A/N: Is it possible to have couple spats without being a couple? If it is, that's basically Nix and Alice haha. Hope you all continue to enjoy! In terms of written chapters, I've finished through chapter fifty-five, and by then we're back in England after D-Day. Can't wait for you all to see where we're going. It was such a pleasure to finally (albeit briefly) write Babe.


Chapter Forty


Alice joined the Bratt family for breakfast the next morning, relishing the chance to enjoy fresh eggs and a few links of sausage. Meals in the army weren't exactly something to look forward to. Billeting alone clearly had its advantages beyond not having to interact with the other officers and enlisted men.

Once she'd finished her meal and hung around the house awhile, Alice decided to take a walk with Millie and Percy while Madeleine had school. The good Colonel Sink had agreed to let Alice take advantage of being out of the United States and allow her to be out of uniform whenever she wasn't training. In his opinion, it would be easier to hide her existence as a soldier that way. So with a light grey dress featuring large black buttons down the side in an asymmetrical line, she wandered through the early morning of Aldbourne. The curler Millie lent her had done wonders for her hair, and she added her beret as well. It felt incredibly empowering to be able to put herself together.

"So, ya' like the boys you've got 'round ya'?" Millie asked.

Alice stiffened a bit. She had told Millie mostly about her job, and nothing about the others. But she couldn't blame the woman for being curious. "They're good at their jobs." Her thoughts drifted to Nixon briefly.

"Good at their jobs? Well that's good, love. Would hate for you t' have to waste your time on men who can't fight this war properly." Millie watched Percy pick a rock up off the sidewalk. "Perce, don't put that in your mouth!"

With a small grin, Alice shook her head. Millie hurried forward to where Percy just continued kicking rocks down the sidewalk. The little boy had quite a mouth when he wanted to, but he just seemed content to quietly resist his mother's authority.

"Did you want to go out for drinks tonight?" Millie chuckled when Alice glanced at her in surprise. "Oh come off it. I may be a mother but I'm only a bit older than you I'd guess. I still enjoy a night out. And your boys don't start their training for a few days yet, right?"

Alice smiled. With a nod, she turned to her. "I'd love that, actually. I've been surrounded by men for so long that I need some female company."

"Good!"

Millie and Percy led the way towards the center of town. The toddler started rambling on about wanting to find "Edgar." Eventually, she realized Edgar was a puppy owned by a local shop owner.

"Percy, if ya' stop whinging, we'll find him, love, ok?" She turned to Alice beside her. "I swear, he listens to me less and less every day."

Alice laughed out loud. Thinking of her own younger sister, she just nodded. "My sister Bernadette was the same way, Millie. Of course we were only about six years apart, so it wasn't my job to keep her in line!"

"True, true. My sister Maggie lives in London these days, working as a secretary for the war office. She's your age."

"Mum! Edgar!"

"Alright, hun, alright!"

Millie laughed and hurried after her son. The shop where Edgar made his home soon came into view around the corner. Alice giggled, losing control of herself as a massive, shaggy dark brown dog bounded out the door and started licking Percy in the face. Edgar's fur partially obscured his eyes but his enthusiasm more than made up for it.

"Good morning, Ms. Millie," an old man said. He grinned as he exited the shop, looking down at Edgar attacking Percy. His thin white hair had been mostly covered by a small hat. "And you are?"

"Alice Klein." She smiled at the old man, catching a whiff of his tweed vest. It smelled of rich cigars.

"Pleasure, Miss Klein."

Millie stood up from where she'd been petting Edgar. "Morning, Donald. Mind if we step inside and look over your stock?"

"Of course!" He whistled to Edgar. "Come on, boy. Back inside."

As Alice went to follow the other three indoors, she heard someone call her name. Glancing back over her shoulder, she found a group of Easy Company strolling down the road. After freezing for a brief moment, she turned inside to Millie, and told the woman she'd be right back.

