A/N:
Thank you BobtheFrog for another review! Yeah, Babe was being grumpy, but with everything going on I figured that would be the best way he'd react? I don't know, I hope it's okay. Yes, Marie finally told someone, but her guilt is far from being fully recovered (unfortunately). Poor Glenn Miller, I didn't know that's how he died either, and I'm really dreading The Breaking Point chapters. I can't even begin to imagine how I'm going to get through them ;_;
Thank you MASHlover23 for another review! Oh my goodness, that was one of the longest and nicest reviews I've ever received. I'm actually stunned, and I'm not sure how to respond! Your words really mean a lot to me, because fear of disgracing the real men is one of the reasons I didn't start writing this fic sooner, but I'm so happy to know that I'm still able to honor and respect them in this silly fictional story. I'm trying my best to keep things realistic and respectful; I'm so glad it's paying off. I can't wait for the update on your story! Thanks again for this amazing review :')
Thank you NicoleQuincy for the story follow and favorite!
Here's a short and carefree and fluffy chapter before the real heavy and sad stuff starts coming. I hope everyone enjoys! The Breaking Point parts are starting in the next chapter and I'm nervous about writing those chapters. But anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!
New Year's Eve was never a holiday Marie would imagine would be boring, but when it came to Bastogne, it took mundane and redundancy to a whole new level. The Germans had remained pretty quiet today, so there was literally nothing for Easy Company to do but walk around and fix up their foxholes. Marie decided to walk around, kicking up bits of snow with her boots, craving some sort of entertainment. The fact that 1945 would be approaching in a few hours was hard for Marie to grasp. She'd joined Easy Company in 1942; it felt like the years were flying by, other than a few standstills here and there. As Marie continued down the trial in boredom, Marie heard familiar voices fill the air. She recognized Emilia's laugh almost immediately, followed by the voice of someone else she knew. Marie stopped walking as she tried to tune in on the voices around her. She saw Emilia come into view, holding her helmet at her side. Her hair was done up in its usual pompadour rolled 'do. Despite the harshness of the climate, she was still striking and stood out amongst the grimy gruff that had become Easy Company. To Marie's surprise she noticed Floyd Talbert walking beside her. The two of them seemed to be engaging in a deep conversation.
Marie smiled to herself as she watched the two of them get along. It had been a while since she'd seen them speak to each other without any sense of coldness or hostility. The two of them stopped walking toward Marie now, both facing each other. Tab said something that made Emilia flash him a stunning smile as she giggled. Marie was just out of earshot, but didn't want to invade their privacy. The two of them went separate ways when Emilia noticed Marie standing at a distance, a knowing smile on her face.
Emilia rolled her eyes, placing her helmet back on her head. "You enjoyed that, huh?"
"Looks like someone has fallen under Lover Boy's spell again." Marie commented, her sly grin unwavering.
Emilia gave a light laugh, shaking her head at her friend's antics. "Laugh it up, Hun. I might be a bitch, but I'm not that much of a bitch to not forgive him."
"Well it only took you three months."
Emilia shot her friend a warning glance, but couldn't keep a straight face. The two of them laughed together until they had to stop to catch their breath. It had been a long time since the two of them were able to feel blissful with each other. Just for a moment the entire war seemed to fade away, leaving only two women and longtime best friends.
"Oh, look what I found." Emilia mentioned, reaching into her pack. She pulled out a half-filled bottle of champagne. Marie studied the glass, making a puzzled face as she took the glass bottle from her friend's hand. She brought it up close so she could read the label. It was real, legitimate champagne. "Can you believe it?" Emilia asked Marie with a grin.
"Where'd you get this?" Marie asked.
"Oh please, Nix's got stashes all over CP. You just gotta know where to look." Emilia's grin turned wicked. "I figured you and the boys could use a little celebration. It is New Year's after all."
"You know I don't drink."
"Yeah, but Don and Skip do." Emilia added.
Marie looked down at the bottle, contemplating Em's words. It's true, the sight of alcohol would make them feel festive. Those two did need something to take their minds off of the war.
"Why don't you come with me? We can all celebrate." Marie suggested.
Emilia sighed. "I wish I could, but I just got handed a whole stack of German documents that need to be translated. Not to mention I've got to help with the map. You know Dike had no idea what he's doing when it comes to strategy."
