Even understanding none of what was said, watching the pure joy on Harry and Kitty's faces as they kissed made Alice cry. She held it in as much as she could. But Nix had looked at her, and then she smiled, and after that, Alice could only cry. After nearly four years with some of these men, seeing such pure goodness enfold before her moved her to tears.
The rest of the catholic mass had passed in a blur. With her knowledge of French, she caught a few phrases she could sort of decipher, but the Latin eluded her. Instead, she just sat gripping Nix's hand for dear life.
When the organ played the song for the end of the mass, Alice and Nix stood to follow out Harry and Kitty. Alice put her arm through his, content to feel the presence of the man she loved, and knew that Nix had been absolutely right that morning; they should get married on their terms, and soon.
Blanche and Dick went ahead of them down the aisle. When they got out front, Harry and Kitty were grinning from ear to ear. Alice marveled again at the beautiful white lace dress Kitty had chosen. But the grin spreading from ear to ear on her face was even more beautiful. While the other two bridesmaids, Kitty's best friends, swarmed her, Alice moved over to Harry. He had tears in his eyes.
Pulling him into a hug, she tried to suppress her own tears. "Congratulations." Neither of them moved for a few moments. But when she pulled back, she wiped away several tears and shook her head. "Sometimes I thought we'd never see the day."
Harry nodded. "Too many times."
Nix and Dick were next, and Alice moved away where she saw Blanche on the outskirts. Lunch would be held at the reception near the hotel down the street from the church. Until then, they stood in the cold while the newlyweds were congratulated.
"Are you feeling any better?" Alice asked, keeping her voice low.
Blanche just smiled. "Yeah. I'm fine."
With a nod, they watched the scene unfold. They'd briefly met the Welshes and the Grogans before the ceremony, kind people, both families Irish. Watching Mr. Welsh grab Kitty in a bear-sized hug made Alice chuckle.
"Jesus Christ it's cold," Nix muttered. "Should we head over?"
Alice smiled, hooking arms dramatically with Nix. "Why yes, we should. Blanche? Coming?"
The woman laughed at them but nodded. All three of them, Dick soon joining, walked the ways down the street to the hotel. It didn't take long to be directed to the ballroom.
When they got inside they found it styled with blue and white decor. A big band stood at one end of the hall, already starting on jazz music to set the tone. Alice couldn't help but grin again.
One of the hotel workers took her coat. In the warmth, she tried to let it soothe her slight nerves at the way the walk over and increased her breathing issues. It wasn't pneumonia, it was just slight breathing troubles. Just the cold.
"Are you okay?" Nix asked her, voice low. He placed a hand on her lower back. "You're doing it again."
Alice looked down. She'd crossed her arms over her chest. With an internal groan, she let her arms fall to her side. "I'm okay. Let's find our seats."
She, Blanche, Nix, Dick, Ron, Lip, and Buck had all been given one table. Alice couldn't help but smile at how nice it was that Kitty had allowed them to sit with their war buddies, not the rest of the bridal party. They were family, after all. She wanted to sit with her family.
Most of the afternoon passed in a bit of a blur of excitement and pride. They'd had lunch with a delicacy of chicken. Alice couldn't help but wonder if Nix had offered some of his wealth to get them that. After lunch, there'd been some mingling where Kitty made sure to speak to everyone. Mostly Alice tried to chat with Blanche, painfully aware of how out of place the young woman must've felt.
There had been quite a bit of dancing. Alice had had two glasses of wine by the time the band started, and she and Nix took the floor. They stayed away from the swing, as felt a bit too tired to have a go at that, but when Glenn Miller's Moonlight Serenade started, she'd let him drag into the fray.
"I feel like I owe you a dance," he said.
Alice put her hands around his neck. "Oh? Why's that?"
As they moved to the tune, surrounded by other couples, he just smirked. "Well, you gave me our first dance off a New Year's promise. Just feels right I return the favor in the first year after the war."
Alice couldn't help but laugh. She shook her head, blushing. The fact that he remembered that dance as much as she often thought about it made her ecstatic. "Well. I'm happy to oblige." As the music kept going and they just enjoyed each other's company, she started thinking about that day. "I think I knew I was falling for you back then, you know."
Nix started snickering. Only when she smacked his arm did he stop. "Well, I'm glad I cashed in on that dance then. I was able to drive you crazy, I'm sure. Handsome, well educated First Lieutenant-"
"Arrogant, somewhat presumptuous, nosey-"
"Yale graduate with money!"
Alice laughed again and shook her head. As she looked at him, his eyes the same color as Marc's, for a moment she liked to think that her family would be blessing this future marriage. Her brothers probably would've given Nix a good verbal thrashing. She supposed it was better they never met, and giggled at the thought.
"What?"
"I was just thinking how Marc and Robert especially would have a field day making your life hell."
"Ah yes, Marc and Robert."
Alice loved the way he pronounced Robert perfectly, the french way, the right way. It made her smile every time. "Yeah, Marc and Robert, they'd kick your ass."
Nixon started laughing and shook his head. "I wish they could."
Her expression fell a bit. He was right of course. They both wished that. She wished Bernadette could've helped her with her hair, and her mother could've fussed over the minute details of her dress. She wished her father could've held her and hugged her, said how proud he was.
Maybe that was another reason to elope.
Nix rested his head on hers for a moment, and Alice tried to forget the pain. She had to forget the flashes of fear and anger and disgust that flooded her body every time she thought about Bernadette. Hatred towards the Nazis took over, and then she couldn't make sense of things. Better to just force it away.
When they'd danced to a few songs, they retook their seats. Alice stayed quiet, too busy with her own thoughts to notice much at the table around her. She did, however, notice that Nix took time to engage Blanche in conversation. That made her feel a bit better, that he could see how uncomfortable his sister felt.
