A/N: The events of this chapter may be triggering for some readers. I am extremely pleased with how this chapter turned out from a writing/style perspective. That being said, I am aware the subject matter is sensitive, so keep that in mind.


Chapter Thirty-Six


Alice stared out across the waves. A steadily growing wind made the waters choppy, and grey from the clouds brewing overhead. She took a deep breath. A salty taste lingered in her mouth as the air filled her lungs. The anger she'd been feeling faded ever so slightly. Her trembling stopped, and she did her best to forgive Guarnere in her heart.

But every time she thought about him, the hot fury blazed in her again. Indignation, and betrayal fueled her rage. If it had been someone from another Company, or even someone else from Easy like Cobb, she could've gotten over it. But it had been Guarnere. It had been one of her closest friends, a confidant, family. In her head, she knew that was just Guarnere; he had no filter, and he thrived on conflict. But her heart couldn't accept that explanation.

Rain started. Her hair and clothes became drenched almost immediately. At first she didn't move. She just let the water wash her face. It cooled her, physically and emotionally. But after a few minutes, she decided to head back below deck. In part, she wanted to make sure her bunk hadn't been taken, and she also knew the men would be looking for her.

Pushing herself away from the edge of the boat, she turned around. A door to the lower decks stood closed not too far from her. Alice pushed it open and stepped into the interior. Bustling men created a cacophony of chaos at the bottom of the small flight of stairs. All of them were 506th, but she didn't recognize any. After a moment, she realized they were from G, H, and I Companies.

A group of men lingered at the base of the stairs, right where the hallway continued for about ten feet before opening up into the large underbelly where the bunks had been installed. Two of the men had jet black hair, a third was blond, and the others loitering about had shades in between. They all held lit cigarettes, and the haze of the smoke clouded the air ever so slightly with each puff.

Alice straightened her drenched uniform. Taking the stairs one at a time, she kept her eyes forward. There was no need to invite an issue. G, H, and I rarely interacted with her beyond the lessons Alice had led for a select few. As such, she figured some amount of antagonism remained.

By the time her feet left the last step, they had all turned to her. She saw one wore sergeant's stripes. The others seemed to be corporals. With a quick nod to them, she started through the group.

"You're the broad from Easy, right?" one of them asked. He stood himself in her way a bit. "The German girl?"

She sighed. The man was one of the corporals. "I am one of Easy's Lieutenants, yes."

"Oh, a Louie?" He laughed. "Hey, the broad wants us all to know she's a Louie!"

"I saw a sign the other day," another one said. "It was all about watching out for female spies. Said they were everywhere."

"You a spy, girl?"

Alice bit her cheek. "No. And you will address me as Lieutenant, Corporal."

He only grinned wider. Her turned to the Sergeant on his right. "Hey, Clint. Maybe we should make sure this broad's not a spy, you know, for the good of the US of A."

A hand grabbed at her backside. She spun around in protest. But as she did so, the Corporal put his arm around her neck. She tried to get her arms free. The man used his body to trap them against her back. Someone groped at her breasts, and she felt her body freeze, completely.

"Please, let go, monsieur."

Images flashed before her. A black uniform with white and silver accents. A deep voice with a bit of a rasp. Impeccable German. A red arm badge with a swastika.

"I recognize a German frauline when I see one."

A calloused hand clasped over her mouth. Her heart pounded. Her body squished against the wooden wall.

"Do you know what we do to Germans who betray the Fatherland?"

Tears welled in her eyes. A hand trailed up her thigh. A knee kept her pinned. Terror strangled her voice.

"You are very pretty. It is a shame, that you are a collaborator with the enemy."

The hand reached her underwear, into her underwear. His grip on her mouth began to falter. She used her head to knock him back. In the chaos she found a knife.

"Adélaïde! What happened!"

Red, everywhere. So much blood. Blood on the floor, on the wall, on her hands. It spilled under the door.

"Robert, go. Get her out of here!"

Boots pounded against the hardwoods. German cut harsh through the rest of the French conversations.

"Marc-"

They'd watched through a window. The crack of the Luger's bullet cut through the air. Her screams, suppressed only by the rough hand of her brother across her mouth, her screams called out for their third.

"We have to go! We need to move, now. Are you listening? Look at me, Adélaïde!"

"Alice! Jesus Christ, look at me!"

Someone held her. Alice pushed away, trying to get free. But the person restrained her.

"Alice, it's George."

George. George Luz. Suddenly she remembered where she was. Not at the bar in Paris, not in France, not even in Europe. The RMS Samaria's cramped quarters rose up around her. The men in front of her weren't Nazis. They were Paratroopers.

"There you go. Breathe." George watched her carefully. "You're ok." He kept one hand on either arm, trying to keep her steady.

She saw her own fear mirrored in his face. Alice still couldn't speak. She glanced around and past him. A crowd of men had gathered and seemed to have closed ranks around some of their companions. They'd surrounded the men who'd attacked her.

"Alice! Breathe, you need to breathe. You're ok. Joe went to get Doc and Lieutenant Winters." George looked her over a bit closer. "Goddamnit. Can you say somethin'?"

