The Spirit of the Corps » Band of Brothers

79: In the Midst

"Not true," she said. "Mabs."

"Was never my favourite." He looked at her seriously for a moment, searched her face for something she couldn't even begin to guess at, then smiled and shook his head. "You always seemed to think Mabs and I were in love."

Charlie shoved him gently. "I didn't know you two were only interested in each other for -" She cut herself off, unsure what word to use, and then shot Floyd a glare when he laughed. "Anyway, you can't hold anything I said or did back then against me. I was the equivalent of a newborn with all I knew about the world."

"And yet you were still the smartest person I've ever met."

"Mabs is very smart," she informed him matter-of-factly. "She's so good at math it's insane. Numbers make sense to her in a way they never have to me."

Floyd tipped his head back and sighed obnoxiously loudly. "Please, for once in your life, take the compliment, Freckles."

"It's not a compliment if it's not true!"

"Oh my God!"

"Don't be mean to me!" Charlie insisted with a laugh at his dramatics. "Or I'll go back to Alton."

Floyd brushed this aside with a quick gesture of his hand. "More ain't even half as much fun as I am."

Charlie rolled her eyes affectionately and poked him in the ribs. "You keep telling yourself that."

Floyd swatted her hand away with a scoff. "Who's being mean now?"

When Charlie met his eyes, her mouth open and already forming the words of a retort, she stopped short. His eyes were bright and warm, amused as they eagerly followed her every move, her every facial expression. He was smiling, grinning almost wildly at first and then softer as he watched her words die on her lips, his smile pulling up on one side in that crooked way she loved so very much. He'd softened before her eyes, just from looking at her, and she was hit so strongly with the urge to kiss him she might have even done it if George hadn't called her name.

"Hey, Charlie!" he said.

Charlie dragged her eyes away from Floyd and the spell was broken.

"Come settle something for us," George went on, oblivious to the moment he'd just ruined. He waved her over to where he was sitting with Boo and Frank, all of them watching her expectantly.

Charlie held up a finger to indicate she'd be there in a moment and then turned back to Floyd, who was rubbing the back of his neck as he looked down into his lap. Hesitantly, she curled her fingers into the sleeve of his ODs and prompted his eyes back up to her. "Come with me?" she requested, unwilling to leave his side just yet. She knew she'd probably only be a second, and he likely did too, but he nodded all the same. Together, the two of them hopped down from the dresser and picked their way over to the waiting trio - not before Floyd had arranged his pack in such a way across the dresser that no one would be able to sit on it in their absence, of course.

All it was that George, Boo, and Frank needed to settle was how close to taking Mabs out Frank had been when the nurses had first arrived in Aldbourne. According to Frank, he'd been about a day away from her accepting before the men had been locked into the airfield to prepare for D-Day. According to George, Frank would have needed at least another month to convince her to accept his offer. According to Boo, Frank had never been in the running at all.

As they all awaited Charlie's verdict, she shared a look with Boo and had to suppress a laugh. It was Boo, of course, who was right. Frank had never stood a chance. At that point Mabs had had a fling with Lieutenant Meehan before his plane to France went down. In fact, Mabs had mentioned Frank so little Charlie had only vaguely been aware that he'd liked her.