The Spirit of the Corps » Band of Brothers

20: Rather A Lot of Fun

It didn't take long at all before Floyd was demanding answers as to how Charlie had ended up in the barn serving as the company barracks dripping wet and just a little bit rattled. She explained it all to him, and to the copious eavesdroppers who were very unsubtle about their curiosity, whilst George was ushering her to sit on someone's bunk.

Charlie didn't realise what was happening until the last moment, when she abruptly refused to sit down on it. "I'm soaking wet!" she exclaimed, shaking her arms out of George's grip. "The bed won't dry before night time!"

George laughed. "Charlie, while I'm flattered you care so much, it's my bunk and I don't. So sit down."

Charlie crossed her arms and frowned. "No. I'll sit on the floor."

She walked with purpose over to the other side of the barn, keeping her arms crossed over her chest and her chin tilted up, confident that all of them were following her. When she reached the patch of floor unoccupied by bunks, discarded equipment, or men, she sat herself down against the wall and waited patiently while the group of boys who had accompanied her did the same.

"How's Boo?" were the first words out of George's mouth after everyone had gotten settled.

Charlie's entire face scrunched up in her confusion. "Who's Boo?"

A loud clap of thunder from outside cut George off before he could reply. They waited to ensure another wouldn't follow it before he explained, "Violet."

Charlie laughed. "Why is Violet now Boo?"

George grinned. He extracted a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and took one for himself, batting away multiple hands who reached over in an attempt to steal one for themselves. "She scares easy," he said before sticking the cigarette in his mouth and patting himself down for a lighter. "It's cute."

Charlie's smile brightened. "You're crushing on her," she said, less of a question than an acknowledgement.

George shrugged, finally finding his lighter and lighting his cigarette. When he spoke it was around a puff of smoke, his voice slightly muffled but still understandable. "Crushing on her. Intending to marry her." He shrugged once more. "However you wanna put it."

Charlie giggled loudly and clapped her hands once, excited by the prospect. "You know, initially I thought you'd be way too much for her -"

"Hey!"

She rolled her eyes, continuing, "- but now that I think about it, I think you'd actually be good for her."

"Well, I'm flattered." George smirked as he continued to drag on his cigarette.

Charlie narrowed her eyes at him sitting there looking pleased with himself. "Don't make me regret giving my blessing, George, or so help me you'll regret the day you ever agreed to be her date to the dance."

He raised both hands in surrender, nodding solemnly, the smirk gone from his face. "I'll look after her, Charlie, you don't gotta worry about that." In a moment he was grinning again, shaking his head at whatever was going on in his head. "Anyway, it ain't her you gotta worry about, it's me. If anyone's gettin' their heart broken outta the two of us then it's me. She's trouble," he vowed, though it was clear he didn't mean it in a bad way.

Charlie couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, yeah, Violet's trouble with a capital T. So loud and reckless. She'll snap your heart right in two."

"You laugh," George said, taking out his cigarette and pointing at her with it, "but she will. I just know it."

"Whatever you say, George."

The rain was still coming down in sheets outside. It was pelting the roof and walls of the barn so loudly that they had to raise their voices to be heard over it, even sitting so close together. Thunder was still raging intermittently, and the occasional flash of lightning was visible through the cracks in the wood of the walls. Every now and again a shock of white light would light up the unbothered faces of the soldiers around her, and Charlie would wonder just how long she'd be stuck there.