Marie gave grunt in agreement. She wished Emilia could be with the three of them, but she knew she had major responsibilities. She hugged Emilia goodbye, glad to see a smile plastered on her face, even if it was a tired one. It had been a long time since she'd seen genuine happiness on her face, and it made Marie even more excited that part of that happiness came from Tab. She knew the two of them were crazy for each other. Marie wished they reconciled sooner, but it's better to now than later. Marie smiled to herself, looking down at the half-filled bottle of champagne that was already starting to get chilled from the freezing air. Marie pushed the bulky bottle into her pack and made her way back to find Malarkey and Muck.
The sun began to sink early as it usually did during the winter months. Marie, Malarkey, and Muck gathered around together in a foxhole, laughing and celebrating as wild as they were allowed for New Year's Eve. Malarkey had asked permission from Buck if they were allowed to shoot off rounds of artillery in celebration of the special day. He had agreed, so Malarkey had started to shoot off mortar rounds, hollering at the explosions while Muck did the same. Others from Easy Company started to follow their leads until their patch of territory sounded like a park being filled with fireworks on the Fourth of July. Champagne wasn't a strong liquor, but the amount Muck and Malarkey had was starting to set in. Marie only chuckled, shaking her head with a grin on her face at their craziness.
Muck took the champagne from Marie's hands, taking a heavy swig right from the bottle. His eagerness to get a taste made some of the contents spill; he wiped the alcohol off his face, which was now growing a thick beard. Malarkey was starting to get stubble on his face, but it didn't match Muck's facial hair. Most of the men had started to grow beards, other than Winters who was taking the time to keep up with his grooming in the middle of the war. The beards amused Marie, she couldn't help but picture Muck as a mountain man or someone who'd been stranded on an island by the way he looked.
"Relax." Marie laughed, taking the bottle away from her tipsy friend.
"I can't help it! I'm feeling great tonight!" Muck beamed. He pulled out a letter, waving around the air like he was trying to get all of Easy's attention. "Mail day was today, and I got word from my sweet Faye."
"What's it say?" Malarkey asked.
"Oh, the usual. But she's going to try to send me a birthday present if she can. I doubt it'll come in time, but hell, it would be swell to receive something in the mail from her." Muck answered, still grinning ear to ear.
"That's right! Your birthday is coming up next month! You're finally going to catch up with us in age." Marie giggled, poking fun at Muck for being the youngest of the group.
"What's she gonna send you?" Malarkey questioned, trying to peer at Faye's letter.
Muck glanced down at the letter. "Doesn't say, she probably wants it to be a surprise. Damn, I wish she was here. It's New Year's, I want to give her a New Year's kiss."
Malarkey and Marie both said 'awww' as obnoxiously as they could to tease their friend; Muck rolled his eyes in response but still held that same smile. He put the letter away, focusing back on shooting off a few rounds with his rifle.
"What did you two get in the mail? It's my turn to pick on you for a change." Muck asked.
"I got a letter from Bernice." Malarkey mentioned, but he didn't pull out the letter. His expression remained neutral, as did Marie's. Bernice's letters weren't coming as often as they used to, it was obvious the two were growing apart. Marie felt a pang of guilt, feeling partly responsible for their off and on again relationship. Malarkey dropped the subject, not wanting to talk any further on the subject. He turned to Marie, whom was absentmindedly playing with the champagne bottle. "What about you?"
Marie shrugged. "I just got a letter from home."
"What'd it say?" Muck questioned.
"Nothing interesting, I'm sure Faye's letter is far more exciting."
That blissful grin appeared on Muck's face again. "God, I can't wait to see her again. I swear I'm gonna marry that girl."
"Only if I get to be your best man." Malarkey interjected, taking the bottle from Marie.
"You know it. Marie, you and Emilia can be flower girls." Muck suggested, pointing to Marie with a trembling, cold finger.
Marie barked a laugh. "Flower girl? I think bride's maids would be more appropriate. We're a little too old to be flower girls."
"Whatever you want!" Muck bellowed in sudden excitement, as if the wedding was happening tomorrow. "I'm gonna use my pension to get her the most beautiful dress I can find." Muck started to ramble on and on about wedding plans in an almost drunken slur as Malarkey and Marie both listened until he was finished.
