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Over the next month, Liebgott kept his distance, but Evelyn knew that it wasn't because he was angry or embarrassed with her. Somehow over the last several weeks, their communication turned to a quiet understanding. She knew he just needed space. When and if he was ready, he would seek her out.

This didn't stop her from watching out for him. Although they were all affected by what they had seen in that terrible place, they all knew it was something deeper for Liebgott. Silently, they each took turns being nearby, but Evelyn's eyes always seemed to find him. Every once in awhile he would throw her a smirk to let her know he was OK, and sometimes she believed him. Most of the time he couldn't fool her.

Easy was sitting tight, awaiting orders in Thalem. There wasn't much to do except watch German townspeople try and clean up their villages as they made their way through the country.

Evelyn was taking a walk, trying to find her next swimming spot, when Adrianna fell into step with her. She smiled wide at her friend. "Fancy seeing you here."

Adrianna grinned back. "Christ, it's so boring right now. I heard a rumor it's true that we aren't taking Berlin. Can you believe that? After everything our division has done to end this war."

Evelyn shrugged. "I get the frustration, but if it means keeping everyone safe and sound, I'm all for it."

Adrianna rolled her eyes. "When did you become Mother Hen?" She looked at her friend before really studying her. "Wait, maybe 'mother hen' is the wrong word…." She leaned forward towards Evelyn and took in several quick breaths through her nose.

"Did you just sniff me?"

Adrianna ignored her but smacked her on the arm in the next moment. Her mouth dropped open. "You had sex!"

Evelyn's own mouth followed suit before hitting her back. "Shut up!" She looked around, but thankfully they were completely alone. She turned back to her. "Christ, why don't you scream it?"

An evil glint entered Adrianna's eye. "D. EVELYN CASSIDY HAD…!" She hunched forward when Evelyn smacked her hard in the stomach next, but began laughing hysterically. "I am so proud of you. Who's the lucky guy? Ugh, don't tell me he's German."

Evelyn blushed deeply. "As if I'm going to tell you! If you don't scream that at the top of your lungs next, you'll go berate him in front of everyone for sure."

"Oh, so it's a secret love affair and someone I know!"

Evelyn hit her again. "It's just sex, but, yes, no one else knows and it's going to stay that way." She paused, the opportunity to spill about what's been going on for a month was too tempting. "It's Joe."

Adrianna's eyes got wide before she recovered and whistled. "I told you those were some fuck-me eyes he had that night." She stopped before grinning. "So, how is he?"

Evelyn blushed again, swatting her. "Anna, quit it."

"Come on, D.! This is what chicks do!" she whined. "I bet he's amazing. He's got that intense stare that just wants to make you drink something cold but strip him with your eyes at the same…" Adrianna caught her look before shrugging. "As if you don't know."

Evelyn stuttered, chewing on her bottom lip. "It's pretty great." Adrianna gave her a pointed look. "OK, it's amazing, happy now? I thought it was a one time thing, but…"

"Do not tell me that you've done it more than once."

Evelyn cringed. "A couple…"

Adrianna sighed dramatically. "That's it. I'm jumping Sammy. No way I can let you have more fun than me."

Evelyn laughed, hugging her to her side. "I'll go warn Sammy then. Besides, after Landsberg, my little fling with Joe might be done."

"Why? Keep on that."

Evelyn shook her head and sighed. "You didn't see him after the camp. He…he just needs a little time. If he wants to start up again, he'll let me know."

Adrianna cocked an eyebrow. "One of your men is hurting, D. I understand not jumping his bones right now after that terrible place, but when has that ever stopped you from taking their pain away?"

Evelyn ruminated on this before looking at her. "Damn, girl, that was deep."

"It's been known to happen. Now come on, I want more details. If neither of us is gettin' some at the moment, the least you can do is share."

At the end of April, Evelyn was just coming back from attempting to swim in a stream nearby Thalem during her free time. She found it only just the other day, but although she had gotten wet, it was a useless attempt at exercise. The water was too rocky and shallow to do anything more than bathe.

Walking into the town in just her PT shorts, tshirt, and boots, she caught sight of an older woman glaring at her. After her initial shock of seeing a sneer worthy of Those Wily Bitches - granted they did step up in Landsberg, although she hadn't seen them since - Evelyn smiled sweetly before wiggling her fingers in the woman's direction.

