"Hey, Mr intelligent intelligence officer, please tell me you know when it's gonna stop goddamn rainin'."
"It seems you've confused the job of an intelligence officer with a weatherman there Val," Lew chuckled, a wry smile on his face.
"Then maybe you can tell me how much longer we're gonna be in this goddamn woods," she quipped, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Well why don't you head across that road there and ask the Krauts how much longer they're planning to stick around."
"Touché," Valerie laughed, bowing sarcastically in defeat. She huffed out a disbelieving laugh when she noticed Lew lifting a bottle to his lips and taking a deep slug from it. "Jesus Lew, tell me you're not drinkin' a bottle of Schnapps in the pissin' rain in the middle of active combat."
"What can I say, it just fell into my hand," he smirked, taking another long swig from the bottle, "would be a shame to let it go to waste."
"I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that," Dick sighed as he approached them through the trees, his shoulders tense. They'd been under almost constant fire for the majority of the day, and Dick had been doing his best to keep the show running. Ultimately though they'd had to pull back into the treeline, and he'd been on edge ever since. "I sent a Sherman to try and take out that Tiger Royal we spotted earlier but no dice. Damn Tiger took him down with two shots, then took a potshot at one of the others and got that too."
"It's gonna be a long night, isn't it?" Valerie sighed in dismay, meeting Dick's pitying gaze with one of her own.
"Afraid so Val," he replied, "I'm gonna need you to check in with your mortar squad, make sure they've got enough rounds to keep them going. We can't let up the pressure on the highway."
"You got it boss," she agreed, giving him a lazy two finger salute as she headed off through the trees. Dick watched her go for a moment before turning back to Nix with a disapproving frown, but he chose not to say anything to his friend.
"Glad to see you and Val have kissed and made up," Nix commented as he swigged from his bottle. Dick rolled his eyes at him before responding.
"We talked," he said pointedly, "and we're all good."
"She admit why she was angry?"
"Well...not necessarily no" Dick sighed, refusing to meet Nixon's amused gaze. She'd been incredibly cagey when he'd questioned her, but he hadn't wanted to push any further lest they end up in another argument. But that didn't mean that Nix's theory was right. Maybe it was just something really personal that she hadn't wanted to tell him about. There could be a thousand reasons as to why she'd avoided his questions.
"Right," Nix commented dryly, "well at least you're friends again. Now all you need to do is pull your head out of your ass and tell her you like her and all will be well in the world."
"Nix," Dick huffed in exasperation, "I already told you..."
"Yeah yeah, I know you did," Nix butted in, clapping him on the back before making his way towards the trees, "told me all about honour and duty and all that other crap." Dick shook his head in exasperation, refusing to even dignify Nix with a response. Nix to his credit didn't seem inclined to wait for one.
"Nix?" Dick called to his friend as he watched him amble off through the trees, "Take it easy on the Schnapps. And please try not to get caught with it." Nix gave him a half-hearted wave before continuing on his trek through the trees, Dick watching him go with concern.
~~~~
"Hey, Lieutenant Landry,"
Valerie stopped in her tracks and waited for Shames to catch up to her. He'd been with her in third platoon since they'd dropped in Holland, and Valerie found they got along well enough together. He'd been nothing but nice to her since they'd met, and she appreciated his competency in combat.
"Everything alright Shames?" She asked as they fell into step beside each other.
"All good," he replied, "just checked in with the mortar squads and made sure they were stocked up on ammo."
"Great, one less job for me to do," Valerie chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder, "I'll check in with the machine gunners and the others, you go on and have something to eat."
"Thanks Valerie, I'll check in with you again later." With that he was off through the trees again, and Valerie changed her course slightly to find her machine gunners.
"Hey Smokey, how are things lookin'?" She asked as she slid into the foxhole beside him and More.
"No real moves yet, just firing mortars back and forth across the road," he sighed, leaning his back against the edge of the foxhole.
"Gonna be a long night if that's the case," More chimed in, shaking his head, "Any chance they might just get sick of it and piss off?"
"No telling at this point I'm afraid," Valerie sighed, patting them on the back before pulling herself from the foxhole and continuing down the line.
"All good Shifty?" She asked as she passed by him, "you need anything?"
"Yes ma'am, all good here," he replied, giving her a small smile and a short nod. She moved to the next foxhole, and so on until she was satisfied all her boys were ok. Only then did she take a moment alone to catch her breath. She slid into her own foxhole with a weary sigh, leaning her head back against the side of it. Closing her eyes she settled herself into a more comfortable position, hoping she could squeeze in a few hours shut eye before she was needed on the line again.
~~~
Ironically, Alton More got his wish in the end, when in the early hours of the morning the Germans pulled back from their position across the highway.
"Pack it up third platoon," Valerie shouted wearily, "we're moving out." By the late afternoon Easy and the rest of the 506th were on the highway and marching back towards Uden once more. The rain pounded down on them relentlessly, and it served to exacerbate the already tired mood of the company. They'd only been in Holland for a week but it had been nothing but hardship ever since they'd gotten there, and the moral of the men had fallen low.
"Alright boys settle in," she called as they trudged their way into the town, "we're here for the night and maybe tomorrow so make the most of the rest while you can, you've more than earned it. I know the food situation isn't great right now, but if you're real nice and polite to the locals, they might take some pity on you and spare you some rations. I hear a whisper of one of you bein' rude to a local and there'll be hell the pay y'hear me?"
"Yes Ma'am," they chimed back wearily. Once she was sure third platoon were settled in she wandered down the main street of Uden. She spotted Dick and Harry heading into a house so she followed them, traipsing over the threshold and down the hall towards what she assumed was the kitchen.
