A/N:

Thank you BobtheFrog for the review! I know, I know! She really needs to open up to Malarkey and stop bottling up everything! It makes me happy to hear that you're so invested in this story, although I know it must be emotionally draining lol.

Thank you LauRa-ReaDinGXoX for the review! I was frustrated while writing it, too, but she's someone who buries things deep, and it's quite a bad trait. Thank you for your encouragement! :)

Thank you missavc34 for the review! It's great to hear from you again! Wow, such a long and nice review, I don't even know where to start! It's so great to hear that I've kept things realistic and was able to make Marie believable as a character, even though she's so flawed. I love writing about Malarkey and Marie's relationship, and seeing everyone's reactions toward her reluctance to tell. Thank you for your kind words and continued support :)

Thank you Finnobhair for the review! Marie's been so sad lately, and it's hard to write her happy because of what has happened, but I'm glad she was able to get a little joy out of the last chapter (although it was short lived).

Thank you explorer1996 for the favorite!

Thank you thelostboys66 for the story follow!

Thank you drovingallday96 for the review! I'm glad I was able to accurately describe the uncertain fear of going home. And you're right, that baby was also Malarkey's so he deserves to know, hopefully Marie will understand that too. I'll try to update as soon as I can!

Thank you cameronj6 for the story favorite!

Thank you KBear143 for the story follow!

Thank you SarcasticNinja1011 for the story follow!

Thank you Byron W.4 for the two reviews! I'm not sure if the liquor cellar scene will be added yet, since it isn't likely that Marie will be present for that part. And yes, thank you for the Austria shipment date!

Thank you TheWanderer for the two reviews! It's great to hear from you again! Wow, that was such a nice review! I'm glad you're still reading the story, and that you're enjoying it so much. Thank you for taking the time to check out the extra things I have for this story. Your words are just so touching, that I really don't know what to say here! I can't say thank you enough! :')

Thank you blackhawkcawcaw for the story follow!

Berchtesgaden, Bavaria

May 8th, 1945

Marie sat in the claw-footed bath, shut away from the raging celebration that had captured all of Germany. She could hear the cheering and blaring of car horns just outside; going anywhere on the street right now was nearly impossible. She quietly listened to the sounds outside, sinking lower into water, which was becoming more lukewarm with each passing moment, feeling disconnected from the rest of the world. She'd been wading in the tub for a while now, and she had no intention of getting out anytime soon. Marie had at last been granted an opportunity to bathe, and she wasn't going to waste it. She dipped her head under the water, watching her newly shortened hair float around her head, gracefully flowing under the bath water. She brought her head up again, scrubbing her hair roughly with shampoo; she could feel her nails digging deep into her scalp. She rinsed her hair off again, ducking under and surfacing again. The water had started to darken as the dirt from her skin was finally being lifted. Marie held onto a washcloth and started to scrub. The forced friction started to sting, turning her skin a deep pinkish color the harder she pressed and rubbed. She could still feel the residue of the camps sticking to her skin, and she wanted to rid herself of it. Rid herself of all the hells she'd come to endure since this year began.

Muck and Emilia's death. Scrub, scrub, scrub.

Liesel and her husband. Scrub, scrub, scrub.

The filthy Nazis. Scrub, scrub, scrub.

The camps that had hidden such horrible discoveries that Marie could never seem to recover from, no matter how hard she tried to cleanse herself. But she didn't let up, even though her body had begun to protest. Scrub, scrub, scrub.

The miscarriage… Marie paused, seeing that most of the blood had been rinsed off from in between her thighs, but not fully. She thought of Malarkey's face when he'd seen the dried blood at Eagle's Nest. A sharp wave of nausea shuttered deep within her gut, making Marie let out a low groan as she gripped the sides of the tub for support. The tub's surface felt like ice against her fingertips, but she didn't draw back. Drenched with dirtied water, covered with soap bubbles, and itchy skin she knew her bath was over, although she wanted to savor every ounce of peace she could have. The murky water mirrored perfectly how she felt; yet she wasn't repulsed, she wanted to wallow in it for as long as she could.

