A/N: Time for a bit of fun... after not much fun.


Chapter Fifty-Five


Operation Market Garden, it said. Alice looked down at the papers on the table in the office of Regimental Headquarters that Intelligence used for briefings. Around her sat over a dozen men, including Lewis Nixon to her left. Colonel Sink and Majors Strayer and Horton stood at the head of the table, chatting quietly. The other men had splintered into their own groups.

Alice just sat by herself, looking at one of the maps of Holland. She'd been to Holland repeatedly as a child when she'd still lived in Germany. Some of her extended family had even moved to the Netherlands, to Arnhem, in the 1930's including an uncle, aunt, and three cousins. They'd not been heard from since the war began. Her Uncle Frederick's love for Holland and its language had been the driving factor in her decision to learn the Dutch language.

The 101st Airborne had been given the area around Eindhoven as their target. The bridges in the surrounding area needed to be captured before the Germans could either repel the assault or destroy the bridges themselves. If everything went according to plan, they'd be in Germany in no time. Alice didn't want to get her hopes up, though.

Old men and children, said the intelligence. Except Alice didn't believe it one bit. She knew how hard the Dutch resistance pushed against the Nazis, and if it had been just old men and children, they'd have liberated themselves already. Their militant activities had increased recently, adding to the other underground resistance movements.

Flipping through another packet of notes, Alice sighed. The plan looked solid, if the intelligence held up. But Alice feared what would happen if they failed. Not much news had gotten out of the Netherlands, especially not since around mid 1942. She wondered what they'd find when they'd land. What state would the country be in? And if they failed, in what state would they leave it?

"Lieutenant Klein, what do you know about the Dutch Resistance? Will they be able to help?" Sink asked.

The question pulled her out of her thoughts. Everyone had turned to her. Alice just shrugged. She laid the packet back down. "My knowledge of the Dutch Resistance is minimal since I left Europe the first time. Back then they focused on non-violent resistance." Alice gestured to the map. "Last I heard, they're busy gathering intelligence for the Allies."

Strayer nodded. "Can they be trusted? They're primarily communist."

"Of course they can." Alice scoffed and shook her head. "Trust me, any member of the Resistance, no matter the country, wants the Germans out more than you do." When the room quieted, she shrugged. Straightening herself in her seat, she continued, "We just need to be smart, and respect them. Don't shoot them on sight for not speaking English," she added with a snap.

Nixon shuffled in his seat next to her. The entire room seemed to freeze at her accusation. She regretted her words instantly. No matter how angry she still felt about the death of the French freedom fighter, she didn't need to ruffle more feathers than she already did by purely existing. But her apology caught in her throat. Silence reigned for a few moments more.

"Right, boys. I want you to brief the men, let them know we ain't calling this one off," Sink said. "We've got a couple 'a weeks to ensure this plan will go off without a hitch, so let's use 'em."

Chairs squeaked against the wooden floors as the men got up and left. Alice turned to her left. Nixon sat still, desperately trying to hold in laughter. Her eyes narrowed. "What?"

He just shook his head, suppressing a smile as best he could. When he got up to leave, Alice followed him out into the hall. The other men pressed around them. Everyone hurried in different directions. Following Nixon outside into the warm summer air, she said nothing else. Above them, white clouds filled the otherwise beautiful blue sky.

"I'm not sure why your little stunt back there surprised me," Nixon finally said. He started smirking. "I should've expected it."

"Stunt?" Alice huffed. "You mean telling them not to kill the people they're trying to help?"

Again, Nixon let out a small laugh. He just shook his head. With his hands in his pockets and Alice with her arms over her chest, they strolled down the road. Nixon and Alice would need to bring Easy's officers up to speed on the operation. Tonight Millie had insisted on having the officers over for dinner. They'd done it once before the Normandy invasion, and she said they needed to do it before the invasion of Holland. Until then, they had business to complete.

"Have you met the replacements?" Alice turned to Nixon as they made their way towards the space Easy's officers had taken over.

He shrugged. "Only briefly." Unscrewing his flask, he took a drink of the ever present Vat 69. After a pause, he passed it over.

Alice took it gratefully. With her own swig, she downed the alcohol. Despite her fondness for red wine, she had to admit that the expensive whiskey Nixon loved certainly tasted good. After handing it back, she continued her questions. "Thoughts?"

"They're just babes," he admitted. "Which is ironic given Heffron's nickname."

"Any idea why he goes by Babe?"

Nixon shook his head. "Not a clue. But the men love it."

"I met them yesterday, briefly." She smiled. "Guarnere and Martin had a good time trying to convince them that I was a scary, dangerous, definitely not female officer."

Nixon chuckled. He shook his head. "They're right on two counts."

"Hey. I'm nice."

"Not if someone crosses you," Nixon replied. He snickered behind his flask. After a pause to take another drink, he just shrugged.