"Oh, I've got a little news. Looks like Emilia and Floyd are back together." Marie said.
"About time. I was wondering how long the two of them would drag that one." Malarkey commented.
"You think they're going to get married?" Muck pondered aloud.
"It's too early to tell!" Marie replied.
"Well, I hope he gives her a New Year's kiss. Every woman deserves a New Year's kiss."
"What is up with you and New Year's kissing today?" Malarkey questioned, mildly amused.
"I don't know, I'm just feelin' it tonight." Muck mused, winking at Marie. She arched a brow at him, wondering if the champagne had really gone to his head. A few more mortar rounds went off; Marie heard the familiar 'pop' of the round leaving the tube, followed by the rumbling sound of the destruction it brought upon the woods. The celebratory pounding of artillery started to give Marie a headache, for her the New Year's celebration was starting to lose its cheery affect. She took off her helmet and massaged her temples, hoping for the simple motion to bring her some relief.
"You getting a headache already?" Malarkey asked her, noticing her change of mood. Marie gave him a crooked smile, shrugging helplessly in response. "Come on, now, this whole thing was your idea."
"I just provided the drinks." She replied.
"You should've known it would come to this." He gestured to the explosions of artillery and cheers from the men around them. "Well, I mean with Skip and I drinking alcohol and influencing everyone to make poor decisions." He added.
"Hey, asking Buck was your idea." Muck chimed in pointedly.
"You helped me!" Malarkey countered, but he couldn't keep a straight face.
"Well, this has been fun, but I'm bushed." Marie said while standing up.
"What! You can't leave yet! It's not even midnight yet!" Muck protested, rolling up his overcoat sleeve to show her his wristwatch. "See, look, three minutes until it's the new year."
"Yeah, you gotta hang around for that." Malarkey agreed.
Marie sighed. "Why? Nothing's going to change. It's not like we're in Time Square right now."
"Or Paris, like you said we'd be on this day, Don."
Malarkey shot Muck a look. "Hey, I still intend on keeping that promise. We just gotta wait until we're out of Bastogne."
"Okay well, unless we magically end up in France in the next couple minutes, I think I'm going to go to bed." Marie interjected, now stepping up to climb out of the foxhole. The guys continued to protest, feigning desperation so she'd stay, but she only laughed it off, insisting that she needed to sleep, and she did. Marie's sleepless nights were catching up to her, and her nightmares were far from over. Marie walked away from their foxhole, leaving the champagne for the two of them to finish off. The artillery had started to die down, much to Marie's relief.
"Happy New Year!" Some of the men began to shout in their foxholes.
1945, it was now 1945. Marie couldn't believe it. The years with Easy Company seemed like they were flying by, but at the same time felt like they were dragging on. Easy Company had been in combat for 108 days, making Marie realize how long she and her friends had been on the line together. They hadn't been in Belgium that long, but it felt like they'd been trapped in these woods for months.
Marie found her foxhole, seeing that Babe had left the tarp open and wasn't resting inside it. She guessed he was off celebration with Guarnere. She hoped he wasn't avoiding her because of what she told him.
"Happy New Year." A quiet voice came from behind her. She turned to see Malarkey's smiling face as he attempted to stay bundled up against the cold weather.
"Here's to 1945." Marie responded. Just saying the year sounded strange on her tongue. Marie waited for Malarkey to go on, but he gave no explanation why he had followed her all the way to her foxhole. He looked hesitant about something, but he didn't speak. Marie cocked her head and opened her mouth to question him. Right as she did his lips suddenly caught hers. His lips felt warm and rough, and his stubble prickled against her soft skin. Right as realization sank into Marie's stomach he had pulled away, his eyes downcast from shyness, which was rare for him.
Marie stared at him, her face becoming violently scarlet to the point where she started to feel almost overheated even while standing out in the cold. The kiss was a quick peck at most, but she was still astonished and overwhelmed with the tingling sensation that had spread through her body. He mumbled something that she didn't catch and quickly left, turning on his boot heel. Marie remained frozen in disbelief until everything finally registered and pieced itself together.
He had given her a New Year's kiss. Muck's stressing over it suddenly made sense. That had been the plan all along.