This is it, y'all!

First of all, I want to say thank you so, so much to anyone who has read and supported this story over the years. The band of brothers fandom has been a refuge for me since 2016, and I'm so grateful to be part of it.

If you're interested in more of my Band of Brothers content, consider following/subscribing to my profile for alerts. The following projects are in the works:

1. A one-shot companion piece to We'll Meet Again that depicts an alternate ending (More Nora! Yay!)

2. A podfic for We'll Meet Again (appearing on the Ao3 version - pen name "vintagetypewriter" - alongside each chapter). I'll also put a link to the soundcloud playlist in my profile.

3. My new (shorter) Band of Brothers project "Moonglow," which will feature Joe Toye with a new OC!

And, because I'm plugging things, if you're into the MCU fandom at all, consider checking out my "Siren Meets!" series!

Feel free to message me here or head over to my tumblr (siren-meets) if you have any questions. Without further ado, here's the finale of We'll Meet Again!

Chapter 25

Nora had never been so thankful to have been assigned to Easy Company. The men she sat with now in the cramped, uncovered transport truck were a far cry from her old cohort. More than half of them had been simply staring at the side of her face, unsure what to make of her. It had taken some convincing (and a few outright orders) to get herself onto this truck.

She had silently thanked Ron when one of the men had grabbed a handful of her ass as they helped her into the bed of the truck, because the look on his face when she'd jammed the barrel of a German Luger into his gut had been priceless. Judging by the atmosphere in the truck since, she didn't anticipate that she'd have any more problems. The sergeant sitting next to her, who had apologized to her for his buddy's behavior, was at least somewhat helpful.

"You guys are stopping in Salzburg? For certain?" She asked, taking out the crumbled paper Lana had given her and smoothing it out in her lap.

"Yeah," the sergeant replied, eyeing the paper, "after that we'll be headed more East."

"Got a pencil?"

The man pulled a short pencil from his pocket and handed it over. Nora began to draw lines through some of the notes Lana had written and added some information of her own as she thought hard about how she would get the rest of the way to Zell Am See. She needed to go Southwest of Salzburg. Lana, as much as she had pretended she was loath to help, had cleverly written the notes on the back of a map of Austria, which Nora was now using to get her bearings.

"You trying to evac?" The man asked.

Nora, who was barely listening, murmured a half-hearted "huh?"

"You want to fly home? Is that why you're AWOL?"

"Excuse me?" Nora said, now abandoning her map to look him in the eye.

"I don't mean to offend you," he insisted, backtracking, "It's just...well, we know who you are, and we thought maybe you were...y'know. Throwing in the towel."

Nora's expression turned stormy.

"If you know who I am, then you know I'm a member of Easy Company. Easy Company doesn't know the meaning of throwing in the towel."

"Right," the sergeant said, "sorry. If you don't mind me asking, then...why are you AWOL?"

"I'm just trying to get back to my regiment," she said. The man nodded, considering this with what looked like respect. "Why are they sending you to Salzburg?" she asked.

"Training for the Pacific," he said, lowering his voice as if the mention of the Pacific would upset the others, "you going to the Pacific?"

"No," Nora said, looking away. She wanted desperately to share the good news with him - with all of them - that they may not have to go to the Pacific, but she refrained. There was still the possibility that something would hold up or ruin the negotiations. She didn't want to think about that, though, because it would mean that she was in deep shit for going AWOL.

"You're lucky," the man replied. Nora nodded and folded up her map, shifting away from him to look out at the passing countryside. Understanding the signal that she no longer wished to chat, he left her alone.

Nora had managed to doze off for several hours of the ride, waking up when the sergeant timidly shook her to let her know that they had reached Salzburg. She thanked him and climbed down from the truck, taking in her surroundings. Dozens of soldiers were loitering and wandering around, smoking cigarettes, throwing baseballs, and waiting to hear where they'd be quartered.