With an overly dramatic eye roll, she didn't respond. Their boots hit the gravel of a path through a field. The farmhouse Easy had taken back over didn't stand too far away. As they approached, they heard voices inside. Alice opened the door and led the way in.

Harry and Buck had somehow managed to commandeer a dart board. With Guarnere's help they had started installing it on the wall. Along with Bill, the other NCOs stood around drinking and chatting. In the far corner, Dick stood talking with a young man, a Second Lieutenant with dark hair and a serious expression. The new Lieutenant Shames, she figured. At their entrance, no one turned. Only when the door fell shut behind them did they react. Everyone but the three handing the dart board stopped what they were doing to listen.

Nixon walked straight to the large table in the center. With a dramatic motion, he dropped a large manila file folder containing plans, intelligence, and maps. "Operation Market Garden. The next step into occupied Europe."

They fell silent. Even Harry and Bill stopped tweaking the dart board. Everyone in the room gathered around the table as Alice and Nixon both began laying out key documents, maps, photographs, and anything else of relevance.

Nixon sighed and nodded. With a sweeping gesture at the stuff they'd set out, he said, "This is bigger than Normandy, so don't count on them calling this off."

After several silent moments where everyone looked at each other and down at the information displayed, Nixon nodded again and dove into outlining the plan. Alice didn't say much. She knew Nixon had it covered. Instead she went through her knowledge of Dutch in her mind, hoping that after not speaking it for almost three years that she'd still have at least a workable knowledge of it.

Once the officers and non-coms had spent hours pouring over the information, Dick dismissed the enlisted. With just the officers of Easy Company gathered, he looked around. They stayed quiet, waiting for him to talk. At last he nodded.

"Right. We'll brief the company at 1000 hours tomorrow. Until then, keep looking over the information."

Nixon nodded. "As we get further details," he said, gesturing to himself and Alice, "we'll let you know."

Dick nodded, looking around at the others. "Dismissed."

Harry and Buck didn't leave, instead they went to check on the state of the half-hung dart board. Nixon clearly wanted to speak to Dick, but the man in question had other matters to deal with. He turned to Alice.

"Alice," said Dick. "Have you met Lieutenant Shames?"

Alice looked at the man across from her. He seemed to hesitate as he watched her, his dark eyes looking her up and down. Alice shook her head. "Not formally."

"Well, Second Lieutenant Edward Shames, this is First Lieutenant Alice Klein," He turned from the man back to Alice. "She's a liaison between Easy, the 506th, and the European resistance groups"

"Lieutenant," said Shames, nodding. He extended a hand.

Alice took it. "Pleasure."

Dick nodded, pleased at the introductions. "Shames is taking over Third, and Buck's moving to Second."

Nixon interrupted them, pulling Dick aside. With them gone and Buck and Harry otherwise occupied, she looked at Shames closer. Something about him seemed familiar. "Did you train in Toccoa?"

He nodded. "I Company, 3rd Battalion."

"Not as an officer, though."

Shames shook his head. "No, I was given a battlefield commission after the Normandy invasion."

"Congratulations, then. Quite a feat."

Shames hummed in agreement, but just gave a small shrug. They stood by the table still, looking over information. Finally he turned to her. "So, Lieutenant. There are rumors."

Alice huffed. "Really? What's going around now."

He shrugged, suppressing a small smile. "Well, most of them disappeared after Normandy. But I think I still hear the one about you being a spy on occasion. Beware of Female Spies and all that."

"Ah, the classic," she agreed.

Shames cracked a smile. With a small laugh, he shook his head. "I've been told by Welsh and Compton that if I want to get a read on the enlisted, you're the one to come to. I guess it makes sense since you trained with them, right?"

"Yes. Until Aldbourne, I bunked and trained with the enlisted."

"And after Aldbourne?"

Alice shrugged. "Since preparing for and after Normandy, I've been more involved with the officers than the enlisted."

"I see." He nodded, shuffling in place.

Shames, Harry, and Buck all left the farmhouse not long after. Lunch time approached, but Alice, Nix, and Dick stayed behind to work on briefing the men the following day. They built display boards for various pieces of information. After hours of stapling, gluing, and paperclipping photos, maps, and documents to boards, they sat back to admire their handywork.

"Didn't know you were so crafty," Nixon said to Alice.

She huffed. "I haven't needed to be crafty in years."

With dinner fast approaching, Alice decided to head back to Millie's. She reminded Dick and Nixon of the dinner being prepared. After being assured that they'd show up, she left.

Alice picked up some produce on her way back home. When she reached the Bratt household, Millie had Madeleine setting up a large table in the backyard while she herself got to work on the meal. Percy ran around in circles in the yard. Alice dropped the lettuce and vegetables on the counter with a huff.

"Thanks, Alice." Millie pulled out a chicken roast from the oven. "Get to work on the salad, would ya?"

"Say no more."

And make the salad she did. Over the next twenty minutes, she whipped together what salad she could given the minimal fixings they had during the rationing. Stripped of her uniform except for her dress pants and a sleeveless white undershirt, Alice rushed about. By the time a knock sounded on the door, her face had flushed from the exercise.

