A/N: Your eyes do not deceive you! I come to you with an extra update this week. Why? Simple. I'm moving across the country tomorrow and I'm extremely stressed right now, so I figured I'd press submit on this. Lack of impulse control, perhaps? I prefer to think of it as doing good to offset my fear haha.

Thanks to junojelli for your kind review! I'll admit, if I wasn't fully committed to having it be an Alice/Nixon pairing by the end of the war, Alice and Ron would be a fun thing to play with. I'd be lying if I said they weren't my second option as a ship in this haha. Ironically, this chapter features another would-be ship!

This is dedicated to my very good friend and also avid reader, Hufflepuffturtle, who so desperately wanted a moment of shipping between Lieb and Alice. And so the events of this chapter were formed.

Chapter Twenty

Alice couldn't help but laugh when Guarnere stood alone in his dress uniform, waiting for her after she changed into her red dress. Of the men in Easy, Bill Guarnere was the boldest flirt of them all, and she found it downright hilarious. He stood smoking at the door.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Alice. She smirked, pulling her coat over her dress.

"I've got three sisters, I'm used to it."

Alice chuckled. She pulled out a cigarette. "How'd you get to be the lucky one to walk with me?"

As they walked out the door, Bill gave her a light. She thanked him. The cold air hit her in the face and she grimaced. The moon had come out already. Wind whipped around them.

"Lucky? I pulled the short straw." He folded his arms across his chest, hiding his gloved hands. "I could be drinkin' beer by the gallon in a warm bar right now if it wasn't for you, sweetheart."

"Hm, that so?"

"Yeah."

"Right because I thought you were hoping to beat George to the first dance." She couldn't stop herself from smiling, still walking straight ahead across Fort Benning. The usual spot for weekend drinking sessions was on the far end of the base.

"Maybe I just felt bad about leaving you alone for over a week when Joe and me go to Philly." He took a breath of his cigarette. The smoke he exhaled mingled with his breath. "You know, since you're stuck here."

Alice looked at him with a smirk. "Oh, I'm not staying here."

"What?"

"Winters, Nixon, Speirs and I are going to New York City."

"You fucking kidding me? You're going without me?"

With a laugh, she pushed him with her shoulder. "Don't be sad. I promise if we ever get to Paris, you boys get the first tour."

"I'm holding you to that. Gotta show us all the places the French broads frequent."

They reached the door to the club on base. Alice had never been. They'd only spent about two weeks on base, but she'd heard good things from a few of the men. The door was made of nice dark wood. Bill Guarnere opened it for her with a wink.

The club looked huge. There were dozens of tables and a large bar. Three dart boards lined one of the walls. George Luz and Joe Toye appeared to be playing each other. Across from them, Skip Muck and Don Malarkey laughed with each other behind beers. Alex Penkala had left the previous night to be home for Christmas. Still, they didn't seem to miss a beat without their third friend. Joe Liebgott stood with the men playing darts, heckling them. She noticed Lipton, Grant, and Talbert at a table, chatting, leaning back and enjoying themselves. Gene Roe sat alone, smoking. He was writing a letter. But all she had eyes for was the corner to her right.

"A piano!"

She all but squealed when she caught sight of the black and white keys, the brown wooden body glistening in the low light of the club. Involuntary tears filled her eyes. As she moved over to it, forgetting Bill Guarnere at her side, her heart raced. It's been nearly a year since she'd been able to sit and play. For a few moments, she totally forgot about the men around her. They turned. But now, all Alice had eyes for was the piano in the corner.

She hesitated, hands mere centimeters from the keys. They shined in the light, recently polished perhaps. Alice smiled. She closed her eyes. Her fingertips rested on the keys gently, not playing them.

"Hey! Alice!"

The spell broke as Skip called over to her. With a tiny sigh, she turned around. He had a glass of wine in hand. She took it gratefully.

"We throw you a party and all you do is go to a piano," said George. Throwing his last dart, he groaned at the loss and walked over. "I see how it is."

"She's glad to get rid of us," added Malarkey.

Skip Muck just snorted, "Can't say I blame her, Don."

Alice laughed and joined them at a set of tables. The Cabernet Sauvignon tasted wonderful as she downed some of her drink. Other men besides Easy Company were in the bar as well, so the noise continued to steadily increase. She smiled.

"When we get back, it's one step closer to being paratroopers." When she said this, they all visibly brightened. She felt her body trembling at the thought. One step closer to France, to home.