Nora spent half an hour just talking to whoever was around, trying to catch word of which battalions would be passing through and what direction they might be headed, but she found herself getting nowhere. Frustrated, she sat down on the stone front steps of a house and pulled out the map Lana had given her, glancing at the legend in the bottom left hand corner for scale. She pulled out the pencil she'd lifted from the man in the truck and scribbled a couple of calculations in the map's margins.

She wasn't more than an hour and a half's drive from Zell Am See.

She folded up the map and put it away, grabbing her rucksack and pulling herself to her feet. She asked a couple of men to point her in the direction of their temporary company CP, and after answering a lot of tiresome questions herself, she received the information she needed and found the right building.

She walked in to find that soldiers were still scurrying around to get everything set up and in order. She cleared her throat, but when the boy working the front desk didn't look up, she stepped forward. She steeled herself, knowing that she needed to come from a place of authority if she wanted to get through this without people asking too many questions about how she got here.

"Private" she addressed the young man, causing him to stop in his tracks, "I need you to put me through to Zell Am See, immediately."

"Ma'am…?" The private said, eyeing her Captain's bars in confusion.

"I don't have all day, Private Waters," she said, reading his name tape. The private, eager to not get himself into any trouble, stuttered an apology and ushered her forward.

Nora chewed the inside of her cheek as the Private asked her who she wanted to be put through to. She would have to call an officer. She could call Luz easily enough, as he was a Technician 4th Grade and could use the phones. However, he didn't have the power to arrange transport for her without talking to an officer. She cleared her throat.

"Captain Nixon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment," she said, trying to project confidence so that the Staff Sergeant didn't catch on that she was doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. He spent a minute messing with the phone before asking to be put through to Nixon. When Nixon responded on the other end, the private looked at her expectantly.

"Captain Nora Price," She said, realizing after a moment that he needed her name. He repeated it into the phone and then handed the receiver over to her. Nora took it with a thank you, and then eyed the private when he continued to stand at the desk. "A little privacy, Private."

He excused himself, looking a bit disgruntled at having his work interrupted, and Nora heaved a sigh of relief.

"Nix?" She said into the receiver.

"Nora," he said easily, "how's Linz?"

"Not sure," she said, not bothering to mince words, "I'm in Salzburg."

"What for?" Nixon said, surprised, "you got a show there? Might just have to come up and -"

"Nixon," she cut in impatiently, "I need you to send someone to come get me."

"Why?" He asked, his tone changing "What's wrong?"

"I hitched a ride to Salzburg, but I can't find anyone headed to Zell Am See to bring me through the last leg," she explained.

"Are you…" Nixon trailed off, second-guessing himself for a moment, "are you AWOL?"

There was a cloying quality to his tone that told her he was smirking, and as annoying as it was, she felt relieved that she'd chosen to call Nixon.

"Just send someone to get me?" Nora said, her shoulders slumping with exhaustion, "Please?"

"Alright," Nixon said, "I'll have…" he paused, and Nora heard the shuffling of paper that she assumed was a duty roster, "Webster take a jeep and come get you. Should be there in a couple hours."

"Thanks," Nora said, "I owe you big."

Nora had chosen to wait for her ride outside the company CP instead of inside, wanting to keep a low profile. She hoped that Webster had been able to leave Zell Am See quickly after her call to Nixon - she was dying to be back, see the men, and get a good night's rest. Now that she had time to sit and think, anxiety about her rash decision to go AWOL was starting to creep in. She tried to push it aside, reminding herself that being with the men was the most important thing right now, not to mention the best thing for her. If she was going to celebrate the end of the war, it was going to be with her family. If there turned out to be nothing to celebrate, she would be seeing them one last time before they left for the Pacific, and whatever happened to her for going AWOL, she would deal with it.

Her anxiety evaporated when a jeep came careening down the street and screeched to a stop in front of company CP. Nora rose from her seat on the curb, bag slung over her shoulder, but it dropped to the pavement when she saw who drove the vehicle.

"Luz!" she shrieked, rushing around the hood of the jeep as he climbed out of the driver's seat. He barely had time to close the door before she launched herself into his arms, nearly knocking him over.

