Only a Paper Moon [ Band of Brothers ] 3

Chapter Seven

"Jesus Christ, Alice. Are you tryin' to get yourself killed?"

Alice shuddered. Had Ron been right? At the time, she'd rolled her eyes. But then, she'd neglected herself for a long time. Maybe if some German had taken the shot, she'd have been grateful. It seemed odd, now. A year later, the prospect of living was less scary than dying. For a while, it had been the other way around.

A tap on the window made her turn. Blanche's rich brown hair fell about her shoulders. Once Alice shot her a small smile, the woman opened the passenger door and slipped inside.

"You ran out of there at top speed," Blanche commented. "I'll skip the useless question of 'are you okay' because the answer's no. So what made you upset?"

Alice had to appreciate the woman's frankness. It reminded her of Nix, but so totally opposite as well. Where Nix would play little games to get truths out, Blanche just asked. But both didn't give up.

"It's hard to explain," Alice admitted. She ran a hand through her hair, and then rubbed the side of her neck for a moment. "The last Christian church I was in... I don't particularly want to think about it."

Blanche nodded. They sat in silence for several minutes. Only Alice's faltering breaths made any noise. Alice hoped that Blanche had let Kitty know they'd be outside; she didn't want her to worry. 

"What you saw, what you did in Europe," Blanche started, "I can't understand it. But there's not a doubt in my mind, especially now that I know you, that you did your best." Turning her head to look at Alice, she shot her a small smile. "Alice, you're fantastic. My brother adores you. My mom likes you. I hope... I hope you like you."

Her breath caught. Tears were in Blanche's eyes, but they never fell. Alice grabbed her hand. Hers was cold, shockingly so. But Alice refused to let go. Even as the other woman closed her eyes, Alice's own scrunched up with unbidden tears. She looked down at the clutch.

It took another five minutes for them to calm down. More specifically, five minutes for Alice to regain composure and entertain the idea of going back inside. But Kitty was their priority that day, no matter what. 

Unfortunately, even as Alice stood at the base of the stairs, she couldn't force herself up them. Blanche looked at her with pity. Alice sighed. "Go on in. I'm gonna smoke, and then I'll... well, I'll try to come up."

Blanche nodded. Before long, Alice found herself standing alone at the sidewalk. The area barely had anything but a parking lot and a few residential houses. So she stood alone. 

Wrestling a cigarette from her pack in her purse, she desperately tried to light it. But the flame of her lighter kept flickering away in the wind. She grunted in anger when it finally caught. A bit of warmth in the cold, and a bit of comfort in despair. Still, Gene's scolding never left her mind. She had to watch herself.

Twenty minutes later, her cigarette had long died and she still stood alone. Alice didn't mind it though. Her thoughts had become too chaotic, too upsetting. She didn't want to be with Kitty, bouncing off the walls, however appropriate that was. 

"You look like shit."

Alice straightened up. Ron Speirs, cigarette between his lips, strode over to her like nothing was out of the ordinary. She nearly laughed. "Ron!" Hurrying over to him, Alice grabbed him in a hug. She started tearing up again. "Goddamnit." When she drew back, she wiped at her cheeks and shook her head. "Goddamnit Ron. Sneaking up on me?"

"I wasn't sneaking. Apparently you've lost your touch," he argued. "I called Harry. He said to meet them here."

She nodded. "They're supposed to be here soon." Glancing at her watch, she nodded again, as if to reassure herself. "Kitty's inside, and Nix's sister Blanche, if you want to meet them."