Ad Astra Per Aspera [2] - Band of Brothers

56 | homecoming

" You are my sun, my moon and all of my stars."

- E. E. Cummings

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Saratoga Springs, Upstate New York - October 19th, 1945

" Are you sure, George?" Catherine McCown softly asked him as the taxi slowly approached her home in Upstate New York. George Luz watched her.

" Of course, Cath!" he said softly looping an arm over her shoulder and pulling her closer, " Why wouldn't I?"

" 'Cause my dad's...you know.." Catherine said. Catherine and George had plenty of discussions around the way her father had treated her compared to her older sister.

" I care about you more, Cath," George said, his warm embrace enough of a comfort for now, as she gently snuggled into his side. Catherine was tough, but she just melted in George's arms most of the time and she needed that.

" They're your family and no matter who they are I'll still love you, we all have crazy family - just wait until you meet Cousin Javier." George said and Catherine had to let out a laugh. George had talked about Javier before - he reminded her of Speirs. It made her laugh.

" And my siblings, my brothers - they're not home yet, but my younger sisters are and Matilda's always over with her husband and so it should be...interesting. I feel so bad, I just...my dad, he's the ex-Marine, he's just super-" George softly stopped Catherine by placing a gentle kiss to her forehead which made her melt just a bit more.

" I don't care," he whispered, " I love you." Catherine looked up and met his eyes and her heart softly thrummed against her chest. The taxi slowly pulled up towards the beautiful home in Saratoga Springs.

" Holy shit," George muttered, but when he met Catherine's eyes they were sad. Her gaze stayed on the home and George knew it was taking a lot in her to move from the seat of the taxi.

" Hey, it's okay." George softly said, " I'll be right there with you." 

Catherine softly cuddled against him, trying to calm her breathing down with his heart rate. The first time in over 3 years where she'd be seeing her parents again, seeing Matilda again, her younger sisters, all of them. It scared her. It truly did, deep down, it scared her. Because the fact she was bringing home George, who was most definitely not the wealthy business man her father had harped on her for years to go after. Her mother had been more in her father's shadow, and had cared more, but Catherine had just wanted her mother to use the voice she had. Her mother had yet to, even though Catherine loved both of them.

" I'm sorry if they say anything, I tried to tell them in my letters about you, about everything, they just their from the stuck up side of Upstate, they're just, they have a way of life.." Catherine said.