Half Sick of Shadows » Band of Brothers [2]

Deleted Scene: Juliette's Epic Comeback

a/n:
in honour of juliette's 99th birthday i've decided to post the final deleted scene :( the end of an era. happy birthday jules!

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Whether anyone had actually listened to a word Nixon had said throughout the entirety of his current events lecture so far, Gene truly had no idea. He attended said lectures because it was polite and generally had every intention to absorb the information. Once he got there, however, it was game over from the moment the intelligence officer opened his mouth; Nixon's lack of interest in the words he read was infectious.

So, as Nixon moved on to reading out updates on how the war was going elsewhere, the company head-medic scanned his surroundings, watching with mild interest as the lucky few who weren't privy to the lecture bustled about. Really, he was itching to get back to the house that had been designated the aid station, but he thought that taking a break and getting some fresh air probably wasn't too bad of an idea - Tom would only harass him about it later if he didn't.

Thinking about Tom had him tugging hard on a thread on his ODs. He knew him and the others had been sent out on another mission, their first since Juliette had disappeared, and it didn't sit right with him. If it was so dangerous to be a spy in occupied Europe at the moment, why the hell had they been sent out again?

And then, of course, came the onslaught of thoughts about Juliette. It had been months since he had last seen her but it felt like years. Decades, even. Some days he even worried he'd forgotten how bright her smile could be or the gentle sound of her laugh. Other times he thought he'd forgotten what her hugs had felt like, or how soft her voice had been when she was confiding in him. Other days he knew these were things he'd never forget, regardless of how much time had passed and how much his other memories faded.

He also knew he'd never stop regretting not having kissed her back in Aldbourne when they were saying goodbye. Why hadn't he just kissed her? He'd thought, in the moment, it would only have made it harder to let her go. Now, he knew himself to be the most foolish man in the world. She had been right there, she had trusted him wholeheartedly, and she had wanted him to. He could tell. And now he'd never get to. Now he didn't even have the memory of it to cling to. He had nothing.

Gene knew Tom and the others held up hope that they'd get Juliette back, and though he never said anything on the contrary, he could tell that Martin, at least, knew he had lost that same optimism. It had been too long, surely. And hadn't Juliette once told him she'd seen a woman a mere day after being captured and she'd been entirely ruined? No, she couldn't still be alive. It was impossible. Miracles like that didn't happen to people like Gene, and a miracle would be what it took to get her out of the claws of the Gestapo.

Thinking about her and what they might've done to her made him feel sick, so he tried not to. He could tell the others did too, for their faces would slacken from nostalgic smiles to uneasy horror in the moments after she'd been brought up in conversation before they rushed to change the topic. Tom, at least, was good at hiding it. Will was absolutely terrible at hiding his emotions, much like Juliette herself had been. Martin always excused himself before he could spiral too much.

"Hey, Gene," began a voice, neatly cutting off that train of thought, "how's the lecture?"

Gene offered his fellow medic a wry grin and turned his eyes back on Nixon, purely for appearance's sake. "Rivetin'," he answered dryly.

"Oh yeah?" Spina replied, grinning. "'Cause he looks about as bored as you do just readin' it."

Gene shook his head, stifling a smile, and looked towards a house on the other side of the street. He chose not to respond.