4th December 1942 - Atlanta, GA
When we finally arrive in Atlanta and board the train, Sink is, of course, incredibly proud of us for beating the Japanese. However, that doesn't do much for the blisters on our feet. I exhale deeply as I drop into the seat, and Don sits beside me. "God damn, I'm fucked," I grumble, and Don nods in agreement, "Yep, I couldn't agree more." He pulls off his boots and socks, then rubs his feet. "Jesus, I'm never going to be able to walk again," he says dramatically, and I laugh. Sitting down across from us now are George and Skip, who also look slightly pained. They take off their boots too quickly, and it doesn't take long for a real stench to spread through the train. "Jesus Christ," I grumble, holding my sleeve in front of my nose as I slide down in my seat.
"Get used to it, sweetheart," George grins across from me, and I roll my eyes. "Like you could get used to it. God, my eyes are burning," I say, and the boys laugh. "Here, maybe this will help," Don says, holding out a smoke to me.
4th December 1942 - Fort Benning, GA
Finally arriving at Fort Benning, we are assigned to barracks and moved into our beds. Our belongings are already here and lying on our cots. It looks like they assigned them the same way as in Toccoa.
Suddenly Vest comes rushing up to me. "Here you go, Sarge," he says and puts a letter in my hand. "And this is from Lieutenant Roush," he continues, handing me a piece of paper. "Thanks, Vest." I briefly skim the lines from Roush, who has sent me the program for the next few days, but then turn to the letter. It is from Tommy, my brother. I sit down on my bed and open the letter.
My dearest sister
I hope you are well. Father told me they transferred you because of disagreement in your old company. I hope you don't let them get you down and show them the ropes.
"What's that?" I suddenly hear a voice next to my ear, and Don sits beside me on the bed. "Oh, just a letter from my brother." "Which one? The Marine or the Ranger?" I laugh and look at Don before folding the letter and pocketing it. "The Ranger," I laugh. "I'm guessing Damon is already on a ship somewhere." I stand up and take the paper from Roush again. "Hey, Lip?" I say then and walk towards him. "Yeah?" "Let's round up the guys; I've got news," I say, and he nods before leaving the barracks.
"Okay, 2nd Platoon, school circle in front of the barracks," I call out, and the guys follow me. When we have everyone together, I look at the list. "Lieutenant Roush gave me the program for the next few days. Tomorrow, 0600, breakfast. 0630, the first lessons of jump training begin. In the afternoon, we'll get to know the tools... Until then. Free pass until tomorrow morning." The men cheer and then disperse again. Don immediately puts an arm around my shoulder again. "Well, how does it look, Stark? Are we going out?" I look up at him with a laugh. "What kind of question is that, Donnie?" "Come on! Don't call me that!" "Sorry, Don-nie." He playfully pushes me off him. "You really are the pest sometimes, Liv, you know that?" "I'm well aware of that, Don." "Now go take a shower, you stink," he grins, and I look at him theatrically indignant. Dramatically, I raise a hand and place it on my chest, " Oh my, Donald. How could you say something like that to a lady." "If you see one, let me know, will you?" He grins and heads off to join Skip and the others.
I go back to the barracks and get my shower supplies. As I step outside, First Sergeant Evans approaches me. "Olivia, you're just the person I was looking for," he says, and I look at him, confused. When Evans looks for you, it usually doesn't mean good things. He is Sobel's puppy, after all. "What can I do for you, First Sergeant?" I ask slightly sarcastically, but he doesn't seem to notice, or he's just chosen to ignore it. "Captain Sobel wanted me to inform you that we can no longer provide you with separate showers here. He also said that it's time you got used to it." I look at Evans with raised eyebrows. " Uh-huh," is all I say. Evans eyes me for a moment before nodding and walking away again. "Doggy," I grumble, briefly considering how I will make this work so I can shower in peace.
Then I see Skinny just coming out of his barracks. "Hey, Skinny. Have you seen Don, Skip, or George?" I ask, but he shakes his head. "No, I'm afraid I haven't. They all disappeared earlier. Probably scouting the area. Why?" " Dammit," I curse under my breath. "Well, it looks like I don't have separate showers anymore, and I need someone to stand guard." Skinny eyes me for a moment. "Well... If you want, I could do that," he offers, and I look at him in surprise. "You sure? Surely you have better things to do." "I don't know what. Come on." I consider for a moment. "Fine, but no peeking, okay?" "Promise," he smiles at me, and we walk to the showers together.
