on his heel, and proceeded straight out of HQ. I quickly grabbed what I needed to bring, and followed suit, only wondering what on earth we could possibly be going to see.
THIS CHAPTER WAS SO HARD TO WRITE…
…she says a year later.
I'm so glad to be back though! We're almost done with the story! AND THEN EDITS YAY!
So, 'Why We Fight' obviously had to be split up, and I wasn't sure how the heck I was going to interpret it. However, I think I did due diligence with this first part. When Lew's doing the "Current Events" part, I omitted the part about Rita Hayworth getting married…because she was already married to Orson Welles. This was a historical error. So I wrote it off as Lew being so drunk, he didn't even remember what news he'd given!
Since this episode focused on Nixon, June's POV was going to naturally have to come out, rather than Caroline's. I wanted to place a spotlight on her, since she's the one wondering what's going on with their relationship. I'm chugging along with part two. That will have more Nixon/June/Caroline dynamic involved.
What up, I got my MA in History now. So happy!