"Aye! It's my favorite Ginger and Jew!" Both Joe and I rolled our eyes as we were greeted by none other than George Luz in front of his apartment out in Rhode Island, which was a huge change of scenery for the both of us since I was so used to Louisiana. It was a bit cooler here, with a lot more colors and the Atlantic ocean there for us to see as we drove along the Eastern Coast. We were going to stay with Luz for a day or two before we would then make our way over to Bull in Arkansas. Luz had his home near the ocean, which somehow suited him because he was more of a lively person like the waters there.
I had to make sure Doc was going to be okay before we left Doc and Babe there. Joe and I left a day after Doc's sleepwalking incident, and it pained me to leave him behind since someone else to could happen to him. But after hugging Babe goodbye, he looked at me dead in the eye and I saw the seriousness in his face and eyes on me.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to him, Red. You can trust me, I'll take care of him." Babe vowed to me, having me feel a bit better about the whole thing with Doc. I made him promise to say hello to Bill Guarnene for me, since they both were from Philly and were talking on a regular basis at this point. He said he would, which made me happy.
Doc was still suffering, as I was, and for him being my best friend it would be best for him to stay with another Easy Company member who knew about his demons. Doc hugged me goodbye, though I reassured him that he was going to come to my house when we were down with our road trip around America. He was looking forward to it, having me see the sweet smile on his face.
"Get better for me, okay?" I asked Doc in a loving tone, till holding him close as we were hugging each other in front of the car, Babe and Joe were saying goodbye and then Babe was snuggling Archer in his arms.
"Only for you, Gingembre." Doc replied back to me in a soothing manner, having me feel him kiss the side of my head and I smiled though the hug. So now, three days later and constant driving and staying in motels, we made it to Rhode Island and to the house of George Luz. I was glad to see the humorous man from Easy Company again, and he still looked the same since I saw him at the train station.
Joe and I walked over from the car to see him meet us in the middle on the deserted street. He was living in an apartment on his own, though he was still meeting up with his siblings and his parents every once in awhile and was now working his new job. He looked good, compared to what I was picturing in my head since he too looked older. He then looked past us, Joe and I looked too and having all three of us seeing Archer wagging his tail like a crazy pup, leaning down low and ready to pounce on Luz with his tongue out and a smile on his face. Luz grinned so widely that it made me see all of his teeth, kneeling down and holding out his hands for Archer.
"Look at this scabber! What in the hell are you feedin' him?" He said in glee as Archer ran over to him, pouncing on him and having him fall over with Archer licking at his face. Luz laughed as he rubbed Archer all over his body, having me watch with a smile on my own face and then feel a arm go around me from behind, a hand on my hip and pulling me close to a body. It was Joe, who saw me smiling at the sight of Archer playfully attacking Luz, and he must have felt joy from seeing a smile on my face. We both were glad to have some kind of happiness in our lives at this point since we were slowly coming out the haze of pain and nightmares.
"And you two look pretty damn good." Luz commented to both Joe and I, pointing to each of us with a smug look on his face. I just smirked at him and shook my head, having me see out of the corner of my eye Joe glaring at him and wanting nothing more to just chew him out. Luz chuckled, walking over to me finally and placing his hands on my shoulders, eyeing me up and down and then having me watch him carefully to see what he was going to do.
"I kind of like this new look on you: the hair and the the dress," Lux explained aloud in a light smirk, having me suddenly blush since he sounded so sincere in front of me, "Though I am use to the army boots and uniform, you should keep dressing up more often."
"Take it easy big guy." Joe playfully warned him, having me see Luz eye him and then laugh, clapping him on the shoulder and having the scene there be light again. It was never dull with Luz, and I was glad for that.
"Come on, let's go inside and grab a beer." He said to the both of us, having us follow him over to the apartment building that was there. Something about being in the same presence as George Luz made everything around us brighter and less of a nightmare, whether it was his smile or his accents that would make even the coldest heart melt, but none the less he was a unique character in Easy Company.
That night we went out to go see a movie in town, which was perfect since we were going to meet the infamous girlfriend that Luz wrote to me about: Delvina. I was more excited about it than Joe was though he was still nice enough to get himself looking rather nice for the event. I did as well, though I could still see how Luz was still trying to get used to me in a dress and in curls. But I knew he would get used to it and leave me be, that or Joe would threaten him with a black eye. I don't know which one was going to come first.