Joe POV:
With no real destination, I walk around the shower bar, where I spot Skinny. "Hey, what are you doing here?" I ask, confused. "Oh, I'm just keeping an eye on Liv. She doesn't have separate showers anymore, it seems." I snort and raise my eyebrows. "Well, have fun with that," I say, and I am about to move on when Lipton walks up to us. "Hey, Skinny, Roush is looking for you," he says. "Shit, now?", Skinny asks back, and Lipton nods before continuing on his way. "Fuck," Skinny grumbles. "Hey Joe, can you do me a favor?" I look at him, and what he wants from me quickly dawns on me. "No, oh no. I won't. Do I look like a fucking guard dog?" "Come on, please. I promised Liv I'd keep watch." "Yes, you did, but I didn't." Skinny thinks for a second, then pulls a pack of smokes out of his pocket and holds them out to me. "Please."
I take a deep breath and then grab the pack. "Thanks, Joe!" says Skinny, and then he's already skipping away. "Fuck," I grumble to myself and then light a smoke. My eyes briefly wander to the entrance of the shower barrack, and I can't help myself. I take a step forward and look inside. There I see her. She stands with her back to me and rinses her hair down. I can't see much, just the upper part of her back, but even that is just perfect. What I would give to run my hands over it... 'Jesus Joe, what are you thinking again?!'
Suddenly Liv turns around, and I recoil. I hear the water being turned off, and about five minutes later, Liv comes out of the barracks and stops, faltering, when she sees me. Her long blond hair is still wet, and she has tied it into a side braid, but they wet her fresh OD's again. "Where's Skinny?" she asks me directly, and I try to look at her bored. "He had to go see Roush," I say, and Liv looks around uncomfortably. "And what are you doing here?" she asks me then. "What does it look like I'm doing? Wasting my time." Liv looks at me perplexed, which makes me groan in annoyance. "Skinny asked me to take over to preserve your dignity, Your Majesty." Liv snorts out, then walks past me, annoyed. "You really are an idiot," she grumbles, stomping off to our barracks. "You're welcome, milady. A simple thank you would have been quite enough" I call after her, and she gives me the middle finger.
Liv's POV:
Back in the barracks, I throw my things into the box in front of my bed. "What's the matter with you?" I hear Don, who is just coming in. Liebgott enters the room behind him, and our eyes meet briefly. "Nothing," I grumble and sit down on my bed. "Hey, we found a little dance club not far from here," Don says excitedly, and I look at him. "I could have told you that." Don looks at me, confused. "I did graduate from OCS here, silly." "Right... I totally forgot about that. But anyway. Unpack your dancing shoes; we're going dancing."
I shake my head in amusement and watch my best friend excitedly discuss something with Penkala for a moment before taking out my brother's letter. Next to me, Liebgott has also thrown himself onto his bed and is reading his comics. I unfold the letter and start rereading it.
My dearest sister
I hope you are well. Father told me they transferred you because of a disagreement in your old company. I hope you don't let them get you down and show them the ropes. You are strong, Liv; never forget that!
We were stationed at Camp Pendelton the last time, and I was home briefly when I was furloughed. Mom told me that Cindy is going to the Pacific now. It's not definite with you guys yet, is it? Mom is not happy at all. She fears for all of us. Damon is already somewhere in the Pacific, Cindy will be soon, I'm going to Europe, and you... Who knows where you'll be sent? Definitely behind enemy lines.
Mom was crying. She cried a lot. She also kept asking why we were so stupid and couldn't just stay home like Lily. Lily's pregnant, by the way. I think Logan was with her briefly a few months ago, and yeah... He's stationed at Pearl Harbor and probably won't be sent away.
I miss you, Liv. I sincerely hope you are okay. I know you don't like to hear it, but if they make your life hell, you should reach out to Dad. I heard about the paratroopers. The training is supposed to be hard, and the dropout rate is very high.
Stop making a face because I know that's what you're doing now. I'm not saying you're not up to it, Minnie because you are, but I'm suggesting that no one judge you if you decide to put all this behind you.
I'm sorry, I don't like the idea of you going to war with a bunch of men. If anyone touches you, I swear to you, Liv, I'll kick their ass!
Well, enough about me. Write to me as soon as you can, will you?
Love you. I'll see you soon.
Tommy
Tears come to my eyes as I fold the letter back up. It's amazing how well my brother knows me. I wipe my tears away for a moment, stow the letter in my clothes, and then change.
The dance hall is quite crowded, but that does not surprise us. Most of the soldiers still have a free pass until tomorrow morning and, of course, take advantage of this. I'm sitting at a table with Don, Skip, and Penk, drinking my beer when George comes up to us.
"Well, pretty lady? How about a dance?" he asks, wiggling his eyebrows as he holds his hand to me. "Well, I put on my dancing shoes for something," I grin and take his hand. George leads me to the dance floor and begins to lead me. It's a short piece which is why George is at first fumbling with how I dance, and when he realizes I'm fully letting him lead me, he starts twirling me around. I laugh out loud. "Wow, George. I had no idea what a wild dancer you were," I laugh. "That's not the only thing I'm wild at, Sweetheart," he grins back, and I shake my head in amusement. "But you're a natural."
