Hey guys! Just a quick thing -- I made an edit to this chapter shortly after posting, because someone pointed out to me (thank you!) that there was a historical inaccuracy about Hitler!

"Hey, Price," Liebgott called out from a few yards off, where he was leaning against the grill of a truck, chatting with a few other men, "I think they're gonna try a bazooka next. Try not to grab it and run off, yeah?"

It was now early May, and the 2nd battalion had ventured into the mountains of Bavaria with the objective of taking Berchtesgaden. Hitler had taken his own life, but the German Army was still putting up one last fight, particularly with guerilla tactics like blocked roads. They were now backed up on a winding mountain road behind a hill of boulders that blocked the way forward. They were waiting for the engineers to come and clear the way, but while they waited, the men made half-brained attempts to clear it themselves and stood around chewing the fat. Captain Price and Captain Speirs had climbed out of an officers' jeep to stretch their legs and keep apprised of the situation.

Nora, upon hearing her name, smirked over her shoulder at Liebgott and rolled her eyes, before turning back to Captain Speirs. It seemed like a lifetime ago that the men had watched her charge into an open field and take out two tanks with a bazooka.

"You find out the deal with them, or what?" Liebgott asked Luz, who'd been standing with the group. Luz pulled the cigarette from between his lips and shrugged.

"She says there's no deal, so there's no deal," he said, finding his allegiance to Nora was stronger than his desire to placate the other men. Besides, it was true. None of the men knew what happened the night Speirs had run off in a rage and dragged Nora back from the women's camp, and she still insisted that nothing had happened. She didn't usually lie when she was asked something directly, and Luz had asked her directly several times. There was no denying, however, that their dynamic had changed that night. Though they weren't outwardly affectionate, they had hardly been apart since. They had gone from avoiding being in the same room to complete comfort with each other.

"I think we've just reached an understanding," Nora had told him with a shrug when he pointed this out. "We needed to find a way to work together, and now we have."

"The French are going to beat us to the Eagle's Nest," Ron murmured, squinting in the sunlight as he watched two enlisted men approach the roadblock with a bazooka. He pushed off the side of the jeep and pivoted to speak more directly to Nora, or, more accurately, to discreetly shield her from any flying rubble that might find its way over to them. She straightened a little bit as his gaze fell on her and looked up the steep mountainside, creating a visor out of her hand to see better.

"Maybe we could hike it," She thought aloud, though there was a question mark in the inflection. Ron followed her gaze and pondered the possibility as well. Nora stole another quick glance at him while he wasn't looking, shifting on her feet. She hadn't been lying when she told Luz and Lipton that nothing had happened between her and Ron. After her grief had settled a bit, they had driven back to the base and went their separate ways.

But something had changed between them, to be sure. The awkward tension that had existed between them was gone, and had been replaced by a better kind...one that made her look forward to every interaction and caused her to fidget relentlessly. He hadn't pressured her into discussing their situation, and that comforted her. They seemed to have come to an unspoken understanding. Nothing official had happened, but a kind of unofficial exclusivity had settled into their interactions, and it made Nora all the more anxious for the war to be over. At the same time, she couldn't bring herself to think about when the war would end, because it felt dangerous to hope.

"It's not exactly Currahee, but I bet it could be done," Ron decided, turning back to her, "I'll ask Winters."

Nora stayed by the jeep while he went to discuss the situation with Winters and Nixon. She hadn't been standing there for a full minute before Luz threw a heavy arm over her shoulders, "ready to swim in Hitler's pool?"

"I left my bathing suit at home," she told him with a wry smile. Luz looked incredulous.

"Nobody packs properly for a war. It said right on the invitation," He said.

"Don't you remember? I didn't get an invitation to this war. I just showed up."

"Oh? Could've fooled me. You fit right in."

