January 21, 1946

Alice could not stop laughing. Her lungs heaved as she stood in Harry's kitchen. At her feet, half a dozen blackened cookies speckled the floor, crumbs all around. Kitty stood with her hands on her hips, hair a bit of a mess. But she smiled, trying and failing to stop her own laughter.

"I did exactly what you said!" Alice protested. "I swear. Kitty!"

"Clearly not!" She tried to sound stern, but it failed miserably. While Alice struggled desperately to keep it together, she just found her own resolve fading. Her laughter bubbled out before she could stop it. "Alice!"

With another cackle, Alice just sank to the ground against the cabinets. "I'm so sorry!" 

She was sorry. Kitty had given her very specific instructions for keeping an eye on the chocolate chip cookies. And in her defense, Alice had tried very hard to stick to them. Unfortunately, she'd then found herself wrapped up in a book that she'd found in Harry's house. And, then she'd forgotten the timer. By the time she'd scrambled over to the oven, the time they'd been cooking had doubled.

"If you hadn't scared me, they'd not be on the floor," Alice finally countered. But she couldn't stop the tears through the giggling. "Kitty-"

"Burnt cookies are no better on a plate than on the floor!"

Alice nodded, forcing herself not to smile. She nodded. "Right, right. Of course. I'm sorry."

Silence fell. Then Alice snorted, unable to hold back her giggles, and Kitty followed suit. After a sigh amidst her laughing, she bent down and she and Alice got to work picking up the shattered crispy cookies. 

"For heavens' sakes," sighed Kitty. But she smiled as they dumped the crumbs into the trash. "Now we'll have to start from scratch!"

A knock on the front door made them pause. Harry, Nix, and Blanche had gone out somewhere, Alice wasn't quite sure where. As Kitty went down the hall to see who it was, Alice stayed behind and tried to get the counters cleaned up a bit more. The cherry-red and white apron that Kitty had lent her already had stains of all sorts on it from their cooking but that didn't mean the kitchen had to stay that way.

Even as she heard Kitty at opening the door, she tried to stop the giggling fit that returned. The absurdity of it all, the completely black cookie crisps that had spilled over the floor, her own racing heart when Kitty had bounded into the kitchen, the way the tray had catapulted into the air. At first, she'd been scared to death at the loud band that Kitty had made with a couple of pots, but upon realizing it was not a grenade, she'd sheepishly stared at the failed cookies. And then she couldn't stop the laughter.

"Let me guess. Mr. Dick-"

Winters. Alice froze. As soon as he answered Kitty, she dropped the cloth she'd been using and scuttled into the hall. Dick Winters, dressed to the nines, hair neatly done and clean-shaven as he'd been all war, stood in the foyer with Kitty. "Dick!"

He glanced past Kitty and grinned. Wasting no time, Alice hurried down the hall and grabbed him in a hug. Her bright laughter subsided, replaced more by chuckles of disbelief. It'd only been a few months, but it felt like a lifetime since she'd seen him. 

"Alice. How are you?" He looked her up and down. Then he turned back to Kitty, also standing in her dirtied apron and her hair tousled. "Baking?"

"I've been baking quite well. Alice on the other hand? She needs some help."

"Hey!" She turned to Kitty. "Don't leave me with a book if you don't want me to read the book!"

Kitty just chuckled. "Read the book between taking the cookies out."

With a dramatic roll of her eyes, Alice turned back to Dick. "Turns out Nix may be better at this than I am. But if you tell him, I'll kill you."

"Is this secret intelligence?" The smirk Dick shot her was barely perceptible but when Alice laughed, it widened. "Where are they?" he asked, turning back to Kitty.

"Top Secret," Kitty told him. "Not quite sure. Harry dragged them out to town. He left us in charge here."

They moved into the kitchen, Dick setting his coat on the back of a chair. Wincing, Alice watched him taking in the chaotic scene of the baking area. But he just looked at her and shook his head. She decided that was a win.

"Don't judge me Dick."

"Me?"

Alice just scoffed. "Don't give me that look. You just act like you don't judge. You can be as petty as the rest of us."

