At 26, a cold and composed officer of the Women's Auxiliary Corps, Lieutenant Edith Sink is in control of her life. Within the parameters she has set, everything makes sense. Until the day Captain Richard Winters walks into her office.
Winters/OC/N...
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Summer 1944
Aldbourne, England
Giggling, she collapsed on the bench in an uncharacteristic slump. Oliver Dobey sat down next to her, blowing a mouthful of smoke up into the misty twilight. Shielded by the tall hedges outside the pub, they were well concealed.
He wove their fingers together and tossed the cigarette on the damp ground. The chortles of a roving group of paratroopers nearby didn't bother her. Not in this quiet, perfect moment with the man that she knew would be the only one for her. It wasn't just the watered down, British beer soaking her system. Edith's feelings for Oliver were more intoxicating than anything she'd ever consumed in her 26 years.
The English colonel turned to the American WAC officer and brushed the hair off of her shoulder. Resting his thumb against her chin, he leaned in and kissed her like he meant it.
***
Lieutenant Edith Sink grasped the door handle with a deep breath. Her ears were still burning. She closed her eyes and focused on the familiar hum of a plane engine overhead. The tingling at the back of her neck muted and her heart regained its former, rhythmic thrum.
Straightening her shoulders, Edith pushed open the door to the temporary office space. Sergeant Samantha Quincey peered over a pile of personnel folders in her arms. Her orderly paused in the middle of the room and smiled. Edith gave a curt nod, unpinning her hat with calm fingers.
"How was your lunch?" Samantha chirped.
"Good." Edith straightened her uniform jacket with a quick jerk.
"The colonel called while you were out."
"What did my father want?"
"Not that colonel." The girl flashed a tight lipped grin as her olive green eyes danced. "It was the British one. Dobey."
Edith's empty stomach lurched. Her face soured as she marched to her private office. "What did he want?"
"He wanted to confirm your plans for later."
"If he calls back tell him I cannot-" Edith struggled to regain her composure. She sat at her desk, Samantha hesitating by the door. "I am unable to keep our plans."
The last word choked past the growing lump in her throat. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried. After a moment of stilted silence, Samantha nodded.
"Will you please close the door behind you, Sergeant Quincy?" Edith requested, plucking a folder from her desk and shuffling through it.
Samantha obeyed, leaving Edith to the boxed solitude of her windowless office. Once alone, Edith leaned back in her chair. She held her palms against her burning forehead. Inhaling even breaths through her nose and out of her mouth, she regained control of her emotions.
It was doubtful that her father had gotten wind of this debacle. The only one who had an inkling was Samantha. Though the young brunette from Kentucky could be vague at times, Edith had every confidence that she was the soul of discretion.
The best way to deal with the situation was to ignore Colonel Dobey's messages. He wasn't the type of man to seek out a woman who was obviously avoiding him. She sensed that he had too much ego for that kind of game. He rang back later that afternoon to inquire about rescheduling their plans. Edith had Samantha tell him the week looked too busy to confirm anything. He tried two more times the next week. After those rejections, he seemed to get the picture.
For nearly a month, every time her father called to speak with her or requested her presence, Edith felt her stomach drop. However, Colonel Sink remained ignorant to the entire affair.
Edith welcomed the loneliness. She snuggled down deep into its comfortable folds like an expensive fur, guarding it viciously as though it was in danger of being stolen. Sergeant Quincy stopped trying to make conversation about anything but work.
The world made sense again.
Until the day Captain Richard Winters walked into her office.
***
Author's Note: So this is a HBO Band of Brothers fanfiction I wrote and completed a couple years ago. It is also on fanfiction.net, but I wanted to put it up here since I've been principally using Wattpad. ANYWAY, so there needs to be a special disclaimer here.
This story means NO DISRESPECT to the veterans portrayed in the miniseries. It is inspired entirely by a TV show that was based on real people, but this imagining has nothing to do with the real people mentioned... if that makes any sense.