After a few moments of strangled breathing, she turned back to face him. "George."

"Hey, ok, that's better. That's a start. You were startin' to scare me."

Shouts from their left, and back behind George, drew her attention away. Groans from the men being beat up distracted her briefly. But George told her to look away.

"Come on, ignore them. They're not worth your time."

To their right, a door opened. Boots pounded down the stairs. Alice turned to look, shying back, and George with her. She saw Joe Toye, Gene Roe, Lewis Nixon, Harry Welsh, and Dick Winters hurrying down towards them. Gene moved to her immediately.

"Hey, chérie, come on. Sit down." His gaze took in her whole form. A nasty bruise had started forming on her neck, and a bit of blood trickled from her burning left cheek. He guessed someone had dug fingernails into her skin. Even though she flinched at his touch, he helped her sit down against the wall. "There yah go."

Alice closed her eyes. She tried to slow her rapidly pounding heart. Tears welled up in her eyes, and stung the open cut on her face as they fell. Gene dug through his medical bag. Her head fell back to rest against the wall. Her silent tears continued. She couldn't get Marc's face out of her mind. The voice of the Nazi officer rang in her ears. Then she wept.

Vaguely aware of what was happening, Alice heard rather than saw some MPs haul away her attackers. She could make out several voices amidst the din: Guarnere, Toye, Dick, Nixon, Harry, and George sounded further away, voices hushed. Gene just continued to talk to her as he worked. She couldn't make sense of most of it. Alice felt like she was floating. The room seemed distant, far away, her body a shell.

"Alice? Alice, Peux-tu m'entendre?"

Reality hit her like a brick. She opened her eyes. Gene knelt in front of her, expression strained. She looked at him in confusion.

"Can you hear me?" he repeated.

Alice nodded. She calmed her breathing down a bit more. "Yes. I… where'd they go?"

"The MPs are going to lock them in a private room."

"What happened?" Her throat hurt as she spoke. Alice shook her head. "Gene-"

He hesitated. "What do you remember?"

"Some."

Alice stood. Gene offered her a hand, but she refused. Standing against the wall, arms over her chest, she looked around at the now empty hallway. Where the hall ended and the enlisted bunks began, she saw the other men of Easy. Dick stood watching her, Nix and Harry with backs to them. When she stood up, he excused himself and made his way back to Gene and Alice.

"I'm fine," she said quickly. The look on Dick and Gene's faces let her know that exactly no one believed that. She amended her statement "I think? I don't actually remember much."

"What happened?" Dick asked.

With a frown, Alice tried to explain. She found herself finding it harder and harder to breathe as she went on. When she reached the part where the man had grabbed her, she paused. "I… I don't remember anything after that. Until George was talking to me."

Dick nodded. "I don't think it took long for Luz, Guarnere, and Toye to step in. They told me they found the men attacking you, and they tried to separate you. A group from Item joined them when they heard the fighting."

"You just blacked out?" Gene asked. He started looking at her head.

Alice hesitated. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean?" Dick looked at her in concern. Then he glanced to Gene, who gave a tiny shrug.

"I, uh. It was like a nightmare, but it took over. I couldn't…" She clammed up, realizing how close they watched her. "It doesn't matter. It happened years ago. It was just a memory."

Dick just nodded. He didn't push for more information. But then he sighed. "We need to report this to Colonel Sink. You'll need to tell him what happened."

Her face paled, but Alice nodded. Her body worked off of muscle memory as she followed Dick up the stairs. Gene went with them, bringing up the rear behind her. They marched towards the Regimental quarters.

The meeting with Colonel Sink passed with a blur. It didn't take long before she felt herself floating again, following movements that she'd made a thousand times aimlessly. When they'd finished talking to Sink, she heard him assure her the men would be held accountable, and it would not affect her position in the Airborne. Once Gene Roe had assured them that the men hadn't done anything beyond grope her, she'd been allowed leave.

"Lieutenant Winters, I expect you to make sure at least one other soldier is with Lieutenant Klein at all times on board this ship."

"Yes, sir."

Sink growled. "By God, I'm gonna make sure this Regiment knows this behavior will not be tolerated! It's a disgrace to the Army." He turned to Alice. "Please accept my sincerest apologies for the way these Americans have treated you. They will be punished to the fullest extent of civilian and military law."

"Yes, sir." She took a deep breath.

He dismissed them. They wandered around the deck, the rain having lessened to a gentle mist, until they reached the entrance to below decks closest to Easy Company. Dick left them, looking even more pensive than usual. Together with Gene, she made her way to most of Second Platoon.

No one spoke to her as she moved through the skinny walkway. She was keenly aware of how her body automatically flinched away at every close body. They fell silent as she approached, but quickly ended up back in conversations with each other. Night began to fall, and the lights in the ship were lowered.

Gene had her sleep in his bunk, closer to the wall of the ship. Alice thanked him quietly. Curling up into herself, she faced away from everyone else. Her body crashed. Trying to listen to conversations, the gentle murmur of the men around her slowly put her to sleep.