Just Say You Love Me!
Itallics -None English
Just outside Berchesgarten – 1945
"Will you quit looking at me like that?" Taylor snapped. Here we fucking go again, I thought. For the past 2 hours, Taylor and Cowboy had been none-stop glaring and snapping at each other. Now, it was starting to get on my nerves. We were 30 minutes ahead of the rest of the column and 5 minutes in front of Danni, Milly, Babe and Jules.
"I'm not looking at you like anything; I'm looking at the scenery."
"Well look the other fucking way."
"What's your fucking problem?"
"I don't have a fucking problem."
The arguing carried on, until I could take no more.
"Alright, stop the jeep!"
We came to a screeching halt and the two of them looked around at me, surprised and a little worried. Tay was just about to ask what was wrong, when I jumped out and grabbed the key and marched over to the fence, by the side of the road. I threw the keys over the fence and into the field.
"What the fuck?" Taylor shouted, standing next to me. "Are you nuts?"
"No, I'm just fucking sick of hearing you two argue! Now, both of you, get in that field and start looking. Together!"
I stomped back to the jeep, sitting on the hood and crossing my arms in a huff, watching the two of them climb over the fence, still arguing and beginning to look for the keys to the jeep. The rest of the ACS pulled up behind us, with Danni walking over and joining me at the front of the jeep.
"What are they doing?"
"Looking for the keys."
Danni looked at me, curiously, as I continued to watch them argue.
"You didn't…"
I smirked, looking smugger than smug, opening my hand to reveal the keys dangling from my index finger. Dan replicated the look on my face.
"You little sneak."
"Look, I've just had two hours of them angrily trying to tell each other they still love each other, without actually telling each other they love each other. You'd do the same."
"Point taken." There was a long pause, as Milly, Babe and Jules joined us. "How long do you think it'll take for them to realise you didn't actually throw the keys?"
"Fuck knows. Hopefully after they've kissed and made up."
"You know what's your fucking problem?"
"Oh, go ahead! Tell me what my fucking problems are!"
"You are so fucking dumb and insecure; you think you're no good for anyone just because you got a few scars!"
"Don't you fucking dare start on what I think about myself, you asshole!"
"Well, why don't we talk about what I think? I think you're the most beautiful woman in the whole fucking world! So fucking what you got a few scars?"
Danni and I sat up; things were starting to look interesting.
"You…what?"
"What? You think I'm going to spend 3 years falling for you and give up on you, just because you think you look ugly? Fuck that! I love you, you fucking moron!"
"Yeah? Well, same here, jackass!"
"If I'm a jackass, I'd tell you you're going to marry me!"
"Fine by me!"
"Well! It looks like we're getting married then!"
Danni and I snorted and as much as we tried to keep a straight face, we ended up falling into a fit of laughter. That was, by far, the angriest proposal I'd ever seen. It was hilarious, especially when they realised what they'd said to each other. There was a half-arsed attempt at taking back what they'd said, but after a few minutes of us laughing at them, and a few more minutes of just staring at each other, Hall pulled Tay into a Hollywood kiss, telling her he wasn't going to let her get away this time. Dan and I held each other, getting all warm and fuzzy, while the others looked on with pink cheeks. Such romance, much happy.
"Well, I guess that's all three of us married off now."
"Yea-wait, what?"
"Oh…yeah…about that." Danni's cheeks turned pink, scratching the side of her cheek and looking off down the road. "So, I kinda have something to tell you…"
"Go on…"
"Well…remember how I was convalescing in England?"
"Yeah…?"
"Well…Buck was transferred to the same hospital…."
The hamster in my head ran for several minutes as I began to put 2 and 2 together. When I did, I looked up at her in open mouthed shock.
"Shut the front door!" I gasped, as Hall and Tay stood together, still in the field. "You…you and Buck?! So…are you…Commander Compton?"
Danni went bright red, telling me they'd gone AWOL from the hospital the week before Buck was due to be shipped back to the States and gone up to Gretna Green. Apparently it had all happened so fast, they didn't even realise until he got notice to be shipped home. Well…bugger me.
"Alright you two! Let's load up and get going!" I called, turning back to Tay and Hall, jingling the keys at them. Taylor didn't look impressed but Hall just laughed and thanked me for doing them a favour. I decided that I'd wait for the rest of the column, give Tay and Hall some space to talk…and there wasn't really much room left in the other jeep for me…And Taylor wanted me to talk to Joe about it. They'd eventually made up with each other, still being friends and all, but I think she was scared he'd be upset or hurt…Gods, she was such a girl.
"Lith? What're you doing here?" Don looked surprised, but nonetheless glad to see me, as I clambered up into the back of the truck. I stood at the cab, next to Shifty, holding on to one of the bars.
"I needed to pass something on to Winters, so I stayed behind."
"You sure it wasn't because of those two arguing?" He asked, as Shifty passed me a lit cigarette. I glanced at Joe, who was pretending he wasn't listening, before I glared at Don, who didn't realise that I was trying to tell him to shut up. "What?"
"Nothing Donald. You're so oblivious."
"Hey!" He protested. "I know what you said."
"Well done. Ten points to Gryffindor." I rolled my eyes. "Would you like a medal?"
"Okay, one; you're talking too fast and two; what they fuck is Gryffindor?"
