Alice sat at the end of her bed, eyes closed, head in her hands and elbows on her knees. Despite the painkillers from Spina, she'd been in pain for hours. Then she'd gotten some morphine. Now that had worn off, too. The last thing Alice wanted to deal with that day was a court-martial order. It had to be done, though. Cobb had gone too far with his slurs and threats, let alone his actions. Being drunk didn't excuse him from attacking her.

But after she'd pulled on everything, the thought of lacing up her jump boots just felt like too much work. She wanted to sleep. She wanted it to be over. She wanted the war to be over. Alice sat quietly, enjoying the deep breaths she could take for the first time in over a month. All she needed was some time.

A small knock on her door pulled Alice out of her self-pitying musings. For a moment, she debated ignoring it. Maybe whoever it was would go away. But when the knock came again, she sighed.

"Yeah I'm up," she called.

The door opened. Gene came in, shutting it behind himself when he saw her sitting at the edge of her bed. He looked her over. After half a minute, he moved over to her and angled her head so he could see the damage from the glass bottle. "Cobb did that?"

"Yeah." She didn't fight the gentle way he examined the wound. Occasionally she flinched back at his pressure on the reddened skin. "It hurts," she admitted.

Gene nodded. With a small hum, he finally met her gaze. "Yeah, I'll bet. He did a number on ya'. You gonna press charges?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Narrowing his eyes, he pushed some of her hair near her eye and temple back. He shook his head. "Another inch to the right and he'd have gotten your eye, cherie. Got lucky there."

All she could say was another half-hearted "yeah". Before long Gene had dug out some painkillers for her and she downed them with water from her canteen. He went on to explain that the half dozen smaller cuts would heal in no time, but the one across her cheek bone and the one over her brow would take longer. But, he assured her the already minor swelling would be gone in a day or two.

"Cobb'll be lucky if Speirs don't shoot him," Gene muttered.

But Alice just scoffed. While she pulled on her boots, she shook her head and countered, "Well Cobb'll be lucky if I don't shoot him."

"Guess that's true," he agreed with a small smile. "Come on. The officers'll wanna see you."

With a tiny groan, she nodded. They were part of the reason she hid in her room. She could already predict their reactions. Not that it didn't flatter her, their inevitable desire to kill Cobb, but she didn't have the energy to deal with Ron and Nixon getting pissed off when she herself already felt the same way.

She allowed Gene to haul her off her bed. Her watch read 1530 hours. Alice realized she'd slept all day. With a silent sigh, she grabbed the door handle and opened it. The hallway from her bedroom led straight into the main area and it surprised her to find it mostly empty except for Lipton and George. The former sat on the couch again, looking better. He drank what she assumed was coffee while George sat opposite him on a chair looking over a clipboard, cigarette hanging from his mouth.

Lipton looked over at her first. But at his long glance, George followed his gaze. He took out his cigarette and shook his head. "Jesus Christ. Cobb did that?"

"Last night," she affirmed. "He was drunk."

After a sigh, Lipton shook his head. "He better have been. Not that it makes it any better."

"I mean Cobb ain't the nicest but never thought he'd attack you," George added.

"Doc, how bad is it?" asked Lipton.

Gene shrugged. He put his hands in his pockets before turning to her. Then he looked back at the other two. "Spina stitched up the two big ones. Long as they don't get infected, it'll be fine. The other ones are minor."

"Where are the officers?" Alice finally asked.

"Winters and Nixon are down by the River," George said. "I heard Sink wants another patrol."

She sighed and then turned away. As if one hadn't been enough. "Thanks."

This time, she made sure to grab her helmet before heading down to the river. Selfishly it helped hide the lacerations as much as it protected her from bullets. With the helmet on, she hurried out the door. The very beginning of dusk had started falling around them. The gold sky reminded her painfully of the day before.

She passed a dozen men mulling about, replacing men at outposts and scrounging food for their platoons. Half were from Dog, nodding to her on their way past. More than a few curious glances were cast her way as they caught sight of her cuts.

