Only a Paper Moon [ Band of Brothers ] 3

Chapter Fifteen

"I know you're awake," Nix muttered, face still half in the pillow. He grabbed her hand where it'd fallen next to his. "I was an intelligence officer for a reason."

"Go back to sleep," she insisted. Still with her eyes closed, she added, "You're less annoying when you're unconscious."

The half laugh, half scoff he responded with made her own smile grow. Silence followed. Alice assumed he'd taken her advice to heart. Opening her eyes, she snorted a laugh when he was just staring at her, eyes a bit bleary.

"You're staring," she commented. 

"I've got a good view."

Alice grinned. "Really? Tell me more."

He smirked. Pushing himself up a bit, he just continued to grin and Alice rolled her eyes. When he put a kiss on her neck, she shivered but didn't protest. "Future Mrs. Lewis Nixon. How's that sound." He continued on.

She grinned, turning her head to intercept his continued inspection of her neck. "I don't know. Klein's got a certain ring to it."

"No," he argued. "I've got the ring."

With a laugh, she just pushed him away. It worked for about half a second before he was back on her, making her laugh the whole time between kisses. Finally, she shook him off and sat up. She twisted to look back where he'd laid down across both pillows. "You're a disgrace."

"Yeah, I know. My dad reminds me that all the time," he added. But he was grinning. "He seems to say it more since you showed up, though."

"I didn't realize I had that kind of power," she teased. 

Running her hand through her hair, Alice tried to straighten the wavy, slightly knotted strands. Her gaze drifted to the mirror on Nix's vanity at his side of the room. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Aryan. She shivered, dropping her hands back to her side. 

"Nix." All humor evaporated as her tone went dead serious. She felt tears in her eyes, but she didn't want them to fall. Not on her wedding day. Turning back towards him, she took a breath. "Do you want kids?" She watched as he seemed to almost stop breathing. 

Sitting up as well, he ran a hand through his hair. "Do you want kids?"

"Adélaïde did," she said, voice quivering for a moment. Her mind went back to Frannie in Philadelphia, and Eugene in her harms. "I don't know now. I don't know how I could ever... touch something that perfect, and small, and innocent. I don't know how. But I guess, whatever part of me is still Adélaïde wants that."

Nix was silent for a moment. The silence wasn't uncomfortable. Her mind raced, trying to figure out where Adélaïde ended and Alice began as frequently happened when such topics came up. She wondered if Nix ever thought of Nixon separate from Lewis. Or was she alone in feeling like two separate people some days?

"Well. I fell in love with both of you," he finally said. "I never thought about kids until I met you," he added. "Jesus, I didn't even like the idea of marriage until I met you, and I was married."

Alice couldn't help but flash him a small smile. He wasted no time in making it a grin by placing a kiss on her lips. Her gaze went to the clock on the wall. "We need to get up." And though he protested, falling back into the bed, Alice pushed herself out and got to her feet. With a small laugh, she grabbed undergarments and went to the bathroom.

Nix rolled his eyes as the door shut. But he smiled. Years later and being able to make her laugh still meant the world. She shouldn't have to cry. It wasn't right. 

But the fact that the laugh came at the expense of her refusing him the sight of her getting dressed made him shake his head. She was right, of course. They had to get up. John said to meet him at the Courthouse in Princeton by eleven. Dick would be at the house soon.