Affronted, the woman scowled further. With a grin to herself, Evelyn began to march like what she had seen in newsreels as a civilian Hitler supporter for several paces before replacing her outstretched arm with a bent rude gesture towards the German. The woman's mouth dropped open.

"You've subjected yourself to mocking little old ladies now, sweetheart?" Evelyn turned and grinned at Luz, who only gave her a look before shaking his head. "Pathetic."

"You interrupted me," she exclaimed, mock hurt. "I was about to see what she'd do if I waved a white flag in surrender. Got a pen? We can draw a swastika on it."

Luz grinned. "How about we see what she does when you tell her Hitler is dead."

Evelyn's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?" He nodded. Jumping into his arms with a squeal, she cried, "Does this mean the war is over?"

Luz hugged her close but shook his head. "Nah, not yet, but one step closer."

She caught sight of the woman frowning miserably at their embrace. With a huge smile, she yelled, "Hitler tot! Tot!" She surprised herself by how much she picked up of the language over the last few months.

The effect was immediate. They watched as the woman burst into tears and run from the square. Giggling, Evelyn felt a little guilty, until she remembered the camp. With a grim smile, she took Luz's arm. "Where should we celebrate?"

"I got just the place," Luz replied. "Picturesque views. Beautiful village. High atop the mountains. I'll take you there, sweetheart."

"If it's the mess hall, I'm calling bullshit."

"How about a mess hall in Bavaria?"

May 4, 1945

Easy and the rest of the 506th were sent to Bavaria and to the town of Berchtesgaden to claim Hitler's Eagles Nest. Although it wasn't Berlin, Adrianna forgot her disappointment; the honor of taking a huge Nazi retreat would more than suffice.

It seemed the Germans knew they were coming. As their trucks began making their way up the mountains, it was clear they weren't going to get in easily. The roads had been blocked with huge piles of stone.

Most of Easy settled where they were, watching Webster, Malarkey and a few others try and blow away the obstruction. They enjoyed the warm sunshine, but they were antsy to move forward.

Malarkey just made another shot with the grenade launcher. It only took out a small chunk of the obstruction.

Heffron rolled his eyes. "Christ, we're gonna be here all day. They need to add explosives -" He raised his voice to a shout. "-add explosives, Malark! And don't miss this time!"

The others around him chuckled, and laughed harder when Malarkey threw him a rude gesture. Evelyn grinned and looked around at them. Between the warm weather, sun, and alleviation of battles, everyone's color had returned and the pain had begun to heal in their eyes.

And then she looked at another truck and saw Liebgott sitting on the ground by himself, leaning against a huge wheel. Unlike the others, he was still pale, quiet, and strained.

Remembering Adrianna's words, Evelyn jumped down from her own truck. She walked to him. His eyes followed her silently as she sat down beside him, pulling her knees to her chest. He took her lead and turned back to the show.

They watched as Webster placed a few grenades on the pile of stone before laughing and running back to Malarkey and Grant. She smiled and laughed with him. From the corner of her eye, she saw a grin twitch at Liebgott's mouth.

The process was a long one. Liebgott and Evelyn looked above them when they heard Janovec mutter. "A firecracker on a palm."

She gave him a quizzical look. "What was that, John?"

Janovec looked down surprised, unaware that anyone was listening. "Nothing, Evie. Just what they're doing isn't gonna work."

Liebgott raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know?"

Janovec rolled his eyes. "Because if you light a firecracker and leave it in your open palm, you'll only burn your skin, but your hand will be fine."

"Still prefer not to do it if I can manage," drawled Liebgott. He caught Evelyn's eye when she chuckled.

Janovec continued, undeterred. "But if you close your fist around the same lit firecracker, you'll lose your hand." He shrugged at their incredulous faces. "I studied engineering before the war."

Evelyn scoffed. "Not that, John. Christ. Go over there and show them so we can get moving!"

Standing immediately at her tone, Janovec left the truck and hustled over to Malarkey, Grant and Webster.

She adjusted her position, stretching her legs in front of her before noticing Liebgott looking at her. "What?"

He only grinned. "Still puttin' the fear of God into men every day, I see, Cassidy." He mirrored her movements, shoulder gently leaning against hers.

Evelyn grinned back. "Someone has to. Your egos are over-inflated as it is."

And before Liebgott could defend himself or anyone else, a huge boom was sounded. After the smoke cleared, a giant chunk of the stone had been blasted away. Cheers erupted from everyone. They could almost move.