Her boots crunched on the broken cobbles and fine debris that littered the ground. With every step, she tried to clear her head. Focus on the mission, on the minute ahead. Forget about the pain. With those thoughts in mind, she hurried down to the river.

Against the twilight sky, Dick and Nixon stood with their backs to her. Neither spoke. When she got closer, Alice slowed down. For some reason the overwhelming desire to just watch them crashed over her. Maybe for fear of losing them, maybe for fear of what interrupting them would lead to. So she stood within earshot, content to watch them talk.

"So, he knows we lost a man?" Dick asked.

Nixon gave a tiny nod. "Yeah, he knows. He also knows you picked up two prisoners who talked."

"About what?"

"O.B., supply trouble, Hitler's favorite color. I don't know," Nixon muttered. "None of it helps us get across the river."

Dick scoffed. He turned to look at Nixon. "What's the point?"

A few moments of silence followed. Nixon took a couple steps forward to get more level with Dick. He sighed. "Honestly? Sink's been on the phone all day, braggin' it up. I think he's just showin' off now. I don't know Dick. I don't know what to tell you. You gave him a successful patrol, now he wants two."

"Successful," Dick said. He shook his head. "Cost us a man, a kid. Got one of the men so upset and so drunk he smashed a bottle of schnapps against Alice. For what? Two prisoners who knew less than nothing?"

Nixon snorted. He nodded. "Yeah, that's about right." They fell back into silence. After a minute where they both just watched the still waters on the river, Nixon turned to him again. "Did you read the reports?"

"The ones from Grant and Martin?" Dick nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I did."

"Did you read Spina's?"

Dick took another deep breath. "Yeah."

Nixon gave a small huff under his breath. He shook his head. "Cobb's lucky she didn't shoot him."

With a small, bemused laugh, Dick just nodded. "Yeah. He is."

As Alice stood there, arms across her chest, she tried to work up the energy to go join them. She felt only a bit bad for eavesdropping. But watching them really did make her feel better. Just as she thought to finally join them, she felt someone join her instead.

"Feelin' alright?" Ron asked, keeping his voice low. He didn't look at her, just stood beside her and watched Nixon and Dick as well. "Spina gave us the report this morning."

Alice released a sigh. She turned to him after a moment. It took less than a second for him to turn to her and start taking in the damage done to her face. But his expression didn't change. Alice nodded.

"Gene gave me more pain medicine," she told him. "So it's starting to feel better."

"Good. Cobb's with the MPs. Winters passed the reports up to Sink. He's just waitin' on yours," Ron told her. "Then they'll court-martial that piece of shit."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. After a few more moments of quiet, she turned to him. "I heard there's another patrol?"

"Yeah."

"Who's in for Jackson?"

"Liebgott."

"Right."

Silence again. After watching her for another moment, Ron strode forward to join the other captains. She followed. Neither of them turned around at their approach.

"The men are mustered, if you want me to brief 'em, I'm gonna." Ron shook his head. Clearly he didn't like the second patrol idea any more than the other two. At his words, Nixon and Dick finally turned. A brief pause followed before he continued. "It's uh, same roster as last night. Well, mostly."

At his words, all three of them glanced briefly at Alice. She'd slid in on Ron's other side, frowning. But before either Dick or Nixon could say anything, more footsteps were heard behind them. The voice of Colonel Sink interrupted them.

"Evening, gents." He turned to Alice. "I saw the reports from your sergeants and your medic. Can't wait to court-martial that sonofabitch. Type up your report when you can, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir," she murmured.

He stood in silence as they all watched the river. Alice couldn't help but think how stupid they were, five officers including a Colonel, standing potentially within sniper range of the Germans. It reminded her of Harry lighting the fire in Bastogne. But she didn't move to cover. Clearly none of them cared enough to do so.

"Y'all did a damn fine job on a tough mission last night. And I wish you good luck tonight, 'cause I'll be expectin' more 'a the same." He turned to Dick. "Have you briefed the men?"

Nixon replied after seeing Dick's silent, boiling irritation. "Just on our way, sir."