Gene, joining them, interrupted. "We?"

"Aren't you staying here?" asked Liebgott.

Alice couldn't stop herself from smirking. She shook her head. "The Lieutenants and I are going to New York City for a few days." When they protested, she laughed. "It's easier to explain why I'm with Lieutenants than enlisted."

"Jesus, Alice, you're breakin' my heart."

"Sorry, George."

Liebgott huffed a small laugh. The group talked for awhile, each of the men speaking about what they hoped to do while they had about a week at home. Skip Muck's pure excitement over seeing Faye had them all laughing. As the night wore on, they even did a bit of dancing.

Around midnight, most of the men who weren't with Easy had left. The men running the bar wanted to close up. Alice tingled from the wine she'd been drinking. Her body felt warm, and she looked around at the men, thankful for their presence.

The bartenders pushed them out into the base. The only members of Easy's Second Platoon to be staying overnight were Guarnere, Toye, Liebgott, Luz, Malarkey, and Muck. The others had mostly ducked out earlier to catch the last trains out of Fort Benning. Alice shuddered from the wind and cold as they moved back to the barracks.

"Thank you. For tonight." Alice turned to them as they walked inside. The barracks were only moderately warmer, but at least the wind stayed out.

Bill grinned. "Poker?"

"Oh, no. You all beat me enough at that."

Suddenly George couldn't stop smirking. He took out a cigarette and lit it. Malarkey noticed and asked him what was wrong.

"We could play Truth or Dare, pass the time."

The room went absolutely silent. Bill and Lieb both started grinning alongside George. Toye looked around them. He didn't seem to know what to say. Both Don Malarkey and Skip Muck looked intrigued. Alice, however, didn't make a sound.

Lieb raised an eyebrow. "You scared, Klein?"

Alice immediately folded her arms. But Joe Toye immediately jumped to her defense. "You don't have to say yes."

"Aw c'mon," said George. "Someday we'll be going into combat. I think it's only fair we all know each other better."

She still didn't say anything. The alcohol in her system was pushing her towards saying yes. The men gathered were the closest to her in Easy Company. She trusted them not to ask her to do anything inappropriate. But she didn't trust them not to ask detailed, deep questions.

"Okay. Because you all threw me such a nice party, I'll do it." Then she hesitated. "Ground rules. You have to let me choose between a specific truth and a specific dare."

All agreed. They took up the seven cots in the corner, Alice in her own. She had them wait while she changed into her sleeping clothes, eager to get out of the dress that drew a little too much attention to herself. Once they were all set, Toye told her to start.

"The floor is yours."

Alice hummed. She sat propped against the wall, absentmindedly playing with her hair. "Right. George, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"How old were you for your first kiss?"

He grinned and leaned back into his pillow. His cigarette smoke wafted around the room as he waited. "Thirteen. On a playground." He turned to her. "My turn?" When they nodded, he sat up. "Lieb. Truth or Dare."

"Truth."

"Are you a virgin?"

"No."

Alice rolled her eyes. Trust George to go straight to the point. "Things I didn't need to know."

"There's probably gonna be a lot of that," Toye said, snickering.

Liebgott just winked. He looked around at the various players. "Malark. Truth or Dare."

"Truth."

"If you had to choose between kissing Marlene Dietrich or Alice, who would you choose?"

Malarkey laughed, clearly self conscious. He shook his head. "Marlene Dietrich. Less awkward."

"Good save," Alice teased.

"Ok. Skip. Truth or Dare?"

Muck asked for truth, just like the others. As Don thought up a question, he squirmed. It amused them all greatly.

"Are you going to marry Faye?"

Muck looked at him as if he were crazy. "Absolutely." Then he turned to Toye. "Toye, which one."

"Truth. I'd hate to break the streak."

"Did you think Alice would make it in the Paratroopers when you met her?"

They all went quiet. He looked annoyed about the question. But Alice shrugged. He had to answer it.

"I don't think any of us did," he said.

Alice agreed. "I don't hold it against you."

Toye gave her a quick nod. Then he looked back at her, smirking. "Truth or Dare. Either you have to answer if you thought you'd make it on day one, dare would be to go find Lieutenant Nixon and kiss him."

"Not much of a choice," she said with a laugh. "I'll take the truth. I don't know that I thought I would last, but I knew I had no choice. If I didn't make it, I'd be letting my people down, and my family, and I'd be heading back into Nazi territory. None of that was appealing."