"Thought that was you!" Talbert grinned as she approached them. "Lookin' good, Lieutenant."

She looked past him. Lipton, Bill Guarnere, and Joe Toye all stood around, the latter three smoking cigarettes. With a small smile and a nod, she walked over and stood between Talbert and Lip.

"How are you settled in?" she asked after a moment. "Hopefully they've found somewhere for you that isn't too bad."

Joe shrugged. "It's a fucking barn, but they've put in beds and stuff."

"Could do with some prettier company though, that's for sure," Talbert joked.

She hoped they didn't see her flinch. But Alice just shrugged. "I'm sure it could."

"Who's the broad you're with?" Guarnere asked a moment later.

"Millie Bratt. She's a widow of a British soldier. I'm living with her. It's a nice house." Alice didn't say anything more. She shrugged her shoulders and internally, wished over and over that God would see fit to deliver her from the conversation. She hoped Millie would finish up with her shopping quickly. But it wasn't to be.

"Lieutenant Speirs is billeted next to me," she added after a moment. Alice forced a smile on her face. "So at least I can smoke with someone else at night." She watched several of them roll their eyes. It never failed to amuse her at how they disliked Ron Speirs.

"Hey, we're grabbing lunch in an hour, if you want to come," Lipton said.

Alice hesitated. Clearly the hesitation hit them hard, though, because she saw all of them shuffle in place and start frowning. "Thanks, but I think I'll spend some time helping Millie with Percy. He's a bit of a handful."

Lipton nodded. "How old is he?"

WIth a small smile, she glanced back towards the door into the shop. "Two and a half. He's learned how 'no' works." After staring off that way for a moment, she turned back. Following a brief pause, Alice decided to throw them an olive branch. "Millie and I are going to one of the local pubs tonight, though. So maybe I'll see you all there? I know some of you had high hopes for the British women and their dancing."

"Which one?"

"I don't know. But if you hit enough, I'm sure you'll find us." Alice turned away as Millie and Percy left the shop. But before she could excuse herself, she saw the woman heading over, Percy in her arms.

"Friends of yours, Alice?" She looked at the men in their dress uniforms and nodded.

"These are some of the men from Easy," she said with a nod, "the men I told you about." Alice turned to them. "Sergeant Carwood Lipton, Sergeant Floyd Talbert, Sergeant Bill Guarnere, and Corporal Joe Toye. This is Mrs. Millie Bratt, and Percy Bratt."

"Nice to put names to faces," Millie nodded.

Talbert grinned "She's talked about us then? Good things, hopefully."

"Mostly. She said you lot are good at your jobs. Which you should be, since you Yanks took your bloody time getting over here," she said. Her tone was harsh, but not necessarily unkind. "But, I suppose we should be thanking you. The American boys coming to save the ol' Brits."

"Whatever it takes to end the war, Millie," Alice agreed. "The Americans are our best bet." She saw them start to smirk, so she turned to them directly. "Of course, they're only our best bet because for the past three years they've been ignoring Europe. But, now they're here."

Millie nodded. "You boys are lucky the Luftwaffe can't fly across the sea. The Blitz is terrifying. That would've pulled ya' into the war right quick." She shook her head. "My sister's husband Albert died in the Blitz, on exactly the fiftieth night those Germans lit up London. You'd think after that long you'd get used to the bombs, but no. Ya' never get used to diving into the shelters, waiting to close the door as long as possible."

"I told you, though. Easy Company is the best of the best. If anyone can help us end the Nazi reign, it's them." Alice nodded to them, and then turned around. "Come on, it's almost lunch."

"Dear me, you're right." She nodded to the men of Easy. "It's been a pleasure, Yanks. Good luck in Aldbourne. I'm sure you'll see us around. This isn't a big town."

Alice nodded to them, forcing herself to smile, though it faltered when she made eye contact with Guarnere. The walk back to Millie's house passed mostly in silence. The woman didn't try to prod into her quiet contemplation either, which Alice greatly appreciated. She got the feeling that Millie enjoyed the same sort of secretive existence as she herself did.