"Oh, come on. It's a classic movie." I said to Joe as we walked together down the street in town to the movie theater with Luz leading the way, who had a pep in his step. We were going to meet Delvina at the theater and then go in and see Seven Sinners, the same John Wayne flick that we were watching over in the war that Luz knew like the back of his hand.
"But Luz is goin' to quote the whole Goddamn thing." Joe said in a complaint, the both of us having an arm around the other's waist and having me shake my head with a smirk on my own face.
"It was either this movie or a war flick: I doubted Luz would want to take Delvina into seeing one of those when we lived through it. And besides, they would have probably had the whole thing wrong." I explained to him, seeing him smirk from my explanation.
"Eh, that's true." Joe agreed, having me lean up to kiss him in the jaw once and seeing a rush of color on his cheeks.
"Just play nice with Luz, okay? I think he really likes this girl." I insisted with him, seeing him look down with amusement and then nod his head. Before he could say anything, I saw Luz go from being in a walk to a skip since apparently he saw whom he was looking for. I looked as well, seeing a young woman who was a bit younger than, but her face was the sweetest thing I have ever seen. She had honey brown hair, a heart-shaped face and a beautiful smile that lit up when she saw Luz, whom walked over to her and they were talking to each other excitedly. I couldn't help but smile from what I was seeing: that beautiful girl was making Luz smile back at her and they were having a genuine conversation with each other and laughing with one another. This was different from how I saw Luz when we would laugh with one another, he was laughing because of her. He was receiving joy instead of giving it, and that was a pure sight to see. She was radiant, and she was loving on him in a way that made me glad that he was being loved.
"These are my friends from Easy Company, the ones I told you about." Luz said to her as Joe and I finally joined him with Delvina, who smiled widely at the both of us. She had her hands folded in front of her, looking beyond nervous and having me just reach out a hand for her to shake.
"I'm Marley La Noux." I said to her in an introduction, seeing her gently shake my hand in return and her kindness show through her warm eyes.
"It's wonderful to meet you finally. George talks about you constantly." She said to me in such a sweet tone it sounded like the tone of honey if it ever had a tone. I gave her a hesitant look, seeing Luz roll his eyes next to me.
"I hope he doesn't talk about me all the time." I said to her, seeing her shake her head and giggle from her spot as Luz placed as arm around her waist, having me watch and see how he was then looking at her with love in his eyes.
"Don't be full of yourself, Red." Luz commented back to me, "This is her fiancé, Joe Liebgott."
"Nice to meet ya," Joe said in a nice tone, smirking at her as they shook hand as well, "Did he talk about me a whole lot?"
"Well—" Delvina started, but Luz glared at him and then cleared his throat.
"Come on, the movie's gonna start." he said to clear the conversation, having me snicker from the look of hesitance on his face as he steered Delvina over to the ticket booth, Joe and I behind them both. I smiled from seeing how Luz was with her: being genuinly happy and not having to hide behind a face. He never had to do that in the war, but it was nice that he no longer had to cheer others up as if it was some kind of job. As soon as we bought our tickets, I heard Delvina again talk to Luz.
"Hey George, Got a penny?"
Luz snickered as we went into the theater, having me look at her now in surprise as she used the same accent that George did when we were back in the war watching the same movie. Luz just laughed, holding her close and they both sat down next to me. Looking over at Joe, I saw a wide grin on his face, then looking over at me and having me wonder why he would be smiling like that.
"Delvina…I kind of like her." He said aloud in amusement. I grinned, seeing him lean down to kiss me on the lips quickly and lightly.
"Me too, I think he should keep her."
After we saw the movie, in which this time Luz was mostly silent since he had his arm around Delvina and was just drinking in the fact that he had a girl to call his own, Joe and I went back to the motel that we were staying at while we were visiting him. Though before we left, I saw Luz kiss Delvina goodnight, a gentle kiss against the corner of her mouth and she held onto him a bit tighter than before. It made me smile, since all of his talk about being a big guy full of stamina was now crashing down, all because of one girl. He kissed her in a way that only a husband would kiss his wife: whole heartedly. I was glad for him, seeing that he was going to be okay with someone to help him with reality.