When she flew open the door, Nixon and Dick stood outside chuckling about something. Nixon had a bottle of wine and a bottle of Vat 69 and grinned when he saw Alice looking at them. She stepped aside.

"Brought the good stuff, I see," she joked.

He laughed. "Only fair, since we're getting a good meal."

When they reached the small kitchen, they found Millie getting out some china plates. She turned to look at them, wiping her hands on her off white and floral apron. She grinned when she saw them. "Lewis Nixon, I knew there was a reason I always liked ya'. Put the bottles out on the table. Maddie's back there now."

"Anything we can help with?" Dick asked.

Pausing to catch her breath, Millie looked around, hands on her hips. She bit her lip. Then she gestured to a bowl of rolls. "Take that out. Madeleine can show you what to do with it."

With both of them being given very important assignments, Nixon and Dick ducked outdoors. Alice went to follow with the salad when another knock sounded. She spun around. When she reached the door, she found Harry standing outside. Alice grinned.

"Here. Take this, go join Dick and Nix in the back," Alice insisted. "Millie's in the kitchen and might have more for you to do."

Harry chuckled but didn't object to the salad bowl being forced into his open hands. As Alice stood in the doorway, relishing a bit of peace and quiet, she heard Millie saying a happy hello to Harry Welsh. It didn't take long before she caught sight of Buck meandering down the road. Leaning in the door, she waited for him to show up.

"You're late," she said, heckling him.

They went back inside. By the time they reached the kitchen, Millie had already moved everything out back so they went ahead and joined them. Percy stood with a ball in his hands, chatting up Nixon, Dick, and Harry at the table.

"No, no no, no, listen," Percy said. He shook his head, fiercely against whatever had just been told to him. "S'possed to throw the ball. Not kick!" He moved closer to Harry. "Here. Here. Try."

Harry took the ball from the toddler. As Percy rambled on and on about Harry's ball throwing, Nixon struggled terribly not to laugh. When Percy came back from retrieving the ball, criticizing Harry's technique in the way only a three year old could, Nixon heckled him.

"C'mon Harry, use better form." Then he turned to where Alice and Buck came outside. "Hey, Buck, think you can show Percy you know how to throw a ball?"

"Yeah, let's ask Mister Rose Bowl over there," Harry added. He turned to the boy. "Percy, see if Buck wants to throw it."

Percy turned around and hurried over to Buck. Millie and Madeleine came over from where they'd been grabbing the last few items. Millie watched Percy with a huge grin, hands on her hips. Shaking her head, she turned back to the others.

"You got Perce started, he won't be done correcting ya' until you're gone," she said with a laugh. Then she turned to her sister. "Thanks for the help, Maddie. Ya' can go on over t' Lizzie's now."

Maddie wasted no time in hurrying out to go find her friend. With a deep breath, Millie shot the men at the table and Alice a look of fear. She now had to get Percy over here.

"Perce, table time!" She called across the yard to where Percy continued to give Buck lessons on throwing technique. "Come on, love. Leave Buck alone."

"No, no, mum. He's getting it," Percy called back. "Mum-"

"Table, now."

He rolled his eyes dramatically. But Percy hurried over and scrambled into his chair at the table. Dinner passed with good conversation, and entertainment in the form of three year old Percy Bratt. They talked long into the evening. Millie absolutely loved all the Easy's officers.

When night fell, Millie went inside to put Percy to bed. He threw a tantrum, insisting he wasn't at all tired and that he deserved to stay up with the grownups and talk to the soldiers. With plenty of tears and screaming, Millie dragged him upstairs. Dick, Harry, and Buck got to work cleaning inside while Alice and Nixon picked up in the yard.

"What a character," Nixon commented, snickering as the last screams of Percy Bratt echoed through the door.

Alice smiled. "He's a sweetie."

They fell quiet, only the sounds of plates stacking and Alice wiping down the table making any noise in the darkness of the backyard. With a sigh, Alice shook her head and sat down. Nixon looked over at her.

"What's up with you?"

"Just thinking."

He scoffed. "Wondering what it'd be like?"

She looked at him sidelong. With a shrug, she shook her head. "I couldn't bring a child into this world. Not this one. It's not an option."

Nixon hummed in agreement. He took his glass of Vat 69 and topped it off. After a brief pause, he downed a drink. "Marriage is overrated anyways."

Alice didn't know if she believed that. She'd seen the beauty of her parents' marriage, the love they shared between themselves and their children, with her. Her expression fell as she stared, unseeing into the dark. What would it be like? Alice knew she couldn't have it, the sort of peaceful wonderful love that her parents had experienced.

With a frown, she stood up and shrugged. "Come on. We need to get these inside before those three burn down the house or something trying to clean." But she paused in her movements.

Nixon looked at her again. He passed over his glass. "Maybe someday."

"Yeah, someday. Maybe."