"Don't suppose there's any good food lying around?" She asked as she sunk into one of the chairs around the table, "man what I wouldn't give for Maman's shrimp 'n' grits right about now."
"Oh don't even start on food," Harry groaned, resting his head against the tabletop, "Kitty makes the best chicken pot pie you've ever had in your life."
"Well there's good news and bad news," Dick commented as he rifled through the cupboards, "Bad news is there's no shrimp, grits, or chicken pot pie. Good news is there is some stale bread that doesn't seem to have any mold."
"What a feast," Harry snorted, but he still picked at some gratefully, "beats army rations that's for sure."
"Hell Harry, just about anything edible beats army rations," Valerie chuckled, picking at the crust of the bread. There was a comfortable silence for awhile as they each ate their share, before Harry proclaimed it was time to hit the hay and wandered off down the hall to find a bed. Valerie and Dick shared a look, silently questioning if they should also get a kip in, but neither of them made a move to go.
"Do you ever wonder what the hell we're doin' out here Dick?" She asked with a weary sigh, and he ached at how bone weary she looked in that moment.
"I wonder about that at least once a day Val," he replied, shaking his head and leaning his elbows on the table.
"You'd never realise it with you though," she mused, "you always seem so put together, so in control of yourself and everythin' else too. Meanwhile I feel like I'm startin' to crack and everyone's gonna see it sooner or later."
"Is this because of Veghal?" He asked, and when she nodded he sighed, "I promise you, we've all been struggling since that night. We're all worn out and hungry so trust me, nobody would think any different of you for feeling a bit weary from it all."
"You really think so?" She asked, a hint of vulnerability in her tone.
"I know so. And anyway, you wouldn't be saying I was put together if you'd been in Uden," he snorted, an almost shy look in his eyes as he made the admission.
"I find that hard to believe," Valerie snickered, her curiosity piqued, "care to share?"
"Well.." he started, his cheeks reddening, "the whole thing was quite stressful and I...well I...I chewed out a British Lieutenant for abandoning his tank for a cozy tea, then I...I dragged Harry out of a pub by his ear and chewed him out as well for sleeping on the job."
"Aw hell Dick" she laughed, her eyes crinkling, "I'd've paid good money to see that."
"I bet you would," he chuckled, "Harry was certainly taken by surprise that's for sure."
"See that's the thing with you," she mused, a teasing glint in her eye, "you're so quiet most of the time, so it takes 'em by surprise when you lose your temper. Not me though, I've known all along you had a mean streak."
"Oh is that so?" He snickered, raising an eyebrow at her sceptically.
"Sure is," she grinned, "but then again, I'm a special case. I seem to know just the right buttons to push."
"You certainly are a special case," he replied, a soft smile on his lips. Valerie smiled back at him, her eyes lingering on his for a beat too long before she looked away shyly and cleared her throat, her cheeks beginning to heat.
"Well I dunno about you but I think it's time I tried to get some sleep," she proclaimed, standing and dusting the crumbs off her pants. She stepped around the table but paused and glanced at Dick once more.
"Goodnight Dick," she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder, "and thanks for the chat." She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before continuing out of the kitchen and down the hall towards the staircase.
"Goodnight Val," he murmured back, his eyes following her retreating back all the way down the hall until she disappeared up the stairs.
~~~~
"Lieutenant Landry, wait!"
Valerie turned around and smiled when she saw Vest jogging over to her, a letter clutched in his hand. "Aw great, we're finally getting mail."
"Its about time I know," he laughed, handing it over and giving her a salute before turning on his heel.
"Hey wait," she stopped him, "you got one for Doc Roe? I'm headin' his way so I can pass it along if you do."
"Oh that would be great thanks," he smiled, rifling through his mail bag before pulling out a matching envelope to hers and passing it to her. She bid him goodbye and made her way over to the medical tent. She was glad to see it was rather quiet in the tent, a good indicator that everyone was doing OK for the time being.
"Hey Chouchou," she called as she walked into the storeroom, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Always good t'see you Chérie," he replied softly, giving her a tight squeeze and resting his chin on her shoulder.
"I've got surprise for you," she grinned as she pulled back, holding the envelope out to him between two fingers.
"About time we got some mail around here," he laughed wryly as he plucked it from her grasp and moved to sit on the side of a cot, opening his letter without delay.
"It's nice to see her writing," Valerie sighed wistfully, "almost like I can hear her talkin' to us."
"If I close my eyes I can just about imagine we're sittin' in the kitchen waitin' for her to get home with the groceries," he sighed, a tone of melancholy in his voice.
"Do you think she'd be proud of us?...of me?" Valerie asked quietly after a moment of silence, her thumb rubbing the ink on the page until it started to smudge a little.
"Course she is," Gene replied, his brows furrowing, "Why would you even say somethin' like that?"
"Well you....you're out here lookin' after people and me...well sometimes I wonder if she'd be proud of the things I do."
"You kiddin' chérie?" He exclaimed incredulously, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his side, "you're out here lookin' after people too. You're their Lieutenant, their leader, and when push comes to shove and shit gets heavy they look to you. They rely on you because they know that no matter what you've got their back out there. You're smart, you care, an' I know maman would be proud if she could see you now."
"Aw hell Gene," she sniffled, wiping her eye with the back of her hand, "you didn't need to go and say all that."
"I meant every word of it, and you best believe it," he insisted, "no more doubting yourself chérie, this company is lucky to have you and don't you forget it."
"Thanks for havin' my back Chouchou," she murmured, "thanks for always bein' there when I need it."
"Always chérie," he replied, kissing the top of her head gently, "from the Bayou to Berlin, and don't you forget it."