May 5, 1945

Berchtesgaden, Bavaria

It still seemed surreal. It took the better part of yesterday to clear all the roads to get to the town, the heart of the SS, but when the sun rose the next morning and Easy rolled in, they all immediately got quiet.

As they sat outside the huge Nazi headquarters, awaiting orders from the officers inside, the soldiers got out from their trucks and began to wander, but remained close by.

Evelyn fingered one of the white flags hanging on a house. "They were in mourning."

Adrianna snorted. "I'm sure we can give them somethin' else to mourn about."

The men nearby murmured in agreement. The slamming of a door opening caused them all to jump to attention. Speirs appeared. Evelyn didn't miss the excited glint in his eyes.

"Alright," he yelled. "Easy is going to take the Eagle's Nest."

Cheers erupted around him, mixed in with laughter and scattered chatter. They all looked behind them to the huge mountain. Atop it, Hitler's crown jewel.

Adrianna piped up. "And Dog company, sir?"

Speirs caught her eye and he gave her a commiserating look. "Sorry, Edwards. Dog and Fox are to secure the town while the other companies remain down below, keeping the roads clear."

Adrianna cursed, folding her arms over her chest. He shrugged but turned toward his soldiers. "Anyone for a run up? I'm not going to let one of you savages get there before me." A few men called out their enthusiasm, while the rest began loading into the trucks again.

Evelyn turned to Adrianna. She gave her a tentative smile. "The town is still a huge accomplishment."

Adrianna scowled. "Quit tryin' to make me feel better. Easy gets all the fun." She pouted like a child.

Evelyn laughed and ruffled her hair. "Only because you can't be trusted. You might be the reason Dog gets left behind, you know."

Adrianna huffed. "You're really bad at this. Go back to bein' Mother Hen."

Evelyn kissed her on the cheek. "Yes, ma'am. Be good, and I might bring you back something pretty." She began to climb into the truck that just fired up.

"It better be really fuckin' pretty, D.!"

She waved to her friend as they began to pull away. "I'll see what I can do!"

By the time Evelyn got inside, the men had already scattered. Smiling at their blatant joy and eagerness, she began to wander.

It seemed like she took too long in her travels. Every room she entered held at least a half dozen men, its contents almost completely stripped, especially any alcohol that was found.

Rolling her eyes as Malarkey, Grant and Christenson passed around a bottle of champagne, she continued deeper into the home.

Finally, Evelyn peeked into an extravagant bedroom. It was empty. Grinning to herself that she finally stumbled upon a room before the others, she began to explore.

Her fingers brushed all the sparkling crystal, polished silver, exquisite details. It was obviously a woman's room, and the care to make it her own was pronounced. Spying a stunning set of emerald earrings, she pocketed them, thinking of Adrianna. The color would look lovely with her eyes.

Evelyn opened the door in the far corner. It was dark inside. She felt for a light of some kind, and finally found a hard rope. Once the light flooded the closet, she giggled when she saw that the rope was actually a string of crystal beads.

Her mouth dropped open as she walked in. Row after row of the finest clothes she had ever seen were before her. Picking up the closest dress to her, she laid it against her body. She didn't need to try it on to know she and the mystery woman were the same size.

With another giggle, she put down the dress before scouring the racks. She touched the softest leather, the creamiest silks and the thickest satins. Finally, near the end of the first row, one last dress stood out to her.

Evelyn almost groaned in appreciation at the beautiful pattern of pale yellow and lush green, the antithesis of the hard winter they just escaped. The dress was much simpler than many of the others, but it held something special to her. Picking up the hanger, she held it against her body, imagining being out of her ODs and back to being a woman for once. She couldn't help it; she turned in a circle, marveling how the full skirt just seemed to dance around her legs.

"Did you just twirl?"

Evelyn jumped and turned to see Liebgott leaning against the doorframe. Even from there, she could see his eyes dance with amusement.

She immediately put the dress down on the plush bench in front of her. She brushed her palms against her pants in embarrassment. "No." He raised an eyebrow. "No, I was just…" She chewed on her bottom lip and watched as he slowly made his way towards her. "I was…"

Liebgott stood in front of her, inches away. His grin widened. "Twirling. It was cute, don't be embarrassed. Well, maybe a little embarrassed. You were goddamn twirling for Christ's sake."

Evelyn smacked him in the chest and laughed, but her laughter died in her throat when he took the opportunity to hook an arm around her waist and pull her closer. With another grin, he leaned in and put a gentle kiss on the side of her neck.