"Alright." He nodded. "Make damn sure you remind 'em how proud I am of what they did."

"Yes, sir!" Nixon jumped in again.

He spared a glance between Dick, Alice, and Ron. All of them could see Dick's silent rage. Alice had no doubt in her mind that Sink genuinely meant what he said, but the man didn't spend time watching the enlisted men die one by one. He just didn't understand. As Sink walked away, Dick squirmed in frustration. His mind worked overtime, based on the sheer amount of fidgeting.

"So, I'll brief 'em now, sir?" Ron said.

Finally, after another few moments of intense silence, Dick responded. He sounded tired. "No. No, I'll do it."

Without wasting any time, Dick turned from the river. The others followed hot on his tail towards OP Two. Alice made the conscious decision to hang back, to watch. Once they entered, she was surprised to find the men all at attention.

Her eyes immediately found Johnny. He seemed more tired than she'd ever seen, and she'd seen him at their worst. After a brief nod her way he turned his full attention on Dick. With a smiliar nod, Dick had them all stand at ease.

She could feel the enlisted and Lieutenant Jones glancing at her, trying to see the full effect of what Cobb had done the night before. Alice had to suppress the urge to squirm and hide. But soon Dick started talking, and all attention turned to him.

"You men did an excellent job last night. I'm uh, I'm proud," he started. The sincerity in his voice steadily dropped, though, as he continued. "I'm proud. I just saw Colonel Sink, he's proud too. In fact he's so proud, he wants you to do another patrol across the river tonight."

Alice tuned him out. He droned on about the previous patrol, how well they'd one. But the men around the table just sunk in on themselves in defeat. Cigarettes were lit and exchanged. It seemed almost like an early funeral, how depressed the room looked. As Dick began to point locations out on a map Ron passed him, she tried to pay attention again.

"We recovered all the boats, so we'll be setting off from the same place we did last night."

Johnny cocked his head to the side. His voice was incredulous, but not accusatory as he asked, "We're not changing the plan any, sir?"

Dick sighed. He paused. After a brief glance around the table, he turned to Johnny. "No, plan is the same." After a sigh, he nodded and corrected, "It'll be 0200 hours instead of 0100."

The men didn't meet his gaze. Even Ron's focus was on the table, his jaw clenched in what Alice guessed to be a mix of anger and exhaustion. She frowned and looked at the map near Dick.

"Is that clear?" Dick asked. A chorus of half-hearted "yes sirs" echoed around the table. Dick nodded again. He stared at the map. "Good. Because, uh, I want you all to get a full night's sleep tonight. That means in the morning, you will report to me that you made it across the river, into German lines, but were unable to secure any live prisoners."

It took Alice and all the men his entire speech to understand his meaning. When she finally comprehended his words, that they'd be falsifying a mission, all she wanted to do was cry. Instead, she just smiled at Nixon who leaned against an arched wall to her right. He looked as shocked as the others, but when he turned to her, he started snickering silently.

"Understand?" Dick asked. They agreed. With a quick movement, he folded up the map. He let his gaze wander to every man present before nodding. "Good. Look sharp for tomorrow. We're moving off the line again."

Stunned silence met his words. But as Dick moved over to the officers and up the stairs, a mix of shocked and excited exclamations permeated the haze they'd been standing in. Smiling like an idiot, she glanced from Nixon, to Ron, to Dick. But she let them pass. Finally she caught Johnny's attention. He nodded to her once. She nodded back.

When she finally moved out into the town, she didn't see anyone. Alice guessed they'd have gone to the CP, so she made off that way. It took all her effort not to keep grinning like an idiot. Moving off the line at last. She just hoped when they woke up, it would still be true.

"Look what the cat dragged in."

Alice froze. She turned right. Standing by a supply truck was Harry Welsh. No matter how much she wanted to, Alice couldn't stop the smile then. George stood next to Harry, and he broke out into laughter as she moved over to them.

"Where the fuck you been," Alice heckled. As she reached them, she wasted no time pulling him into a hug. "Goddamnit, Harry. No more fires."