"Nothing dear. Go back to…whatever it was you were doing." I smirked when he started grumbling about something under his breath. I started to stare over the lads' heads at the scenery and the lake that we were driving past.
"Remind you of home?" Frank piped up. I glanced over.
"I lived by the coast…it reminds me of Norway…but the fjords are better…and where mama was from, you can see the whales."
"Speaking of home." Don piped up again. "Here."
He leaned over, handing me a few photos. He and Joe made some room so that I could sit a look through them. It was a big house, with a large porch, like something out of a Tim Burton film, but without the pointy towers. The garden was a bit over grown, but it was massive, big enough for a lot of bedding plants, I could imagine a nice little patio, surrounded by lavender, with gravel and an iron tea table and chairs in the middle. Everything looked like it would need sprucing up, but otherwise, it would seem like a dream to live in.
"So?" Don asked, expectantly. There was a sparkle to his eyes, like I remembered from back in Toccoa…when he was still my boyish, secret love. I blinked and he rolled his eyes. "What d'you think?"
"Well…needs a lot of work to it, especially the garden, but it looks nice."
"Good."
Uh-oh. I knew that look. That look where he was mulling something over, wondering what he was going to say, because whatever he'd asked me my opinion on, he'd already done. Like the time I told him I'd be really mad if he went out playing craps all night; turns out he'd already been out, won $6000 and was planning on blowing most of it in Paris the next chance he got.
"Donald. George. Malarkey. I fucking swear…"
"You're always telling me to plan ahead!" He replied defensively. I winced, putting my hands over my face.
"Donald! Where did you even get the money!? And didn't you think about asking you fucking wife about where she'd like to live before you bought a fucking house, you lemon!"
"Baby, I know you're mad, but."
"But what, Donald?"
"Just remember, I love you."
"I'm going to fucking bury you."
A comedic silence had fallen over the back of the truck. Comedic because everyone thought it was hilarious that Don's little wife (me) had fallen out with him and wasn't speaking to him. We took a break, 3 hours before we got to Berchtesgaden and Don once again approached me.
"Baby, are you still mad?" He broached, very carefully, coming over with a cup of coffee. I eyed him, put patted the ground next to me.
"I'm not mad, I'm just annoyed…A house is a big thing…it'd have been nice to discuss it. Together." Don rested his head on mine, placing a soft kiss on my head. "But…my love, I am quite pleased that you've thought ahead."
"I didn't tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise. You and me have shared our lives for three years, with all of our friends. If we went home, we'd have to live with my mom and my kid brother and sister…I just want us to be alone, together, to start our life."
"I didn't think I could love you more, but there it is." I grinned, giving him a kiss.
"I just want you to be happy."
"And I'll be happy, if you're with me, love. Always together, yeah?" I held his hand tightly. I never thought I'd love someone this much, let alone have someone love me just as much. I couldn't wait to start my life with Don, for real.
"Hey! Hey, Mouse! Come back here!"
"It's fine! There's no one in any way!" I called back to Ron, as I marched through the Eagle's Nest. We'd entered the town, which was mainly abandoned (well, you had to be a Nazi to live there in the first place, anyone would want to make themselves scarce) and Easy Company had been charged with going in first. It always helps to have your Major be part of Easy Company. I knew no one would be here, Dannie knew, Taylor knew, but no one else did.
"How'd you even know that?" Alton asked, as the others tried to keep up with me.
"Because I do. It's confidential, Alton. I'd have to kill you." I retorted, turning to look at them. "It's fine."
"Does your damn wife ever listen to a word anyone says?" I heard Ron grumble to Don.
"She hasn't listened to a thing I've said yet." He replied, sounding equally as despondent. "I'm surprised she heard our wedding."
"I heard our wedding just fine! You were the one bawling the whole way through. And, I listen to everything you say. Like the time you said you didn't know whether to get your sister a blue or pink dress and she cried because she didn't like either."
"Alright, I get your point."
Satisfied, I threw open the doors to a very large, round room. Something smelt off and Ron and I soon found that the cause was a dead Nazi cluttering up the rug. He was just turning him, where there was a pop from behind us. The two of us jumped, reaching for our pistols, only to find that my idiot husband had popped a bottle of champagne, toasting the dead man. I hit him as hard as I could with the nearest cushion, much to his dismay. Bored of death and the room, with the others exploring the rest of the Nest, I opted to wander outside.
The view was breath-taking. The view of the valley and town below, was worthy of paintings (Bob Ross coming to mind). It was almost like home.
"Ailith…the fuck are you doing up there?" Don's voice questioned me nervously, as I stood on the railing, surveying my new domain.
"I'm going to do it."
"Do what?" He asked again, standing by my legs. I should probably have explained myself to him before announcing I was going to do it, but I like to keep him on his toes. I breathed in as much as I could and let out a loud, shrill call. I'm Norwegian, kulning might be a Swedish thing, but Nords do it too. Mum taught me, her mum taught her and so on and so forth. My voice echoed loudly around the valley, drawing the rest of the group out onto the veranda.
"What the hell is that?" Ron asked, shocked. He wasn't the only one who was surprised; after my stint in hospital with a shitty lung, I wasn't sure that I'd be able to do this anymore. I was quite pleased with myself, until I started to cough, my lungs now irritated. "You pleased with yourself now?"
I nodded; so I was coughing, I still managed it.
"Just letting Dan know we're all alive and it's not booby-trapped."