Nora's heart swelled, though she didn't show it. The bright and breezy weather on the mountainside reminded her of her Toccoa days. She couldn't believe that she was in Bavaria, on the tail end of this conflict. That Hitler was dead. That the tides had turned. That she had made it this far. Luz's arm dropped as Ron approached the jeep again.

"Well?" Nora prompted.

"Waiting for the engineers," Ron reported, causing both Nora and Luz to sigh.

Once the path was cleared, Colonel Sink ordered 2nd platoon to take Berchtesgaden and Winters placed Easy Company in the lead. The town was an eerie sight. Nora craned her neck to look at the tall, brick houses that lined the narrow streets and shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she surveyed the empty streets.

"A ghost town," She murmured. Everyone who lived in this town was part of the regime, and they had all fled. She hoped that, whatever rock they'd shimmied under, they weren't living as well as they obviously had here. The caravan stopped when they reached the end of the road and pulled up to a large hotel that sat at the top of a hill. Giant Nazi flags hung down the front windows. The men were ordered to stay put while the officers climbed out of their jeeps and ventured inside the hotel to take a look around. Nora walked in alongside Nixon, followed closely by Speirs, Winters, and Welsh. The first thing she noticed stepping into the lobby was a man at reception who, upon seeing them enter, had reached for the guest book, slamming it shut.

"Hey!" She snapped at him, nudging Nixon with her elbow to get his attention.

"No, no, no." Nixon chided, pointing a threatening finger at the man as he marched over to the reception desk. He grabbed the book from the man, and handed it off to Nora who opened it and flipped through a couple of pages. This was a gold mine of evidence in the trials to come. She closed it and held it against her chest, now committed to its safekeeping. She heard the clanking of silverware and moved into the adjoining dining room to join the others. Winters and Welsh were filling their helmets and bags with cutlery, while Ron pilfered other random objects around the room. Looting made her a little uncomfortable, but she wasn't sure she had a good reason to judge, especially since all of the men, including Winters now, had done it. Nora continued to look around the extravagant room -- everything was mahogany and the ceilings were so high, she had to crane her neck to see the decorative moldings. More approached the group and addressed Winters.

"Permission to climb the mountain, sir? The Eagles Nest?" He asked. Nora wondered how he'd drawn the short straw and become the one they sent in to ask. Winters didn't seem bothered by the request.

"Wait one minute," He said, "Harry, F company put a double guard on the hotel; set up roadblocks on the west side of town. I want battalion H.Q. to seal off the north side and prepare for prisoners." Harry went off to make it happen.

"And Easy?" Ron asked, pulling a Nazi banner down from the wall.

"Easy will head up the mountain, through the opersalzburg, and take the Eagle's Nest," Winters answered, causing Nora's lips to upturn into a small smile. Leave it to Dick to give the Eagle's Nest to Easy. She was excited but anxious to see what was up there. "Nora, you can register that with a clerk before you head up there," He added, nodding to the book in her arms.

"I think I'll hold onto it a little longer, if that's okay," She said. Winters gave a small, reassuring nod to show that he understood. With the rules on looting so overlooked lately, she was concerned about handing it over to someone who might be tempted to keep it or sell it. A little bit of silverware was one thing, but records were another.

"You alright?" Ron asked quietly as everyone made their way back outside.

"Yeah," she said, holding the book out to him, "can you stick this in my pack?"

She stopped and waited while he stepped behind her and shoved the ledger down into her pack until it was safe and snug, "Thanks."

The Eagle's Nest was like a fortress of stone, and though it was imposing in nature, it didn't seem to hold much in the way of comfort, in Nora's opinion. The bunker sitting room was cold and large with minimal furnishings. The small group of them that had gone in first wandered the quiet room, guns at the ready in case they met resistance. Nora glanced around the room as they ventured further in, stopping in her tracks as she saw a pair of legs extending from behind an armchair.

"Ron," She whispered, cautiously walking toward the inert body. He followed at her heels and stepped around her to reach down and turn the man over. Nora stared at the bullethole in the man's forehead.

