June 12, 1943 - Mess Hall, Training Facility
Tommy walked out of the command center, lighting another cigarette as he crossed the training grounds. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the dirt path.
"Go faster! My grandma walks faster than all of you, and she's ninety fucking years old!"
The shout made Tommy turn his head. He saw a group of soldiers still training. Their boots clattered against the ground, and their faces were streaked with mud and sweat. He didn't see John among them, so they must have been a different batch.
Ragged breathing, tired eyes.
'They're new,' Tommy thought as he took a drag from his cigarette.
He kept walking, heading toward the mess hall. As he got closer, he heard a familiar laugh booming from inside. It brought a smile to his face.
'It'd be louder if Arthur was here,' Tommy thought, pushing the doors open.
Inside, the mess hall was alive with noise—chairs scraping, silverware clinking, soldiers chatting—but Dugan's laughter drowned it all out. At the far end of the room, he saw the boys gathered around the last row of wooden tables, near the bus station at the back.
But as soon as Tommy stepped inside, the room went quiet. The chatter died instantly, leaving only Dugan's laughter echoing through the hall. Even Dugan, mid-laugh, stifled it, confused by the sudden silence. Soldiers standing in line with their trays stopped and turned. All eyes were on Tommy.
Dugan finally looked toward the entrance and, spotting Tommy, raised his eyebrows in surprise. He mouthed, 'You bastard did it fucking again.'
Tommy just smiled in response, remembering similar moments from Tunisia. It wasn't when he beat up a British soldier, but after he knocked out the captains in front of the general. Since then, everyone had been wary of him.
'Well, it's about time.'
The sun had fully set now, leaving the dimly lit mess hall illuminated by a few hanging lamps that cast a soft yellow glow. Tommy's boots echoed across the floor as soldiers silently parted to make way for him. Their chatter had died down, but as he neared Dugan's table, the laughter started to rise again.
"Dum Dum, if you keep laughing like that, they'll hear you all the way in Berlin," Tommy said.
"Well, well, if it ain't the Colonel himself!" Dugan laughed harder as he slapped a hand on the table, causing the others to look up. "Come to join the fun, Tommy?"
Tommy felt the atmosphere ease up thanks to Dugan's laughter, and the mess hall slowly filled with chatter once again. He then sat down, turning to the quiet Gabe sitting beside Dugan, who gave him a nod and greeted, "Colonel."
"Evening, Gabe," Tommy replied, his gaze falling on Bucky. He was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, smirking. He asked, "I thought you lot were going to wait for me?"
Laughter spread around the table as Bucky grinned, "You missed the best part, Tommy. Dugan here was just telling us how he single-handedly won the war already."
"Damn right, I did! And you boys'll be thanking me once we're in England, safe and sound."
"Safe?" Even the usually quiet Gabe couldn't hold back. "With you leading the charge, Dugan, I'd say it'll be anything but safe."
Tomorrow, they'd be on a boat to England, but tonight, they were just soldiers enjoying their last moments of freedom. Tommy let the conversation roll on, mostly listening as he placed his cigarette pack on the table. He lit another one, taking a deep drag before speaking, "Grab one, but only one."
"Oh, look at this—Tommy's feeling generous!" Dugan joked. "Hahaha! Maybe we should take more while he's in a good mood."
"I'll stick to one," Gabe mumbled.
Bucky grinned, "I'm with Gabe on this."
"Come on, you two. Live a little—"
Dugan slapped Gabe's shoulder, laughing. Tommy exhaled a cloud of smoke and shot Dugan a look. The loudmouth immediately backed down with a cough, "Ahem, alright, alright. I'll just take one too."
Both Gabe and Bucky laughed at this. There were a few things Gabe wouldn't be quiet about, and one of them was making fun of Dugan. Especially with Bucky definitely on his side, Dugan was left playing 1v2. Tommy just leaned slightly on the chair, letting the boys have fun as his eyes fell on the mess hall.
It was his first time visiting, so he was a bit curious. Tommy could hear the soldiers chattering and happily enjoying their bland food. They were tired, and the taste didn't matter anymore when you stayed long enough in the military. His eyes wandered toward the serving line, where soldiers were lining up for their meals.
Then, he looked at the one behind the counter, and his eyes stopped. A blonde with blue eyes. She was beautiful—yes. But there was something different about her that made him unable to look away.
Her clothes were not that of mess personnel, but she wore their apron. She was calm, even as the soldiers threw playful remarks her way, each one trying to charm her. It didn't seem to bother her. Her smile was polite and gentle like she was holding back a laugh.
There was something about the way she moved, graceful but strong, handling the crowd with ease. 'She's... different.'
Tommy blinked, his eyes lingering on her longer than he meant to. She wasn't like anyone he ever met. He took a slow drag from his cigarette, the noise around him fading for a moment. There was just her, standing there, surrounded by chaos but somehow untouched by it.
The feeling in his chest deepened, and for the first time in a long while, Tommy felt... pulled.
"Bloody hell, this ain't fair, the two of you ganging up on me like that," Dugan's grumbling snapped Tommy back to the conversation.
"Damn it, if only Arthur were here."
Tommy smirked and turned to the boys, "Arthur? He'd be the first to make fun of you, Dum Dum."
"Oh, Tommy, come on," Dugan muttered.
Gabe and Bucky burst into laughter, while Tommy chuckled at Dugan's frustration. When Tommy suddenly stood up, Dugan raised an eyebrow, "You gonna knock me out now?"