They room quieted for a moment. Everyone agreed that wouldn't have been good. Alice grabbed a cigarette and used George's lighter.

"Ok. Wild Bill over there." She smiled when he leaned forward. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"You boys don't like the dares," Alice teased. Then she nodded. "All right. Who's your favorite sibling?"

"Henry."

He got some heckling over the speed at which he knew that answer. As the youngest of ten, he had plenty to choose from. After getting them all to shut up, he turned to the game. "Alice. Truth or Dare?"

"My options?"

Guarnere grinned. "Ditch the Lieutenants for Philly tomorrow, or tell us your first impressions of each of us."

"What!" Alice sat up straighter. She could feel their stares on her. Trust Guarnere to not give her an easy choice.

"C'mon, choose, sweetheart."

She could feel them all staring at her. In an effort to calm her nerves, she breathed in the cigarette smoke heavily. "All right fine. I met George first." Alice turned to him. "I thought you were nice enough. Brash, but I found that to be a recurring theme with Americans. Malarkey, the first time I heard you speak, you wanted to know why a woman would be in Easy."

He cringed. "You remember that?"

"Yes. Toye, you were nice, too. I thought you'd probably hold your own fine in combat. Skip, I have a distinct memory of you talking about Faye and that instantly made me like you." They all laughed as she continued. "Bill, I thought you were the poster child for brash, headstrong American. To be fair, I still do. And Lieb." She started grinning at his discomfort. "You were rude, obnoxious, condescending, and seemed to just genuinely want to punch me in the mouth."

"Ok but can you fucking blame me," he protested. "A girl, in Easy, who's German."

Alice smiled and shook her head. "I still think you went overboard. But, I forgive you." She turned back to Bill. "Satisfied?"

"Very."

"Ok. George, Truth or Dare?" She shot him a smug smile.

He looked at her and hesitated. "Truth."

"What were your first impressions of me?"

"Ever?" When she nodded, he scoffed. "Well, you were sitting alone on the train, basically asleep while trying to read. I heard your accent and wanted to know where you were from. I thought you were different."

"Different?"

"Yeah, I don't know. The girls in Rhode Island aren't floozies, but they aren't secretive. You were secretive. And a girl, traveling by herself? It was odd. So I guess I was intrigued." He paused, smoking a bit more. Then he grinned. "And you're gorgeous, and French, so."

The whole group erupted in laughter. Even Alice couldn't stop herself. She pushed herself a bit higher against the wall, waiting for George to go.

"Alice, truth or dare?"

"Again?" She rolled her eyes. "What are my options."

"You can tell us who you'd pick to go on a date in Easy Company, or you can choose to kiss either me or Lieb, for three seconds."

She didn't respond. Part of her wanted to be furious at being asked such a question, but having lived in close quarters with so many nineteen to twenty five year old men had dulled her sensibilities somewhat. She bit her cheek. She couldn't pick one of them. They'd never, ever let it go, and if they did, she'd have chosen clear favorites.

"You're too eager, so there is no way in hell I'm kissing you, Luz." She stood. "For fuck's sake, this is what I meant by Americans being brash."

"Wait you're taking the dare?" Malarkey looked at her in amazement. He took the cigarette out of his mouth.

Lieb looked totally stunned. Then he started to laugh. "For the record, I didn't set this up."

"For the record," George echoed, "I didn't think you'd take the dare!"

"Don't try anything, Lieb, or I will hit you so hard you won't be able to have kids." She turned right. "Toye, count the kiss. I trust you. And this does not leave the barracks, is that understood? I will have Sink kick you all out of the Airborne if it does."

Bill laughed. "Whatever you say, Lieutenant."

She bit her cheek furiously. As Liebgott just stood there, smirking, she rolled her eyes. "Let's get this over with." Standing a bit on her toes to make up for his ridiculous height, she kissed him. Toye counted to three. She broke it immediately when time ran out.

Liebgott grinned as the others laughed. "War es ein guter Kuss?"

She had to admit, he was a good kisser. But she would never tell him that. She had some dignity, however small it was after that. "I've had better."

Beside, though she recognized he was quite attractive, she kept all thoughts of relationships out of her head. This was war. It had been nice to share a kiss after so long without intimate contact with someone, but she didn't want to make it something to think about.

They called the game a few rounds after. Almost all of them would be getting on trains that morning. She thanked them again for their birthday celebration. Thoughts of traveling to New York filled her head as she drifted off to sleep.