"Good riddance," she murmured as Ron grabbed the gun the man had used to end his life. A loud pop sounded, and Ron and Nora nearly jumped out their skin, thinking that the gun had gone off. Malarkey walked around them with an overflowing champagne bottle and Nora sighed, her heart still hammering in her chest.

Noticing a couch facing the opposite wall, she left Ron's side and walked over to it, muscles still tense with expectation of something terrible. When she paused at the back of the couch and looked down, she found that she had been right. Someone else was here.

She was beautiful, with dirty blonde hair and prominent cheekbones that no longer held the rosy tinge of life. She looked to be in her thirties, and somehow, even in death, her brow looked drawn and troubled. Who was she? Perhaps a wife or lover of one of the officers. She was struck by the reality of this being the only other woman in the room. One of the only women she'd seen in this war at all, besides Mila, whose memory reopened another wound of its own. She was not like these women. And yet, she couldn't help the urge to share their pain.

"Nora," Malarkey beckoned, pulling her from her thoughts. She looked up to see him watching her with a hint of concern. She nodded to assure him that she was fine and followed the group as they moved on to the next room. As she passed Malarkey, he handed her the bottle of champagne and she took a few long pulls.

Once the Eagle's Nest had been secured, the men made no hesitation of making themselves at home. Nora sat on the rail of one of the balconies, watching Ron, Welsh, and Nix share a bottle of whiskey. She'd had enough herself to be tipsy, but she'd refrained from drinking more for fear of getting sick.

After a while, Winters and Lipton joined them on the overlook, and Nora straightened. It was obvious from his expression that he had something big to share, and the entire mood of the group shifted in response. Nora dared herself not to hope. Welsh, well past drunk by now, shoved a bottle at Winters and begged him to take a drink. Winters ignored him in favor of sharing his news.

"You wanna hear it?" Winters teased, smiling at Welsh. Nora hadn't seen this much levity on Winters' face in a long time. "Are you ready for it? All troops stand fast on current positions," he began, reading the order in his hands. "The German army just surrendered."

The moment felt surreal, and Nora found herself trying to ground her mind in reality. The war in Germany was over. They had done it. It was over. She sucked in a deep breath after several moments, realizing that she had forgotten to breathe. Nora always thought that there would be jumping and screaming when this happened, but nobody could muster themselves to move or say a word. Winters gave Welsh a playful slap on the cheek and then ushered Nixon away to show him something.

"Does Luz know yet?" Was the first thing Nora thought to ask, looking to Lipton. Lipton smiled, shaking his head.

"The men don't know."

"We have to go tell them!" Nora exclaimed, getting up and rushing off. She was dying to be the one to break the news to her best friend. Ron followed her back inside.

"Nora, hold on a second," he said, touching her shoulder lightly. She stopped and turned to him, her face lit up with joy now that the news had settled in. He hesitated for a moment, but steeled himself. Now was the right moment, "I have something for you."

Nora's heart leaped up into her throat as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a delicate gold bracelet to offer to her. Ron watched her take the bracelet, eyeing her inscrutable face as she examined the piece of jewelry.

It was an eternity bracelet on a thin gold chain with diamonds inlaid. Nora had been excited when he'd first pulled it out, but wasn't able to hide her hesitance as she looked at the extravagant piece more closely.

"You don't like it?" Ron finally asked, unable to let her hesitation go on a moment longer.

"It's…it's beautiful," Nora began carefully, "Where did you get it?"

Ron's brow furrowed a bit, "Does it matter?"

"Yes," Nora said.

"I found it," he told her honestly. A horrifying thought occurred to her, and she couldn't stop herself from voicing it.

"Was it hers?"

Her eyes had flicked in the direction of the sitting room as she asked it, and Ron took a step back, offended. "No, it's not hers. I picked it up in Landsberg, before we left."

