a world alone [hbo war / band of brothers]

5: keep moving forward

UPDATE: 05/22/2022. Minor revisions.

A/N: I was reading the note I had for this chapter and I can still say...the semester is still kicking my ass. I can say that this spring semester is much better than the last spring semester. That A/N also reminded me on how I need to sorely revamp Matt's story! Not sure when I'll get to that, but I will always let you know.

Time for another clarification: there are italicized words in the dialogue for this chapter, but they are not being spoken in German. Allow me to offer a rule of thumb: if Maddie is talking to her uncle and there's an italicized English word, then they are communicating in German that way. Maddie does offer a German phrase, but that's identified because I did not change it.

Warnings: descriptions of depressive episodes, thoughts of suicide, allusions to PTSD; use of J-slur.

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Time spent at the Sledges wasn't too bad. Really, it wasn't. Except that Madison thought Eugene Sledge was staring at her...intensely, and she did not like it one bit. He had made a comment about her, which she did not appreciate very much. She could not remember the exact words, but it stuck out on her. Madison officially thought that Eugene Sledge was a bit weird, and kind of a nuisance, and rude.

Madison was busy telling Mary Houston about her visit to the Sledge family. The two had decided that they would go out for lunch together the next day after the incident. Mary had wanted some opinions for her wedding, and Madison was always honest with her. Mary listened to Madison as she sipped her drink.

"I think he's a little intimidated by you," Mary said. Madison looked at her in disbelief.

"You think he's...scared of me?" Madison asked. "If anyone is scared, it should be me. He wouldn't stop staring at me! It was so creepy. Have you seen him? He's a giant! Especially compared to me!"

Mary laughed. "Everyone is a giant compared to you."

Madison's mouth gaped open, but Mary continued.

"Maddie, think about it. He just came home, everything is new to him. He knows next to nothing about you, except the fact that he's probably thinking that you're stealing his best friend from him."

"Wouldn't that be you?" Madison asked. Mary took that into consideration.

"Maybe, but you're also new here, and Sidney likes to talk about his little friend named Maddie," Mary joked, grinning. "Like I said, he just came home. He knows nothing about...anything."

"He's a grown man, Mary," Madison pointed out. "It wasn't like he was born yesterday."

Madison knew she was being hypocritical. When she first came home back in October, she felt like she didn't know anything. It was probably worse for the ones who came back in 1946. The war was over; no one cared as much as they did a couple months ago.

It was disappointing. No, worse than that. It was unacceptable.

Madison knew that Mary knew what she was thinking. The older woman did not comment, though. She went with a new direction instead.

"What did he even say to make you so fired up?" Mary inquired. Madison looked down at the table, not daring to look Mary in the eye, who was giving her the "look." A narrow-eyed look that mothers would give when they wanted you to tell them the truth.

"Do you even remember?"

Madison glanced at Mary briefly before looking away. "I, uh..I—"

"You don't, do you?" Mary stared at her in disbelief. "Maddie!"