Joe and I were back in the motel room we were staying at, the cool Rhode Island night was outside our window as we were staying up together a bit more before we would go to bed. Archer was staying with Luz since no dogs were allowed at the motel, which was nice for him since he missed the little guy too much. I was fine by me, since I had one less thing to worry about when it came to out venture.
"I'm glad he's happy." Joe said over to me, both of his hands behind his head as he was sprawled out on our bed and I was sitting up, Indian Style and looking at the map in front of us. We had one more day at Rhode Island before we would head over to see Bull in Arkansas, having me plan out how we were going to get there. I looked back at Joe, seeing him smile at me as I raised an eyebrow at him.
"You are?" I asked him in shock, seeing him nod his head.
"Well yeah. Sure he's a pain in the ass sometimes and a bit of a handful, but hey is he's happy then I'm happy." Joe explained, having me just shake my head at his antics.
"You sound like a proud father." I commented to him, looking back at the map and drawing it out with the pen that I had in my hand.
"Thanks for the compliment, rothaarige Sirene." Joe said back in retaliation, though I could hear the smug in his tone. I whirled around, seeing him only grin at me as if he was a child that was caught in an act of defiance, but was fine with it. He was proud of what he said, and he looked like he was ready for anything I was going to throw at him. I glared at him, trying to show I was no one to mess with, but it was no use with him since he was too beautiful with his own grin at me.
"Well, you happen to be a fils de pure arrogant." I countered back at him with my French. He then gave me a playful look, a dangerous one as if I was pushing his boundaries. He shot up, being so close to me now and was sitting literally against me as his lips were so close to being on mine as he looked at me with lust over them. My stomach flipped, thinking that I just pushed him over at edge but having no regret with it.
"You know what you do to me when you speak French?" He asked me in a low dangerous tone, having me see that he was trying to push me over the edge with him and making me feel a chill against my skin. I only smirked at him, looking at him up and down and gulping from my spot in front of him. The both of us, on our bed, staring at each other as if we were testing each other limits to see who would break first.
"Do you know what you do to me when you speak German?" I replied back in a question to him, seeing him lick his lips and making me watch to touch them with my own.
"You're gonna push it one of these days, La Noux." he warned me, having me feel how dangerously close me was now. He was not touching me with his hands, nor was he going to give me the honor of touching me since he knew what he was doing then. What a cocky bastard. I just smirked at him some more, leaning in a bit more to where our lips were barely touching one another, sending an electric feeling down my spine from the thrill of it.
"I like a challenge with you, Liebgott." I purred against his lips, feeling him smile then and then look down at my lips with his eyes. Something happened to the both of us after we had sex for the first time, it was as if another wall between us was down and our vulnerable sides were out in the open for the other to see. It was something that I still had to get used to, but it was fine since it was with Joe.
Within a second after I said that to him, both of his arms were around me and he pulled me down with him on the bed, me landing on top of him and we were kissing in oblivion again. Both of my legs were on either side of his as he pulled my shirt off, having me now only be in my boxers and my brassiere. I clawed off his shirt as well, hearing him chuckle for a moment before going quiet as I kissed his jawline and neck. One of his hands when to my hair and held my head there as he kissed me and the other hand went to my hip, gripping for dear life.
This was electrifying, having me feel it all over me as we were kissing and loving each other in such a way that was beyond normal. We went from having one conversation that was normal to making out on our bed and that would lead to another blissful moment with him, and as he reached behind my back to unsnap my brassiere to have it slide down my arms and have me exposed to him, I felt no shame. There was no sound of it, not with him, since he was showing me not lust in his kisses and how he made love to me again, but love. I felt love from him, in every gasp from my lips and every movement that our bodies made together. It felt natural for me to do this with him, and I wondered if soul mates felt like this to each other.
God I hope so.
"When did you get this scar?" I asked him softly, the both of us still in the afterglow and just laying together in the bed. I was on my stomach, my brassiere was back on with my boxers and Joe had his own pair back on too. But we were still riding on that high that we gave each other, and we didn't care about it at all. We were wrapped up in each other, finding comfort and stability in one another as I was laying on my stomach next to him, tracing the faint dent of a scar on his neck as he was looking up at the ceiling, on his back on the bed and his hand was laced with my own that was not occupied.