"Deal," he joked.

George snickered as he continued to unload boxes from the truck. At the noise, Harry turned on him. "What are you laughin' at, Luz?"

"Nothin' sir," he half-protested. "Absolutely nothin'."

"Damn right." He grinned. Harry turned back to Alice. It only took about two seconds for his smile to fall. He narrowed his eyes and looked at her face. "Jesus, what happened to you?"

"Roy fuckin' Cobb," George said, speaking around his cigarette. He passed a box to the private helping him.

Harry turned from George in confusion and then right back to her. Alice sighed, folding her arms over her chest. She didn't deny it. But as the moments passed and Harry awaited an explanation, Alice shrugged.

"Cobb got drunk. Jackson got killed on the patrol last night, made him snap. When I started talking to the prisoners, he got all convinced I was a Nazi," she said. "When I confronted him about it, he hit me with a bottle of schnapps."

Harry shook his head. He didn't have any other response. When George finished up with the last box and headed inside moments later, they went to follow. Alice took a cigarette that Harry offered. Gene could yell at her if he wanted.

"Enjoy your vacation?" she teased him.

He snorted and shook his head. "It was beautiful. The warm sand, crashing waves. You'd have liked the seagulls."

With a light laugh, they took the couple steps up to the main entrance of the CP. At the end of the hall they saw Nixon, Dick, Ron, Jones, and Lipton mulling about. When Alice walked in with Harry, the first two broke into smiles.

"Would you two get in here," Nixon heckled. "We've got a promotion to perform!"

Neither Harry nor Alice did more than laugh. But they did join the officers in the side room. In the hallway, George stood behind a low piece of furniture watching, arms across his chest. She nodded to him. Harry followed her gaze and smirked.

Dick smiled and took a sheet of paper from his pocket. He stood straight. "First Sergeant Lipton. Your honorable discharge as an enlisted man, and battlefield commission as a Second Lieutenant."

As Lip nodded, smiling, Alice just shot Luz another quick glance. The man had completely abandoned his supply job. He watched Lipton with so much pride that Alice thought he would burst.

"Congratulations, Carwood," Dick said.

Immediately, they all broke into grins as Lip started shaking hands. Lewis was next, then Ron. Finally he turned to Harry. "Welcome back, sir," said Lip.

Harry laughed, "Hey that's Harry to you. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Harry."

Alice chuckled and patted Harry on the shoulder. "Getting sentimental these days, Harry." As they all started laughing she shook Lip's hand and nodded. "Now, you can call me Alice around these guys and Easy won't kick your ass for it."

Behind them, George let out a sharp laugh. When everyone turned his way, he tried to cover his mouth to hide his grin but failed, miserably. Alice shook her head with a smile.

"Are you eavesdropping, Luz?" Dick called.

"Me? Never sir," he said, not even bothering to sound sincere.

Dick shook his head with a laugh. "Get back to work."

With another laugh, George nodded. He did as he was told, though, as Skinny and Vest both continued to hound him with questions about the inventory. The officers began to peel off into smaller groups, and Alice moved over to Nixon. As Lip traded a silent nod with George, Dick moved off with Jones.

"Hey, Harry, I didn't expect to see you this soon," he teased. "I figured you'd be nursing that scratch for another month or two."

"Did you miss me, Lewis?" replied Harry.

When Alice and Harry both joined Nixon over in the corner, the man in question pulled out his flask. He downed a drink before passing it to Harry. "Here. Probably could use some good stuff."

"Always knew you'd come in handy."

Once he'd finished taking a long drink, he handed it to Alice. She grinned. "Thanks, buddy." After her own drink, she let Nixon take it back. "Glad you're back, Harry."

And she was. What had started out as a terrible day complete with physical pain and mental anguish had somehow managed to turn into a good one. Between Dick sticking up for the men and Harry's return, she wasn't sure what pleased her more. With the unavoidable poker match on the horizon that Harry's return signaled, she hoped to have a quiet evening and then a quiet sleep. Because in the morning, in the morning they'd finally be getting off the line.