George twirls me around the dance floor for one more song when someone taps him on the shoulder. "May I?" asks Skip, smiling at me. "Sure thing," George says, putting my hand in Skips. "That looked turbulent. You and Luz," Skip laughs, and I nod. "Yeah, I guess George got a little carried away." Skip's dancing style is different from George's. He's calmer and less hyper.
After dancing with George, Skip, Penk, Bill, and Joe Toye, I need a break. Out of breath, I sit down next to Don, who grins at me. "Had enough yet?" he asks, and I exhale. "Yep, I need a break. Just George alone almost broke me." "Lucky you saved the best for last," Don grins, and I punch him in the arm. "But of course." I look around. Many soldiers are talking or dancing with young nurses stationed here or local women. "You do know you can dance with someone else, right? Find yourself a pretty girl," I ask Don then, and he nods. "I know, but I can't leave you alone with the vultures, can I?" "I'm a big girl Don. I can take care of myself." "Yeah yeah, I know, sweetheart. Come on, let me make you a deal. We'll dance now, and after that, I'll find a pretty girl and dance with her. Deal?" "Deal."
Don leads me to the dance floor. "Wow, lucky I saved you for last. I don't think my feet will survive another dance after this," I grin and Don gives me a slightly hurt look. "It's not that bad, is it?" "No, I'm just kidding, Donnie. You're quite the dancer." Don unexpectedly whirls me off him and then pulls me to his chest. "Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" he whispers in my ear, and somehow the situation is bizarre right now. Then he whirls me off him again and leads me back to normal. I can't help it and have to laugh. "What was that?" I ask, and he winks at me.
Suddenly the man on the small stage shouts, "Partner swap!" Slightly overwhelmed, I look at Don, who shrugs his shoulders, looks up, and then whirls me on. I land in new arms and falter when I look up. "Great," I mutter. Of course, I've landed in Liebgott's arms with my luck. I didn't even notice that he was also on the dance floor. "Breathe a little, Stark. Jesus, I think your feet are better off with me than with Malarkey." I look at him in surprise. "Oh yeah?" "Yeah." And unfortunately, I have to agree with him. Liebgott can dance. "I'll just take your silence as confirmation." Briefly, my gaze wanders to Don, who winks at me and points his head at Liebgott.
I roll my eyes. "Where did you learn to dance like that?" I ask then, not expecting a reasonable answer from him. "My mother... She sent my sisters and me to dance lessons from a very young age. She always said there was nothing more attractive than a man who knew how to dance," he explains, and I'm surprised he's telling me this. "Well, she's not wrong about that," I return, and our eyes meet briefly. Liebgott clears his throat and then looks away from me again. My gaze wanders to my hand in his. Why does this feel so right? I think I see his thumb stroking my hand, but I'm probably just imagining it. God damn it, what is this man doing to me?
Lost in thought, I don't notice that the song has ended, and now a slow song is playing. Liebgott, however, does not seem to intend to let me go and pulls me a little closer. Now I can breathe in his scent, which almost drives me crazy. Inconspicuously, I look around and quickly notice that Don is no longer on the dance floor, and many others have also sat down again. Then I catch a rather unfriendly look from a redhead standing next to the dance floor with her arms folded. When I look back up at Liebgott, I realize that she was probably his dance partner and that he has now just left her standing.
As the dance progresses, I notice that Liebgott is pressing me more and more against him. I feel his body against mine, and my heart begins to beat faster. I would love to put my head on his shoulder, which is just the right height, but I don't dare to do that. When the song stops, Liebgott gently pushes me away from him but still holds my hand in his and his other around my back. We look into each other's eyes, and I perceive nothing but him for a moment. Our faces are only inches apart.
I bite my lips briefly and then smile. Just as he is about to return it, someone approaches us.
"Hey, lovebirds. We're heading out. Are you coming?" George asks, grinning at both of us. We quickly let go of each other, and both look away, embarrassed. "Coming," I say and walk towards the table to grab my things and put on my jacket.
As I step outside, an already grinning Don puts his arm around my shoulders. "Looks like you saved the best for last." "What are you talking about, Malarkey?" I ask, frowning. "Well, you and Liebgott. You don't know how lovely that looked, you in his arms." "Oh, shut up! That was nothing." "It didn't look like nothing to me, sweetheart. I did a great job, didn't I, Skip?" he then asks in the direction of Skip, who is high-fiving him. "You sure did, Malark." "You did that on purpose?" Don grins and shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not." I look at him angrily. "I'll make you pay for that, Malarkey!" "You'll thank me someday, Stark."