"Back when we were dealing the with crossroads." Joe explained to me, his voice was raspy now but soft as I looked from the scar over to him. His eyes were on the ceiling, how he said it made me realize what this scar meant to him. I never was there for this, not when we weren't talking to one another.
"After our fight." I breathed out, seeing him say or do nothing as I moved my finger away from his scar and just stared at him. It pained him, taking about a scar that was a memory for them that he wanted to forget. I didn't see him get this because we weren't on speaking terms then. I closed my eyes, feeling foolish to even ask about it when it was making him feel pain all over again.
"The day after," he explained then look over at me and having me see him take our joined hands to move it over to be in front of his eyes, though I dared not to move, "I didn't have the heart to find you then, since I was too damn proud to even confess that I made a mistake."
"Stop beating yourself up over that, Joe." I said back to him in a bold tone, but he shook his head in defiance.
"I can't help it, Marley. It was my damn pride that made us not talk for weeks and those weeks were the worst in all the war. I couldn't talk to my best friend, even look at you and know that what I did to you was wrong. I pushed you away from me…" He trailed off, having me yank our joined hands over to my direction to have him finally look at me. I gave him a stern stare, watching with my eyes and then seeing him watch me too.
"But I am still here with you," I explained to him calmly but with a boldness behind my tone to him, "I too was at fault for our fight. No matter how hard you think you tried to push me away, I came back to you, and now we're right here, okay?" He nodded his head, a small smile was back on his face as I looked back at him lovingly.
"I still don't get how you do that." He commented to me.
"Do what?" I asked.
"Get me to not beat myself up over something I did. You take all that shit away with just that smile of yours." He explained some more to me, "What else is there to know that I don't know?"
"I don't know," I replied back to him in a smile, seeing him grin at me against the pillow and under the sheets, "What do you know about me then? Please enlighten me." I watched as he went to lay on his side, facing me and then placing one arm under his pillow and the other hand still holding my own, watching me carefully with his eyes and then having me feel butterflies with how he was staring at me.
"I know you are brilliant with medicine," He started, having me give him a mock look of surprise, "And you love strawberries, listening to French music and dancing to it gracefully, you also love peanut butter and singing your hymns that remind me of home, your favorite flowers are sunflowers, and your hair smells like rain." Joe said all these things, having me really realize how he was such a complex person, not just one sided. Sure he was full of pride and had some issues to deal with when it came to his temper, but he also had a side of him that was scared to expose to people. He would put up a front around others in order not to be seen as anything less than strong.
"Well, I know you like reading comic books, like Flash Gordon," I stated back to him softly, having me see him watch me carefully as if was exposing him to the world, with waited breath, "And you have a great sense of humor that could make anyone laugh, and you love talking about cars, you have a bit of a thirst for beer, and you have a wonderful spirit about you." Even as I said this, I could feel myself falling more and more for them as we were telling each other all we knew about the other. After all of our talks with one another and how we were becoming closer as friends before lovers, I wanted to know him more and more. Joe just grinned at him, his face filled with that same warmth as he had before, plenty of times when we were alone together.
But then I felt him move his hand from mine, slowly tracing it up my arm to my shoulder and down my sides over my exposed skin, having me stay so still when he then touched the scar there along my rib, the scar from Bastogne and he froze his hand there, placing the hand over it an keeping it there The way he held it there, it was as if he was trying to hide it from the rest of the world.
"I wish I could take this from you." He murmured, looking down at the scar as my own eyes were back on him, having me see once again the hurt on his face from knowing that I got hurt and I had to carry that memory with me for the rest of my life, "The fact that you almost died…right in front of me and I couldn't do a single thing about it."
"Stop dwelling on the past," I said to him softly, grabbing his hand from my hip and taking it back in my hand, placing it between us as I scooted closer to him to watch the pain in his face, "I'm okay and I can love with the fact that no grenade can keep me away from you." He slowly grinned again, having the both of us rest again in peace and no longer be compelled with the past.
This was only the beginning for the both of us, and I was hoping to see what was future was going to hold as Joe's wife.