It's VE Day for crying out loud! An inner voice in Marie's head scolded. She knew that she should be happy; the damn war was finally over! The Allies had won and had ended this horrible painful war that had dragged on for years. Yet she couldn't muster any cheeriness for the victory, she could only think of the things she'd lost and how irreplaceable they were.

Knocking at the bathroom door made her jolt forward. The rapping was timid and hurried; Marie already had a feeling whom it was.

"Marie? Everything okay in there?" Abernathy's voice murmured from behind the wooden door.

"Yes, I was just getting out." Marie answered, abruptly standing up, despite how heavy she felt. Stepping out of the tub while reaching for the towel felt like a great feat; her knees shook as if they'd buckle any moment below her. She slowly steadied herself, draping the towel around as she padded herself dry.

"Don was asking for you. He's in a bar just down the street waiting for you." Abernathy added.

Marie froze, holding her towel stiffly at the mention of Malarkey. She'd felt awkward around him ever since their failed attempt at intimacy at Eagle's Nest. Seeing the blood had made him weary, and Marie had avoided the subject as much as she could, hoping not to confess the miscarriage.

"Marie? You okay?"

Marie cleared her throat. "Yes, I'll be right there."

Despite her dreading to face him again, she quickly got ready and dressed herself in her newly cleaned ODs. She dried her hair and made herself look presentable, hoping that would prevent Malarkey from asking any prying questions about her wellbeing. Abernathy led her outside, pointing to the bar that was less than a block away from the OP 2nd platoon was currently stationed at. She could see the lights illuminating the bar from where she stood, and she could hear the rowdy crowd's squealing of delight. She gulped but took bold strides in the direction of the bar, keeping her head down at the pavement. The sounds of chatter and glasses clinking grew nearer and nearer, and the smell of liquor and cigarette smoke collide into an overpowering aroma. She pushed her way through the front door, feeling drunken soldiers pat her on the back in recognition. Marie peered around the dimly lit and crowded establishment, but the sea of olive drab made it nearly impossible to spot Malarkey. She shuffled deeper into the bar, focusing on anyone who had red hair. The lighting, swarm of activity, and smell of smoke was making her feel disoriented; she gripped onto the edge of a nearby pool table to sturdy herself. She stared down at the dank floor, her head spinning unpleasantly.

What the hell am I doing here?

"Marie!"

Marie glanced over to her left, noticing Malarkey standing up, waving his arms to get her attention. He had a table set up for them. Marie collected herself and walked over to him, being careful not to stumble or trip over her own feet. She sat down in the vacant chair, feeling relieved to find him and to be sitting. He grinned lovingly at her, while pushing a full glass of dark liquor in her direction.

Marie cocked an eyebrow at him. "You know I don't drink."

"C'mon, Marie, it's VE Day! Just try it!" Malarkey laughed.

Marie didn't want to disrupt his jovial mood. She brought the glass to her lips and drank, feeling the liquor go down heavily. She could feel a strange warm feeling sit in her stomach; she could even feel it spreading to her joints. She wiped her mouth, her face slightly distorted by the thickness of the drink.

"I thought we'd celebrate like a normal couple tonight." Malarkey said a smile still spread on his face.

Now Marie chuckled. They weren't exactly a normal couple. They'd met in boot camp and grew close through war and enemy fire, and the death of friends. They hadn't even dated, they went straight for the physical affection, but even that they had to hide from the higher ups.

"I'm not sure how we'd go about doing this." Marie took another sip of the liquor, attempting to drink as much as she could to please Malarkey. The drink sat in her gut like a brick, but she tried to ignore it.

"Talk about normal things, I guess." Malarkey scratched his head in thought. "The weather, sports, fashion, cars, careers." He smiled apologetically at her, knowing that those topics were just about as bland as could be.

Marie placed her forearms on the wooden table, smiling sweetly at him. "Well I'm sure the weather in Georgia right now is dry and hot since summer is approaching. How about Oregon?"

"This is going to be harder than I thought." Malarkey laughed. "Want anything to eat, dear?"

"Yes, what do they have?"