That had Dick laughing. With a smile, Kitty picked her way over to get him a glass of water. She set it in front of him at the table. Then she joined him. "So, the famous Major Dick Winters. Harry's told me all about you."

Alice laughed at the subtle way his eyebrows raised and mouth straightened just a bit. As she finished working away at the layer of cookie dough, she shook her head. "You'll give him a heart attack with that, Kitty."

"Oh! I meant it only in a good way," she assured him. "Harry said you were the best of all of you, that you kept the men together."

Dick attempted a smile. He shook his head, and for a moment didn't speak. Alice knew that look. Nix got that expression sometimes. She did as well. That was remembering. Clearly Kitty had seen it in Harry before, because she apologized. 

"I'm sorry. I know it's hard for you all," she added. Kitty sighed and shook her head, wringing her hands for a moment. "I don't mean to make it worse."

Alice exchanged a glance with Dick. Then she turned back to Kitty. "It's not your fault." With a sigh, Alice placed the dirtied rag onto the counter and joined them at the wood table but didn't sit. For a moment, she just stood. "I'm gonna go grab a smoke. Think you can hold down the fort, Kitty?"

"Of course I can," she huffed. Pushing her chair back, Kitty stood up and went to finish up the cleaning. They'd have to go without cookies. "Dick, is there anything I can get you?"

"No, thank you." 

After digging through her coat pocket for her pack of cigarettes, she turned to Dick. "Care to join, for old times' sake?"

He just scoffed, but followed her outside onto the front porch. The cold struck them hard, like a slap in the face. Grey clouds hung in the sky, covering all the crisp blue of the day before. The newspaper had mentioned snow. But Alice had just hoped it would pass them by. Apparently no such luck, as not a few moments after she'd considered the thought, the snowflakes started falling, tiny in the air.

She fought with her lighter as Dick stood silent next to her. It took a few tries before the flame sparked to life. The momentary heat, however small, made her feel a bit better. She took a long drag of the smoke as she flipped it closed and put the lighter away.

"I used to like snow," Dick murmured. 

With a frown, Alice turned and looked up at him. She took the cigarette from her mouth, releasing a cloud of smoke and hot breath. "Yeah. Me too."

Silence reigned for a bit longer. The snow, even as light as it was, seemed to suck the energy from the air. A few cars passed by, but mostly the world just stayed still. No wind, no birds, no squirrels. Just a silent cold.

"How's your family?" Alice finally asked. She turned to him again, blowing the smoke away first. "Ann's doing well?"

At his sister's name he smiled a bit. "They're all fine. Sad that I'm leaving to head to work for Lew," he admitted with a bit of a laugh. 

Alice couldn't help but smile. They'd planned it a month ago; after the wedding, Dick and Nix would head back across the state to Nixon, New Jersey in the former's car, and she would take the other one to visit Philadelphia. First stop, Raph Spina's place, and then Bill, and then Babe. She'd not contacted Bill directly, but had had Babe do a bit of reconnaissance on the man. She wanted to surprise him. 

"Is Ethel going to come to Nixon," she prodded.

At the name of his sweetheart, Dick just rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Not yet."

Alice laughed. She took another long drag of her cigarette. In the quiet cold, the warmth of the smoke did wonders for her. The small buzz it sent through her system calmed her down a bit, too. She'd been doing her utmost to stick to Gene's regiment of no more than two a day.

"Have you two picked a wedding date yet?" Dick asked. 

The question broke the silence, startling her a bit. She looked at him and shook her head. "No." She sighed. "We can't decide what to do. Stanhope is being a bit of a problem."

Dick scoffed. "I'm not surprised, after what Nix has said."

"Yeah."

The silence that fell between them broke as a car passed down the street. Alice smiled. They'd gotten back. Dropping her nearly finished cigarette onto the concrete, she smashed it beneath her heel. It parked, and she glanced at Dick. "Speak of the devil."

The car doors swung open and Nix and Harry scrambled out. Behind them, Blanche followed more slowly. As the men hurried up the path, Alice couldn't help but laugh and shake her head.

"There he is. Our resident Puritan," Nix heckled.