Nora's resolve firmed up even more with this information, "Landsberg? The town that made its wealth off the suffering of those people?" She asked. She hadn't meant to sound condescending -- just to give him a chance to really think about the issue and understand why his looting bothered her. Ron's jaw clenched.

"Yes, that Landsberg. Better for us to have it than them. Why are you being so uptight? I'm just trying to --" He stopped himself, breathing in deeply through his nose.

Uptight?

"I thought my convictions were what made me interesting," Nora said, repeating what he'd said to her that night in the jeep.

"Yeah, well, interesting isn't always good," he muttered, putting his hands on his hips and shifting on his feet. Nora straightened at that, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm not wearing this," She said, handing it back to him.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"His heart was in the right place," Lipton said, glancing at her before returning his eyes to the road. They had since moved on from Berchtesgaden and were making their way into Austria. The trip would normally only take a few hours, but the continuing roadblocks and destroyed bridges left by the Germans were proving difficult to navigate. Nora had, notably to everyone, opted to ride in a separate jeep from Ron, and it hadn't been long before Lipton was prying it out of her.

"Was it, though?" Nora challenged. Nixon, who was sitting in the back with Winters, thoroughly enjoying this conversation, smirked and leaned forward.

"She's right, it took him almost no effort," He chimed in, "It's like picking up a rock off the ground and handing it to her."

"That is not the issue here," Nora disagreed.

"Hey, I'm on your side!" Nix said.

"I really shouldn't be hearing any of this," Winters reminded them, "and he really shouldn't be giving you anything romantic."

"Relax, it was just a friendship bracelet," Nixon replied, his smirk widening, "Right, Nora?"

"It doesn't matter what it was," Nora said, "I didn't accept it, remember?"

"Aw, it's alright Nora," Nixon teased, "I'll buy you a real eternity bracelet. No blood diamonds."

Winters gave him a chastising look.

"His judgement wasn't great," Lipton admitted, "but it took a lot of guts and vulnerability to give it to you. He obviously cares."

Nora sighed, "Yes, but he should've known I wouldn't like it."

"Give the guy a break, Nora," Nix said, "You're a steep learning curve."

A couple of hours later, the caravan pulled over to the side of the road to give the men a bathroom break and let them stretch their legs. The overlook they'd pulled off at had a gorgeous view of the mountains and banks full of trees and flowers. Nora climbed down from the jeep and sought out Luz. He smiled around his cigarette, like always, and Nora's heart lifted, like always.

"I don't have any diamonds for you," He joked as she approached.

"Good," she said, stealing the cigarette from his mouth and taking a drag before handing it back.

"How much longer?" He asked, nodding toward the road ahead.

"Lip said maybe an hour or two."

"Think we get to sleep in beds tonight?"

"Probably."

Luz had been looking over her shoulder during the conversation, and Nora knew why. "Incoming," he said, before excusing himself to go talk to some of the other guys. Nora crossed her arms and pivoted to lean against the truck, not bothering to spare a glance at Ron, who came to stand beside her. He didn't speak, and she didn't expect him to. They weren't great communicators, but they were good at reading each other, and that would have to be enough for now. Nora relaxed a bit as they continued to stand there, finding it hard to be angry when he had clearly wanted to be close to her. The other officers began to rally the men back into trucks, and Nora pushed off the truck. As she turned to pass by Ron, a flash of pink caught her eye, and she stopped. He was holding a flower that looked a bit like a carnation as a peace offering.

Nora bit her bottom lip to hide the smile that threatened to creep up. He must've walked down the bank to pick it when they first stopped. Swallowing her pride, she reached out to take it from him, but he pulled it back before she could.

"Full disclosure: this one isn't mine -- I just found it. I could grow my own if you'd rather, though."

"You're an ass," Nora said, snatching the flower out of his hand and walking back to her jeep. Ron tried to hide his own smile as he watched her tuck it into the breast pocket of her uniform like a corsage.