Tommy raised his eyebrows, seeing that Dugan seemed eager for some reason. He realized what it was all about and commented, "Dum Dum, no escaping this one. You said you'd win us the war, didn't you? Better go do it."
"...It was a joke."
"Where are you headed, Tommy?"
Bucky raised his eyebrows as he took a drag from the Chesterfield he had taken from Tommy's pack.
Gabe seemed to be curious too, as Tommy could feel the quiet guy's eyes on him. However, before he said anything, the loudmouth interrupted, "Oh, come on, you did it to Arthur! Now he's all smiles!"
Dugan seemed to have met Arthur after the 'check' situation, or so Tommy thought. It must've only been Bucky who had seen the before 'check' Arthur. Shaking his head, he flicked the ash from his cigarette and mumbled, "I'll be right back."
Dugan was joking, of course. If the loudmouth really wanted a fight, he would've swung first. Arthur was different, though—he had always felt a gap, something missing. But not Dugan. He had it. Gabe and Bucky had it too.
'I don't have it, just like Arthur,' Tommy thought.
But for now, the benefits outweighed the cost. When the time came, he knew he'd have to walk away too. Not that the higher-ups would make it easy. But that's when he could negotiate better terms.
For now, he'd just be a good soldier.
"Where in the world is he off to so suddenly?"
"Beats me. Maybe he's got a craving."
Tommy left the boys to their chatter and found himself at the serving line. His eyes never left the woman behind the counter. Everything else faded into a blur. He didn't even notice the soldiers making way for him until he was standing right in front of her.
"Colonel Shelby. What can I get you today?"
Tommy didn't answer right away. His gaze lingered on her blue eyes before he looked down at the trays of food. She waited patiently as he placed his tray in front of her.
"We're out of meatloaf and stew," she said. "Would baked beans do for the main dish?"
"Are you new here?" he asked. Tommy looked at the empty food trays, realizing that he wasn't so hungry. His eyes returned to hers, unable to look away.
His question seemed to make her smile bloom as she shook her head, "Not as new as you, Colonel."
"Then, baked beans is it?"
She raised the question again, bringing a small smile to his face. He looked around, then back at her and said, "Actually, just give me some cookies. I'm in the mood for something simple."
Tommy saw her surprise as she raised an eyebrow. "Cookies? Didn't expect that."
"Why? You think I'd be asking for a full plate?"
"You don't seem like the tea-and-cookies type."
"You'd be surprised."
She smiled softly, not saying anything more. Tommy couldn't pull his gaze away from her blue eyes, but she didn't seem flustered at all. After placing a few cookies on his tray, she met his eyes again. "What about a drink, Colonel?"
"I suppose you'll suggest tea, then?" she added, briefly glancing at the cookies on his tray, which made him chuckle.
"What have you got?"
"We have coffee."
"Actually, tea it is."
"Cookies and tea?" Her blue eyes flickered with surprise, but she still nodded and poured him a cup. As she set it on his tray, she asked, "Trying to impress me, Colonel?"
She was truly different. But, Tommy kept his smile as he stepped closer to the counter, still staring at her as he said, "Yes."
"Well, I suppose you did impress me."
Tommy looked at her quietly. 'She's fascinating.'
"Grace!" Before he could ask her name, a voice called from behind the counter. The door behind her burst open, and an older woman in a mess hall uniform hurried in, catching sight of them. "My dear, Grace, could you help out—Oh, am I interrupting something?"
"Martha," Grace said softly, holding the older woman's hand. "What is it?"
Tommy quietly watched as Martha glanced at him before turning back to Grace, shaking her head. "We need you in the back, dear. They're making another batch of meatloaf, and it's a bit of a mess."
Grace gave Tommy a small nod before disappearing through the door Martha had come from. He stared at the door as it swung shut. Then Martha turned to him, breaking his thoughts. "Colonel, uh, what can I get you?"
"This is all, Martha."
Tommy blinked, nodding politely at her. She smiled at him, though there was something suspicious in her look. He took his tray and made his way back to the boys, hearing their laughter die down as he approached.
"What in the world? Are you guys seeing this?" Dugan was pointing at his tray in disbelief.
Tommy chuckled, noticing Bucky's surprise. "Cookies and tea? Tommy, you might be British, but you were raised here!"
"Shouldn't it be cookies and milk?" Gabe, who rarely showed any emotion, was also looking at him in disbelief.
It didn't bother Tommy. He sat down, grabbed a cookie, and took a bite before replying, "You lot don't want cookies?"
"Shit, who would've thought we'd be eating cookies Tommy brought to the table?" Dugan laughed heartily, grabbing one.
The rest followed, quickly reaching for their share. The taste wasn't bad. Compared to food outside, it might be nothing special, but in this mess hall, where bland food ruled, the cookies were gold.
"Say, you were talking to that pretty girl for a while," Bucky grinned, leaning in. "Come on, Tommy—are you interested in her or what?"
Tommy took a sip of his tea, his thoughts drifting back to her smile, the way she moved with ease behind the counter. Without thinking, he muttered, "Grace."
"Uh, what?"
"Her name is Grace."
"Hold on—" Bucky's eyes widened. "You actually remember her name!?"
Tommy just smiled, saying nothing more. Bucky, looking like he'd just uncovered some juicy secret, wasted no time sharing it with the others. The table soon filled with laughter and teasing, but Tommy didn't mind.
He just took it all in stride, enjoying the cookies and tea in front of him.