"It's good to see you, too," he said, laughing, as he returned her embrace and settled her back on the ground. She pulled away and shoved his shoulder.

"What are you doing here? I thought Webster was coming."

"You want me to go back and get him?" Luz asked teasingly, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder in the direction he'd come, "I'm sure he's got lots of facts about Tolstoy to share with you on the drive."

"Nixon sent you?" Nora asked with a knowing smile, ignoring his dig at Webster.

Luz shrugged, "Couldn't just send anybody," he said, "hop in."

Nora climbed into the jeep, tossing her rucksack into the back.

"Tell me everything I've missed," she said as Luz put the jeep in drive and peeled out of

there.

"Not until you tell me why you're back," Luz said, sparing a glance at her before focusing back on the road, "you already got kicked out of the USO?"

So Easy Company hadn't gotten the news yet. She figured that was the case when Nixon hadn't seemed to know.

"What, you can't just be glad that I'm back?" She said, forcing a charming smile.

"That bad, huh?" He said, and though his tone was light, she could see the concern in his eyes.

"What's been going on with Easy?" She asked, changing the subject, "no other incidents, I hope?"

She thought about the night that Grant had been shot and crossed her arms over her stomach.

"A couple of fights, but that's about it," Luz replied.

"It better not be Liebgott," Nora said, shaking her head, "I told him-"

"You're okay?" Luz interrupted her, "I mean...you're okay, right?"

"Yeah," Nora said with a smile, "I'm okay. Just visiting while I have the chance."

"Good."

"So what has Easy Company been up to?" She pressed again, slapping his arm with the back of her hand.

"Just waiting for orders. I guess we'll be shipping out to the pacific soon," Luz replied, his smile fading a little bit.

"Yeah," Nora replied with a closed-lip smile, "I remember what it's like, waiting for those orders."

No jump tonight. She remembered the anxiety she'd felt, wondering when she would finally jump into Normandy. She yearned to relieve that anxiety for Luz by telling him what she knew, but she couldn't bear the thought of getting his hopes up for nothing if the negotiations didn't pan out.

"We'll still be friends, right?" She said suddenly, clearing her throat when Luz turned to give her a questioning look, "after the war?"

Luz took his eyes off the road, looking at her with furrowed eyebrows, "of course," he said simply, "Rhode Island isn't that far from Ohio, right?"

"It's not exactly close," Nora told him.

"Right, but Speirs is from Boston, right?" he said with a knowing glint in his eyes, "I'm sure you'll be around."

Nora rolled her eyes.

"I'm not talking about him," she said firmly, "I'm talking about our friendship. We'll write? And visit?"

She had been thinking about it ever since she heard the news from Sink. As terrible as it was to be separated from Easy in Europe, she was now concerned more with her post-war reality. Would the friendships she'd made simply evaporate?

"Hey," Luz said, pulling her from her thoughts, "look at me."

Nora turned her head to give him her full attention.

"You're not getting rid of me quite that easily," he said, "I'll write to you during the Pacific. Don't worry."

"Good," Nora said, smiling. She hoped dearly that she would be around when he got the news. If he got the news. She hoped beyond hope that it was true, a pit of anxiety once again growing in her stomach as she thought of the consequences for herself if it wasn't. As much as she'd admired the other men when they went AWOL for the sake of being with their company, she had always known that this course of action was too risky for her - and yet, here she was.

"So, what, you've just been training all this time?" She asked.

"Pretty much," Luz said. She could tell that he still wanted to ask about her sudden appearance, but she was relieved that he withheld the urge, satisfied simply to have her back.

She smiled wide, "you have no idea how relieved I am to see Easy."

The hour-long ride home was exactly what Nora needed to feel like she was still a member of Easy Company. Luz filled her in on what the men had been up to the last few weeks and asked her about a thousand questions about the USO tour. As the jeep pulled through Zell Am See, relief bloomed in Nora's chest. As they pulled past HQ, in the main stretch of town where the men usually bustled around and entertained themselves, Nora's eyebrows furrowed.

