Ad Astra Per Aspera [2] - Band of Brothers

15 | the patrol

" The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you're made of, not the circumstances."

- Unknown

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When Catherine arrived back towards HQ, she found Nixon inside, going through cabinets of files that had been brought down from Division, as he mumbled and cursed.

" Hey, Cath, how was the briefing?" he asked her.

" Fine," she answered, as she removed her helmet and moved inside, " no one seemed thrilled."

" If I was being sent across the freezing cold water, in winter, after Bastogne, I feel I'd be pretty upset as well." Nixon said with a sarcastic smirk, grabbing a file.

" Yeah, well, I agree with them. And Webster saying what he said wasn't too pleasing either." she said and put her things down before collapsing in a chair and staring at the ceiling.

" What'd he say?" Nixon asked and Catherine looked at him.

" Bunch of bullshit." Catherine muttered, " Made me think of Toye and Guarnere, and Buck, Penkala and Skip. It's just fresh in my mind and stuff still. The littlest things related to them upset me."

" Ah, Catherine, it's only right you get upset over it, they were your friends. If I were you I'd let Webster know it too." Nixon told her. Catherine smirked at him.

" I'm not you, Nix." she said with a smile as she stood and picked up at map.

" Oh really?" Nixon said, as he picked up a map next to her.

" Yeah," she said.

" We're both officers, standing next to each other, maps in our hands, smoking like our life depends on it, drinking black coffee, with brunette hair, a grudge and a rather sarcastic way of attacking a situation. I'd say we're pretty similar." Nixon said. Catherine laughed and shook her head.

" Sure, we'll say that." she said, as she laughed again. She felt a bit better.

When Hazel got into the basement of OP 2, she couldn't help but feel the warmth that was brought over her entire being, how homely it felt. Hazel stepped down inside and removed her helmet from her already cold, as a blast of heat hit her.

Lieutenant Jones was sitting closer to the door than the rest of the men and Catherine and Hazel gave him a small nod as she entered. When Hazel looked up again, she saw most of the men sitting around an eating quietly, chatting softly together.

" Hey, Tiny," a tired voice said and Hazel looked up to see it was Malarkey with a tin of food and a spoon in it.

" Hey, Malark." she said softly, her smile knowingly not reaching her eyes.