That day, Alice did mundane tasks around the house. Millie had an old piano, one that had belonged to her husband. Slightly out of tune, it still managed to brighten Alice up when she sat down to play after the chores had been completed. By late afternoon, Madeleine had come home. Unlike Millie, Madeleine asked questions, lots of questions. She wanted to know everything about America, and about France, and about Germany. She wanted to know about training and guns and war games. She even wanted to know about the men. Alice didn't find the inquisitiveness too uncomfortable, and managed to either answer everything honestly or stear conversations in other directions when the topic became too tough to discuss.

Percy went down for bed around eight o'clock. In no uncertain terms, Millie told her younger sister to dedicate the evening to cleaning her bedroom and listening for her nephew. The girl protested only briefly. Once they'd gotten that settled, the two older women spent time getting ready for the pubs.

The dress that Millie lent Alice sat in a similar fashion to the one she'd worn that morning. But instead of grey, the one for that night was dark green, with black buttons and a shirred waist. Overall it flattered her well, and Millie only had to use a few safety pins to make it perfect. The Englishwoman opted to wear black herself.

"Now, I don't claim to know what's going on between you and those boys of your Easy Company, but I'm not blind either. So if they cause trouble with you tonight, let me know. I'll see 'em out if they do," Millie said.

They wandered together down the lane, darkness all around them. Street lamps offered the only light along their paths besides the full moon and bright stars above them. Soldiers and locals wandered around, popping out of various pubs, laughing and even singing. As the road became lined with more and more nightlife, light poured from windows as well as lamps.

Alice chuckled. "Millie, don't worry too much. The thing that happened... I need to move past it. And I'll only do that by spending more and more time with them."

"Whatever you say, love. I don't intend to stand by an' watch while a man makes you uncomfortable, though."

"And for that, I am very much grateful."

Millie led them to a pub with the head of an eagle and a harp on the sign. She smiled and opened the door. As they stepped inside, the smell of cigarettes and alcohol hit them. Wooden floors creaked beneath each step they and the other patrons made. And many patrons there were. A half dozen local men, twice as many soldiers, and a good number of young women stood or sat around the pub. A wall of darts and a table where cards had been set up offered some things to do beyond drink and chat. Still, most patrons did just that. A dance floor to the left of the main bar stood with only three or four dancing couples. The rest mingled in small groups.

"See anyone you know?" Millie asked, raising her voice over the din. She ushered Alice to a table deeper into the pub, closer to the dance floor than the darts. "If I may say so, at least the American uniforms are easy on the eyes."

Alice shook her head. "Not yet."

They slipped into a table. Barely five minutes had passed before they'd gotten drinks, a Cabernet Sauvignon for Alice and a Scotch for Millie. Swing music floated in the background from a radio, and every so often it broke to bring war updates. They settled back in their chairs.

"Either of you fancy a dance?"

Both of them turned to look at who had spoken. A well-groomed, blond haired paratrooper of the 82nd stood by them, glass of beer in hand. He didn't seem drunk. Millie smiled.

"Mind if I leave you alone for a bit, love?" she asked.

Alice just shrugged. It amused her to see Millie move off with the young man. She'd told Alice how dancing made her forget about her late husband for just long enough to ease the pain. Alice's grin only spread as she watched the woman and the paratrooper begin to dance to the music.

"Can I sit?"

Alice turned to look in the other direction. She knew who the voice belonged to before she even laid eyes on him. Without evening thinking about it, her smile fell and she set her wine glass back down. "Nixon."

"Is that a yes?" He had a glass in his right hand. No smile graced his face either. Despite the small attempted joke, neither laughed. After a brief pause, he shrugged and gestured over his shoulder with his left hand. "Dick said he would babysit us if you let me sit, but I said we could talk like civilized people."