Flamethrowers.

They seemed to be the weapon of choice in the pacific.

Nora's brow furrowed as she watched the film about the war effort in Okinawa. Not long after settling in Austria, the officers had all been gathered together to watch it, and it wasn't hard to determine why. Nora tried to picture herself using a flamethrower and couldn't. Then, she remembered that she would probably be the one helping nurse the men on the other ends of flamethrowers, and it made her sick to her stomach. Would she still be a medic when they inevitably went to Japan? She'd moved on to other duties, but only because personnel and circumstance had allowed it. Would she be starting at the beginning again? She felt Ron's gaze piercing through her as she watched, and she struggled to keep her poker face. They had beaten Germany, and they would do the same in Japan. Of course, the victory wasn't the concern. The cost was. When the film was over and the lights went up, the officers immediately grouped around Winters to discuss the situation.

"When do we go?" Ron asked upfront.

"We don't have a date yet," Winters replied.

"We gonna tell the men right away?"

Winters nodded, "Some of them will have enough points to go home instead."

"Not many, if their only medal's a purple heart," Nixon chimed in.

"I think most of us here will have enough," Winters said, though it wasn't much comfort, "and each of us will have to decide what to do. I don't know how long we're waiting here for orders, but I want those veterans who are staying and all new replacements ready to fight. That means rifle ranges. That means daily close-order drills. That means troop reviews. But above all, it means physical training. Get your N.C.O.s on it."

They followed Winters as he gave orders and then branched off to get to work. Nora walked briskly alongside Ron, thinking about everything that needed to be done. The men wouldn't like hearing that they had to train, but it was for the best.

"Medics are going to need updated training, too," she pointed out, "especially on treating burn victims."

"How many points do you have?" Ron asked.

"What?" Nora asked, still partially in her own head.

"Points, Nora," he repeated, stopping her, "How many do you have?"

Nora searched his expression, before placing a reassuring hand on his arm.

"I go where Easy goes, Ron."

Ron looked tense, though not surprised. He nodded resolutely after a moment. Nora was glad that he didn't push the matter, and they set off to prepare for training.

Nora had 87 points. 85 was the number needed to go home. The other men continually asked her how many she had, but she had resolved to keep it to herself. For one thing, she felt it was unfair to the enlisted men to tell them. For another, she was a little bit worried that if too much attention was drawn to her number, she would be forced to go home. And, finally, she had a sneaking suspicion that her points were being weighted differently than the men's in the first place, and she resented the entire system.

So, she did her best to keep her head down during all of the buzz about points and focus instead on preparing for training. To boost morale, the brass had arranged for every company to hold a raffle and send one soldier home, despite their points. Nora thought it sounded like a cruel game, but at least it was one more man who could go home to his family. On the day of the raffle, however, she had been forced to address the subject when Perco, Bull, and Malarkey had approached her for a favor.

"You see, it's Shifty," Bull told her.

"What about him?" She asked, "Is he okay?"

"He's not even close to having enough points to go home," Perco explained.

"How come?"

"He never got wounded," Malarkey said. Nora deflated a bit at that. What a thing to be punished for.

"What can I do?" She asked.

"Well, we heard that Captain Speirs was gonna be drawing the name --" Bull said before he was cut off by Perco.

"And we figured, you know, since he's your boyfriend and all--" Perco said.

"He is not my boyfriend," Nora cut in, crossing her arms.

"Right," Malarkey said, "but he likes you. He listens to you."

"Well, that's debatable," Nora muttered.

"Can you just feel it out? See if he'd be willing to pull Shifty's name?"

"You want me to rig the raffle?"

"For Shifty." Perco emphasized. Nora looked between the men. They had a point -- if anyone deserved it, it was Shifty. Just the thought of saying no to helping him pained her.

"Alright, I'll ask him, but I can't promise anything," She caved. The men looked relieved, and Malarkey gave her a bear hug.