"Where is everybody?" She asked.

"Company baseball game," Luz replied, "want to head that way?"

Nora smiled, shifting eagerly in her seat, "of course."

"Okay, but don't expect them to be happy," he teased, "I was supposed to play, and I ditched them for you."

"Do they know I'm coming?"

"Nope. Just me and Captain Nixon."

Luz continued to the outskirts of town, where the buildings gave way to a grassy clearing lined with trees. Nora had been doing drills and formations in this field not even a month ago. The sight of the men using it for recreation made her heart swell and felt like a good omen of things to come. Luz parked next to another jeep, where Nixon and Winters stood leaning against the front grill, watching the game. When they turned to greet the newcomers, Nixon smiled and Winters did a double-take.

"Nora," he said, pushing off the jeep and nodding at her, "what are you doing here? Are you on leave?"

"Something like that," Nora said, smiling as she climbed out of the jeep and rounded it to give them both a hug. Winters frowned and sent a wary glance at Nixon, who smirked. He said nothing, though - Dick Winters had learned long ago not to ask questions that he didn't want to know the answer to, especially when it came to Nora's rule-breaking.

Nora turned to scan the baseball diamond, eyebrows furrowing when she saw the back of a familiar silhouette at the catcher's mound.

"Is that Buck?" She said, beaming.

"Yeah, you're not the only surprise today," Luz said, nudging her with his elbow, as he came around to stand next to her.

"You didn't mention on the phone that you were coming back for such a big occasion," Nixon said; his eyes held a knowing twinkle. Nora's heart leapt into her throat, and she gave him a questioning look. He nodded almost imperceptibly, and she glanced at Winters, whose smile was confirmation.

"The news came down the pipeline about half an hour ago," Nixon said.

"What news? What occasion?" Luz said, glancing between them all.

"We were just about to tell the men," Winters added. Luz was still spouting questions next to her, but Nora looked past his shoulder, having caught sight of a certain Captain watching the game a ways off in his Class A uniform. He was smiling as he watched Webster strike out at the plate. As if he could feel her gaze, he turned to glance at their group, and his cap shifted on his head as his brow furrowed. He straightened, pushing away from where he'd been leaning against a jeep, the game in front of him now forgotten.

He moved to make his way toward her, but Nora was already walking over to join him. He watched her approach as if his eyes might be deceiving him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked when she stopped in front of him. He seemed to rethink the question, worrying that it sounded accusatory, "I mean, I didn't know you were...coming."

"Me neither," Nora said simply. This seemed to be enough explanation for Ron for the moment, as he turned back to the game and leaned against the grill of the jeep, scratching the back of his neck in uncertainty. Nora did the same, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the jeep and stared out at the field. The other men hadn't caught on to her presence yet, engrossed in the competition.

A thrilling, nervous energy was humming through her as she considered what the next few minutes might look like. The world suddenly felt open to so many possibilities. She saw Ron shift in her peripheral vision and turned her head just in time to see him looking away. He toed at the dirt and cleared his throat, but the tiniest smile played at his lips. Nora tried hard to hide her own smile, averting her eyes as he glanced at her again.

A moment later, Nixon, Winters, and Luz joined them, and Ron straightened again, giving Winters his full attention.

"Get 'em round," Winters told him.

"Easy Company," Ron shouted, stepping forward to get their attention, "school circle!"

The men brought it in, several of them hooting and hollering when they saw Nora joining the circle.

"Nora, you're back!" Heffron exclaimed, throwing an arm around her shoulders and shaking her playfully. She shared a smile with Lipton across the circle, nodding a greeting.

"A fast man would've had it, Perco," Winters teased Perconte as the men gathered, some kneeling in front so that everyone could see. The men laughed and quieted down, watching Winters with anticipation.

"Listen up, got some news," he said. "This morning, President Truman received the unconditional surrender from the Japanese."

Nora watched the men's faces as they all tried to process the news. A pin drop could be heard.