He breathed in her scent that was so distinctly Evelyn and kissed her neck again, nibbling the skin this time. He could feel her breath quicken, and it thrilled him that he could affect her as much as she could him. "Been awhile, Cassidy," he murmured in her ear.

Evelyn wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She felt his hands wander and she closed her eyes at the warmth that spread. "Yeah it has," she whispered. "Over a month. At least for me. I don't know if…"

Liebgott shut her up with his mouth before pulling back and looking into her eyes. "Me too. No one else I'd rather torment, Cass."

She smiled, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Is that right?" A playfulness entered her eyes. She opened her mouth to add something, but shut it again when they heard Luz's voice in the bedroom.

"Ev! You in here?"

Evelyn tried to pull away, but Liebgott wouldn't let her go that easily. He whispered against her forehead, "Maybe if you stay quiet, he'll disappear again."

"If I stay quiet?"

"Evelyn?" His voice was closer. He was obviously walking towards the closet, the door wide open and the light on.

With a curse, they broke apart. Before she could go, Liebgott grabbed her hand. With a kiss to her inner wrist and a wink, he smiled and she smiled shyly back. Another moment, and she ran from the closet.

Luz grinned when he saw her. "There you are! Shopping are we?"

Evelyn tried to keep her voice steady and prayed the pink color had disappeared from her cheeks. "Yeah, but I didn't see anything. I heard there's a booze room. Want to go find it?"

He wrapped an arm around her waist and she mirrored the movement. They began to walk from the bedroom, but at the last moment, his curiosity got the best of him and glanced briefly behind them. Liebgott was watching them go.

Luz looked back down at Evelyn and smiled as they walked through the door. In a nice, clear voice, he asked, "Are you sure there wasn't anything you wanted in there, sweetheart?"

From the other side of the room, Liebgott grinned.

After exploring the booze room with Luz and a few others, Evelyn decided to make her way back down the mountain to help Roe and Spina set up an aid station. No one knew how long the 506th was due to stay in town, or how much trouble the soldiers would get themselves in, especially with alcohol now readily available.

She jogged a part of the way, and the exercise felt good. The journey still took her the better part of an hour, and by the time she got back, it was nearly noon.

Over the next few hours, the three medics arranged the station to their liking. Seeing as the war was coming to an end, there wasn't much to do, but they all agreed it was better to be ready in case. It was a nice, snug place near the far outskirts of the town, but it would work for their needs.

Evelyn was pushed out by the men around three when they found out she skipped lunch to continue working. She smiled softly at her protective friends and she began to walk into the town slowly, taking everything in for several minutes. Suddenly, someone cried out.

There was a commotion ahead, and Evelyn could see a dead German on the ground, but the crowd of soldiers was paying no attention to him. She felt a stone of dread hit her stomach, and she had no idea why.

Pushing through the men, she finally made her way to what they were looking at. Adrianna laid on the ground, her head in Sammy's lap. She was dead.

The earth spun hard around her. Evelyn dropped to her knees by her side instantly, but she felt no physical pain. Knowing in her heart that the girl was gone, she watched as her hand automatically reached for the side of her throat to check for a pulse. It was cool and still.

Before she could ask what happened, a soldier answered for her. He stood next to a Dog soldier medic, but Evelyn didn't see either of them. "The kraut was hiding in the building. We brought him out, but when he saw her, he just lost it. Stole Sammy's side arm."

Sammy, who was still cradling her head, shook with sobs. "I'm so sorry, Anna," he whispered. "I'm so, so sorry." His tears fell onto her beautiful face. She looked so much more peaceful and innocent in death.

The medic kicked in first; the devastated friend would have to wait. Evelyn scooted closer to him and took one of his hands in hers. Slowly, he dragged his eyes up to connect with her. "If Anna was here, she would tell you to quit the goddamn blubbering over her. That she wasn't that important." The men around them chuckled together, trying to do something, anything to help, before growing silent once more. "We all know that isn't true. But it isn't your fault, Sammy." Her voice cracked. "You have to know that."

Sammy nodded, but when he looked down at Adrianna's white face again, the tears started afresh. "I was so stupid. I thought this goddamn war was over. I didn't protect my weapon. I didn't protect her."

Evelyn swallowed hard. Her pain was beginning to bubble to the surface as the situation started to sink in. Her eyes locked again on Adrianna and now she couldn't look away. "We all thought this war was over."

I'm really, really sorry.