"I'm not sure, I know they serve food but I don't see any menus. Hang on, I'll be right back." He scooted back in his chair and went to find someone to ask.

Marie rested her chin on her palm, waiting patiently for Malarkey to return as she tiredly glanced around at the people gathered around her. Someone familiar caught Marie's eye, making her reel back to where they were standing. He was a soldier, tall with a slightly lanky build, and a mop of brown, fuzzy hair. Her eyes widened at she felt herself rise from her chair. The soldier's back was facing her as he talked to a group of other soldiers. She walked slowly to where he stood, her mind in a trance of disbelief.

"Dave?"

The soldier turned around, and that's when she saw the familiar golden brown eyes, the same eyes as hers. His face morphed in recognition, mirroring the same disbelief she felt. He nearly dropped the drink he was holding.

"Marie?"

The two met in an instant, drawing each other in a tight embrace. She swore he grew a foot since she last saw him, which was literally years ago. It felt unreal to see someone from home, especially here in Bavaria. It felt almost wrong.

"Holy shit, let me look at you." Her brother marveled, eyeing her scars. "You look like you've been through hell." His eyes softened, no doubt noticing how worn down she looked.

Marie didn't respond, she felt sickened by her little brother's pitying glance. But his face suddenly spread into an excited grin that made her raise an eyebrow at him.

"You're lucky, you got to experience the glory before it was too late. I enlisted too goddamn late and missed out on all the combat. Now my company and I are waiting to see if we'll be shipped to the Pacific, God I hope so."

"There was no glory in it, Davey. Not even close." Marie replied, taken aback at his response. Dave rolled his eyes, scoffing at her. Marie grew suddenly very angry with him and his smug ignorance. She balled her fists and glared at her brother.

"Oh, don't look at me like that." Dave sighed in annoyance. "You should be proud that you were able to fight the enemy. I'm just praying that I'll be able to kill some Japs before the war is won on that side."

"Killing is not a good feeling, Davey. There's no feeling of pride or heroism behind it. There's only disgust, coldness-"

"Save me the lecture, Marie, Jesus. You haven't changed much." He cut off. His group started to disperse, waving him out of the bar. "Listen, my platoon is moving out. It was good to see you again, I'll be sure to tell Dad that I ran into you."

"Don't be in a hurry to experience combat." Marie added before he disappeared, knowing that her words of wisdom were falling on deaf ears. Instead of feeling happy to see her brother again, she felt frustrated and irritated by his childish notions of war. She returned to her table, calming herself down as her head raced wildly. Part of her felt she'd imagined the entire encounter, he had come and gone so fast and now he was off to God knows where.

Eventually Malarkey returned, telling her he ordered them sauerbraten to eat. She didn't tell him that she ran into her brother, she didn't want to bring up the emotions again, knowing Malarkey would convince her to go after him before he left. She felt too exhausted just thinking about it all. She'd write her father about it later, and maybe tell Abernathy about it. She started to feel disoriented again, but this time she swore it was from the alcohol.

"We're shipping out for Austria tomorrow." Malarkey informed her.

Marie was surprised. "Really? Even though the war is over?"

"I guess we'll be waiting around there until we're shipped home. One last country to see." Malarkey smiled. "So, what are you going to do when you get home?" He casually asked.

Marie felt herself break out into a cold sweat. She took a sip of her liquor, hoping to stall the answer as much as she could. "I… I don't really like thinking about home." She mumbled.

"Why?"

"I can't imagine myself going back to Georgia like nothing happened. I can't see myself without Easy Company, and the thought of being away from you is unbearable." Her eyes met his for a moment, but she quickly dropped them back to the table, feeling her face flush.

He reached out over the table and gripped her hand. "Who said you'd have to go back without ever seeing me again?"

"Everyone lives so far apart. I'm not sure if I can go back to being a nurse again." Marie confessed.

"It's okay, everything will work out." Malarkey told her, his tone sincere.

"I hope so."

Sorry about this being a shorter chapter! I'm trying to set things up for Austria, and there's going to be a lot of things happening when Easy Company finally goes there, and even more for Marie and Malarkey :)