"Can we?" she snapped. Instantly, she felt a bizarre mix of regret and satisfaction pass over her when the words left her mouth. She sighed, sat up straighter, and nodded. "Fine."

A ghost of a smile lit up Nixon's face. He wasted no time in occupying the chair that Millie had vacated. A quick drink later, he leaned back in the chair and watched her the same way she watched him: warily.

"The woman you were with, is she your host?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, her name is Millie Bratt. She lost her husband in the war, and is raising her two year old son Percy, and her sister Madeleine now."

"Strong woman."

She hummed in agreement. Bringing her wine to her lips, she let the alcohol offer her some small amount of relief from stress. "Where are you housed?"

"Dick, Harry, and I ended up in a boarding school they vacated for us," he said. "It's not too bad."

Alice watched him carefully. Without even realizing, she'd started biting at her inner lip, debating what to say. The fact that he'd sought her out made her a bit more willing to try to mend their broken friendship, as clearly he wanted to attempt that as well. But she didn't know how exactly.

"Listen, Alice." He paused as well. With a quick drink himself, he shook his head.

"Stop." Alice leaned forward, putting her wine glass down. With one arm on the table and the other propped up, cupping her face, she shook her head as well. "Me first. I talked to Ron last night. He seemed to think you were right in what you did. I don't necessarily agree with him," she added instantly, "but a lot of what he said was true. Whether I like it or not, no matter how much the men trust me, I'm always going to be one or two bad decisions away from no one taking me seriously, or trusting me in combat. No matter how much I absolutely despise what you did, at least it had the benefit of stopping the rumors."

Nixon didn't respond right away. He just watched her carefully. To be honest, even she wasn't sure if what she'd said would make things better or worse, and by his hesitant reactions, neither did he. But finally he spoke up. "I should've asked you."

"No shit." Her gaze moved over the small crowd that had gathered. With graceful ease, Millie danced with the soldier, and a few other women with their own men. Then she turned back to Nixon. Pulling out a cigarette, she lit it before talking. "Listen. I understand why you did what you did, or at least now that Ron laid it out for me, I do. You did what it took to help win this war. I would do anything to make sure the Allies win. But even knowing that, even understanding why you decided to go behind my back... it doesn't make it easier to accept."

"Yeah, yeah I know." He leaned back in his chair, slumped ever so slightly. He paused, turning away back into the pub, searching for someone. Still not looking at her, he spoke again. "For what it's worth, Alice, I am sorry."

She met his gaze when he turned back. For a moment, words wouldn't form. Honestly she hadn't expected to hear those words come from Lewis Nixon, even in this instance. If they both shared one trait, it was a hatred for being wrong... and stubbornness, too.

Alice felt her chest constrict, an odd sensation. She continued to hold his gaze without speaking. The honesty in his apology was palpable. He really did feel remorse for his actions. Internally, her mind and her heart fought out their own little war over whether or not she could bring herself to forgive him.

She settled on a simple thank you. "I appreciate that, Nix. I really do."

With a small smirk, he nodded. Nixon didn't say anything else at first. But then he leaned forward and pointed to the dance floor. "Think you could set me up with your hostess?"

Alice actually laughed. It occurred to her afterwards that she hadn't really laughed in far too long. Based on the grin it spawned from Nixon, he knew it too. She shook her head. "First of all, no. Second, definitely no."

"Fine." He stood from the table, lifting his drink to his lips. After a large sip, he turned back to her, away from watching the dancing couples. "You still owe me a dance, by the way. From New Year's."

She didn't say anything, and just smirked ever so slightly as he winked and moved away further into the bar. For a moment, she wondered where Dick, and almost certainly Harry, had set up in the bar. Part of her wanted to follow. But when Millie called her over from the dance floor, she turned away from watching the crowd and just shook her head. She raised her glass to the woman. Hopefully Aldbourne would continue to offer her some small amount of healing.