"Asking is all we need you to do -- we'd do it ourselves, but we know he won't kill you." Perco said with a shrug.

"Hey, Ron," Nora called, catching up to Ron as he walked toward the courtyard where they'd be holding the raffle. She pulled him off to the side of the walking path so that nobody could overhear them, "I need to ask you something."

They were both dressed in their Class A uniforms, and Nora took a beat to appreciate the way Ron looked in his hat, given that she'd never taken the time to notice before.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"Nothing, it's just --" Nora began, pausing. This was more uncomfortable than she'd anticipated. She had no idea how he'd react, especially after their last fight had involved her taking a moral high-ground. She decided to rip it off like a bandaid, and pulled out a tiny slip of paper, "I need you to draw this name."

Ron eyed her, taking the slip from her hand and unfolding it, "Powers?"

Nora nodded, "He's not even close, and a lot of the men want to see him go home safely."

"I don't know," Ron began, staring down at the slip in his hands. He liked Powers as much as the next guy, but it was a strange request to receive from Nora, who usually stood on any principle she could find.

"He saved my life in Foy," She whispered, as if reading his mind. Ron nodded.

"Alright. You got it."

After the raffle, Nora had been summoned to Colonel Sink's makeshift office in a villa by the lake. The thought of talking to him made her queasy, as she knew it had to be about what her role would be in Japan. No doubt, he was going to try and tighten the reins again to make sure that she was back to treating soldiers in the field.

"Captain Price," The colonel greeted her as she walked in, "have a seat."

"Thank you, sir. I hope you're well."

"I am, thank you, Nora," He replied. He leaned forward and folded his hands on the desk, "Now, I'm not gonna beat around the bush. I suppose you know we've got to talk about your future."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, you know that you've proven yourself more than anyone in this man's army, and

we're all damn proud of you," He said. Nora swallowed and shifted in her seat the tiniest bit. Sink always did this when he was about to give tough orders.

"Thank you, sir."

"I mean it -- you've done well. Really well." He emphasized. Nora stopped herself from reminding him that he wasn't going to beat around the bush and cleared her throat.

"What's this about, sir?"

Sink glanced down at his folded hands, perhaps to think about his next words, and then looked back at her, "the brass has a new plan for you, moving forward. And it isn't in the airborne."

"What do you mean?" Nora asked softly when she finally found her voice.

"After the media attention went over so well with you, the Department of Defense wants you working in conjunction with the United Services Organization to boost morale."

"The U.S.O.?" Nora asked, her voice rising, "that's not even the army. I'm not an entertainer, I'm an officer."

"And you'll still be an officer," Sink said, "You'll just be giving speeches and working to cheer up the troops. It's an important job."

"Yes, but it's not my job," Nora argued. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"It is now," Sink told her, "I'm sorry, Nora. But you just don't have a choice this time."

This time? Nora rose from her chair and took a turn about the room, trying to remain calm, when had she ever been given a choice?

"With all due respect, sir," She began, her voice taut from her closing throat, "I wasn't supposed to be a medic, but I did it anyw--"

"You've already been given more opportunities than anybody," Sink interrupted her, "If you're gonna be a woman in this army, you've got to learn to take what you can get."

Nora's whole life had been nothing but taking what she could get.

"I'm not doing this," She said.

"Then I guess you're lucky you have enough points to go home," Sink told her morosely, ending the conversation. That was not how Nora had wanted it to go, and it felt like a punch to the gut. She'd hoped he was bluffing. That she'd be able to wrestle a choice out of him where there wasn't one.

"I'll give you a few days to think it over, and then you can get back to me," He continued, like a father lecturing his teenage daughter. Nora looked straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact. She fought to keep her voice from wavering.

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

Nora walked out of the villa and sunk to the ground, sobbing before she even hit the dirt. She pulled at the buttons of her uniform blazer and yanked it off, needing space to breathe.

Easy was being taken away from her.