Grins all around. Harry and Nix crossed the yard to where Dick stood smiling. Alice couldn't help but watch them. Seeing them happy, it made her happy. She stuck her hands in her pockets and reveled in their banter. Soon, however, her gaze drifted to Blanche. The way the woman watched them, it concerned her. She looked almost forlorn. The fact that Blanche really didn't have a family like these men had become, it made Alice sad too.

Forgetting the boys, she moved over to her. Blanche looked up and forced a bright smile. "How'd baking go?" she asked.

Alice let out one short laugh. "You don't wanna know. Just don't tell your brother that he may be a better cook than me, too."

Her grin grew, becoming more genuine. "Then I'm in good company, I suppose."

She and Blanche watched the men. Harry and Nix cracked up over something, likely at Dick's expense because the man just stood there shaking his head as he'd done many times. It took a little while before they seemed to remember that Alice and Blanche even existed.  Alice made sure to send Nix a pointed stare when he looked their way.

"Dick, this is Blanche, my beautiful and intelligent and terrible cook sister," he said. At her eye roll, he turned back to Dick. "Blanche, meet Dick. He's-"

"The only reason you're alive?" Alice supplied. 

Harry just laughed. "You helped."

With Blanche next to her, they rejoined the guys. Dick and Blanche shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Before long, Harry complained about the cold and they all moved inside. Kitty had set out plates with cheese and crackers on the table. They still had a couple of hours until dinner.

"It's about time you all moved back in here," she scolded them. "You'll catch a cold if you're out there too long!"

All of them laughed, except Alice. Her breathing suddenly tightened. Even the thought of an illness affected her. Alice hated it. But she couldn't keep from scrutinizing every breath of air even as they sat in the warm kitchen. 

As the day wore on, and the men started catching up, Blanche and Kitty took some time to look over the latter's wedding plans. Dinner came and went, and Kitty drove back to her parents' home. Still, Alice found herself wrapped in her own thoughts. Dick, Nix, and Harry were endless. Blanche retired to bed fairly early as had become her custom.

At close to ten, Alice stepped outside for another smoke. They'd decided Dick would share Harry's room, just like they'd done in Aldbourne. As they got him situated, she just stood on the porch, freezing in the night air. The cold had dipped so low, it felt reminiscent of the Ardennes.

It even smelled like the Ardennes. She couldn't quite explain it, but the sharp crispness of the frozen night, it just smelled like winter. And winter, to her, meant Bastogne. Fear shot through her. It made her palms sweat, her body tense. Skip and Alex's death had been a year ago from two weeks before. She could feel tears forming in her eyes. They stung.

She inhaled as deep a drag of smoke as she could. The streetlamps along the road illuminated the small flakes that had started to fall yet again. She shivered. A small breeze picked up. It made her nose run, and face freeze. Alice forced down her rising panic.

Alice flinched back at the door behind her as it snapped closed. She whipped around and found Nix bundled in a coat, looking decidedly apologetic. With a strained smile, she took the cigarette from her mouth and released a cloud of smoke.

"You okay?" He looked at her closer, standing beside her and taking his own cigarette out. His hands shook in the cold as he lit it. "You seemed out of it for most of the night."

Alice sighed. "It's just a lot." Her throat hurt as she tried to force down tears. "It's a lot."

When Nix pulled her into a hug, she flinched again. Sometimes her flinching at touches embarrassed her, but with Nix, she knew he understood. Or, though he couldn't quite understand the jumpiness, accepted it anyways. His coat had chilled in the night air, but it didn't take long for his body heat to radiate through to her. It helped her calm down.

"You know who gets here tomorrow, don't you?" Nix murmured as they stood in the cold. "Not sure why Harry invited him. He's such a pain in the ass."

Alice broke into a grin, laughing into his coat. "Stop being mean to Ron. It's not nice."

"But it's tradition."

Tradition. Her smile grew. In the cold, with Nix, it felt a little less scary. She couldn't help but smirk at the fact that one constant had remained since Bastogne that wasn't terrible: hanging and cuddling with Nix in the cold. It was like sitting in a foxhole, but less of a waking nightmare.