"War's over." Winters clarified.

The circle stayed quiet as everyone considered this, working hard to adopt the new reality. Nora scanned the crowd and saw a familiar look in the men's eyes as they thought about what they had been through. What they had lost. Who they had lost. The relief was palpable, but it wasn't all-encompassing. No, life would not be easy for any of these men following the war.

But it was over.

It seemed to dawn on everyone at the same moment, as they got to their feet and cheered, embracing each other and shaking hands. Nora turned her head to catch Ron's reaction, but he was already looking at her, a smile breaking across his usually stern face. Nora's heart leapt, and, before she could think too hard about what she was doing, she crossed the circle and grabbed him by the back of the neck, pulling him into a searing kiss.

The volume of cheers around them amplified, and Ron pulled her close. His hands splayed on her back and flexed, clutching her tighter for a moment to emphasize his excitement. When they pulled apart, Nora flushed, and Luz jumped in to dispel the awkwardness.

"That's the first time that's ever happened," He said to Winters, his tone dripping with irony. The men laughed heartily, and Winters raised an eyebrow that said I wasn't born yesterday.

Nora took a step back, but not so far that Ron's arms couldn't still reach her and keep her grounded. The war was over. Easy Company was going home.

Captain Eleanor Price blew a stray strand of hair from her face as she stepped through the front door of her quarters and onto the stoop. She adjusted the skirt of the Class A uniform she'd been ordered to wear for the trip home, and slung her blazer lazily on her shoulder to keep it out of the way, rolling up the sleeves of her button-down shirt. She'd already worked up a sweat from dragging her trunk down the stairs inside, and she grunted now as she pulled it down the front steps with a determined Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. She had traded her rucksack in for a chest when the men of Easy had started giving her parting gifts to bring back to the states with her, and the chest had grown heavier and heavier by the day.

"I told you to mail some of that home ahead of you," a voice broke into her thoughts as she reached the bottom of the stoop and paused to take a breath, "you said you'd be able to carry it all."

She turned to raise an eyebrow at Ron, "and I can."

"Not if you want to be on the ship when it embarks," said Ron, moving to grab the handle on the other side of the trunk and helping her lift it. Easy Company had been in England for the last couple of weeks, waiting for the demobilization to take effect and the Army to send them home. Today, the ship would finally leave port.

Nora glanced at Ron as they carried her trunk down the street to the place where a group of replacements were heaving luggage into a transport truck.

"What did they give you?" Ron said, adjusting his grip on the handle, "bricks?"

"I'm not accepting criticism from the man who mailed half of Germany back to his parents," Nora replied. Rather than laughing, Ron spared a sideways glance at Nora, clearing his throat as if considering his next words carefully.

"Speaking of parents," he said, "I wrote to my family about-"

He stopped abruptly as they reached the replacements loading the truck, who pulled the trunk away and tossed it in with the others.

"Hey, careful with that!" Nora griped.

"Sorry, Captain," one of the young men replied. Ron ushered her away from the loading area with a hand on her elbow, pulling her attention back. Soldiers were bustling like crazy around them, preparing to leave Europe for good.

"I was thinking that, instead of New York, maybe your family could come get you in Boston? If you wanted, I mean," Ron said. Nora's cheeks colored a bit, and she pulled her blazer off her shoulder, absent-mindedly messing with her hair to make herself feel presentable. Ron and Nora hadn't really had a chance to talk about what would happen when they returned stateside. The last few weeks had been, rather, a series of stolen moments between them whenever they weren't on duty or surrounded by the men. When she didn't respond right away, he shifted on his feet and added, "my family is already on board with it, if you decide to come stay for a bit."

Nora bit her lip, a smile threatening to bubble on her face at the thought of him devising a plan for them to meet each other's parents as soon as they hit the mainland.

"I'd like that," she said.

Aside from the guarantee of sea sickness, Nora had no clue what even the immediate future held for her. But if Ron wanted to play a part in helping her figure it out, she would let him.