Then the cake came, and they all enjoyed the merriment again. It was a fabulous cake. Alice couldn't remember having something so lavish in ages. Certainly not since long before the war, when rationing had started. It made her mouth water with every bite.
And then the reception ended. Harry and Kitty bid them all goodbye, heading off to their honeymoon. Alice didn't know where to, but she knew they'd be gone for a week or so. Probably the mountains, she guessed. She'd heard Harry talk about this one little spot he'd enjoyed as a kid. In a blink of an eye, they'd left.
Alice stood watching them get in their car, 'Just Married' written on a sign stuck on the back. She didn't know where Nix had gone, nor Ron, nor Lip or Buck. Dick moved to her other side though.
"Are you sure you're comfortable driving to Philadelphia alone?" he asked her.
With a small smile, she looked up at him and nodded. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I already talked to Spina and he gave me directions."
"Alright."
She looked at him again. "Excited to see Stanhope Nixon and the Nixon empire?" It made her chuckle when he just took a deep breath and shot her the pettiest glare she'd ever seen. "Well, maybe you can help Nix state a coup."
"We're not there to stage a coup," he argued immediately.
Alice laughed. "Tell Nix that."
As Harry and Kitty's care disappeared from view, she turned back to the reception. It had started to wrap up. They had a few hours of daylight left, so she wanted to get on the road. But she needed to find the others first.
Ron was the easiest to find. He stood chatting with another man in army dress and drinking champagne. Alice recognized him as one of Harry's friends. When he saw Alice walking over he excused himself.
"I'm leaving," she explained. "I wanted to say goodbye."
On this rare occasion, Ron smiled neither out of snark nor to intimidate. Alice took it as an invitation to hug him. And so she did.
"When you and Nixon do tie the knot, let me know." He told her. "I have a feeling you're going to do something small."
"You're too smart for your own good, Ron," Alice chastised. When she broke the hug, she smiled though, forcing herself not to cry. "Tell your sister I said hi. Even if they don't know who I am."
"They know."
Alice grinned. "Good. Any idea where Lip and Buck are?"
"Compton's by the bar. Lip may be with him."
"Thanks." With a last smile his way, she made her way over to where the minibar had been set up. Buck and Lip were both there. "Just wanted to say goodbye," she told them.
Buck hugged her first, and Alice nearly burst into tears. But she didn't. She kept it under control. She had to keep herself under control.
"I gave Nixon my new address," Buck told her. "Drop a letter or two."
"Always," she assured her, grinning. Then she moved to Lipton. And that's when she couldn't keep the tears back. When she grabbed him in a hug, memories of Landsberg suddenly rushed in. Memories of his face being the first she saw after tearing herself away from the gaunt faces behind the prison wire. "Lip. You have to write," she sputtered.
"Of course." He sounded nearly offended that she thought he wouldn't. When then finally broke apart, he nodded towards the direction of Nix and Blanche. "I gave our address to Nix as well."
"Good." She wiped her tears away. Stupid makeup. "Good. Then I better change and get going."
It didn't take long to change out of the bridesmaid gown and into a less fancy dress. It was one of her favorites, grey with black buttons. After she'd pulled on her hose and don her shoes up, she made her way out of the bathrooms to where Nix stood waiting to take her gown.
"Alright." She smiled, handing it over. "I'll see you boys in a couple weeks."
"You've got everything?" he asked. "Wallet, clothes?"
Alice laughed. "Relax, Nix." Then she looked at Dick. "Make sure he's fine without me, okay?"
"I've been doing that for years," he teased.
Even as Nix objected, Alice moved to Blanche and gave her a hug. "Next time, we'll have to come out to San Francisco. You can show me all your favorite spots."
Blanche smiled right back. "It's a deal."
She gave Nix a quick kiss before bundling into the car. Not for the first time, Alice was beyond thankful the Army had taught her to drive. With a final wave at her fiance, she started the car and sped off in the direction of Philadelphia.
The drive passed pleasantly. There weren't many people out, and the mountains of Pennsylvania were quite a sight. Not as large or intimidating as the Alps or the Pyrenees, but they had their own beauty. And once the mountains ended, it was small towns.
Spina had offered her a place to stay for the night when they'd planned it out a few weeks ago. With his address on a piece of paper and seared into her mind, she searched through the houses on the outskirts of the city. They were nice houses, small. Spina had said his wife was out of town for a couple days, but that she'd agreed to Alice staying over as well.
When she found the address, Alice turned the car off and sat for a moment. It was quiet. The drive had taken a bit over two hours. Night had just fallen, twilight fading into darkness. The stars above were a bit obscured by both cloud cover and pollution, no doubt. It had been months since she'd seen Spina. A strange fear gripped her heart.
This was Spina. Ralph Spina. She'd jumped with him on D-Day. She'd helped him in Holland. He'd saved her in Eindhoven. They'd both spent Bastogne taking care of the men and each other, and especially Gene. So why was she scared?
Alice didn't have an answer. Pushing open her car door, she made the decision to rip the bandage off. She grabbed her suitcase. Once she'd set foot on the concrete, it felt more final, the decision to get out of the car. Before long, she stood at the door.
She hadn't even knocked when the door swung open. Alice nearly cried. Babe Heffron stood in the door, smirking like a child. "Babe!" She dropped her luggage and grabbed him in a hug. "Oh my god. What are you doing here?"
"Spina let us know you were comin' in. He ain't that good at keepin' secrets," Babe explained. "Come on."
"Let us know?" Her look of confusion turned immediately to recognition when she heard his unmistakable loud mouth down the hall.
"Hey, sweetheart, get the fuck in here!"
Alice didn't even try to stop the tears.