May 7th, 1945

As it turned out, neither of them had time to write letters or do much of anything that day, or the next. Nixon was called away by Sink for a while as the Battalion s-2, something about the war rapidly changing. They didn't see much of him until the seventh. When he did show back up, he and Harry decided they needed to plunder more champagne. Alice left them to their search.

She sat in the dining hall, glass of water on her right and fresh paper in front of her. Millie had written her again, a lovely bit about Bill and Joe and going on about Percy's latest escapades. Finally with a moment free, Alice sat to reply. She knew Millie would want to know about herself and Nix, but how to put it into words failed her.

When Lipton walked in on her, she had sat back in her chair and laid her pencil down. She frowned. But upon catching sight of him, she forced a smile. "You wouldn't happen to know where I can get some decent food, do you? I could really do with something other than army food."

Lipton laughed and shook his head. "If I knew where that was, I'd be there myself."

Alice laughed at his statement. "Fair. Well, let's go find some." She stood from the table, pushing the chair in and downing the last bit of her glass of water. Her pencil and the papers went into her pants pocket.

As she joined Lip and they walked towards the lobby, loud footsteps echoed in front of them. Dick stopped in the doorway, smiling as he looked at them. They stopped in their tracks.

"We just got some news I think you may want to hear," he said. He grinned again, flashing them a small sheet of paper.

"You know where I can find a really nice sandwich?" Alice guessed.

Dick shook his head, laughing. "No. Better." They waited for him to go on, so he unfolded the paper and nodded. "All troops, stand fast on present positions." He paused for a moment. Glancing up, he smiled. "The German army has surrendered."

Alice stared at him. She could hear Lip talking, but couldn't comprehend. What had Dick just said? Did she hear him right? What? "What?"

"Alice, the war in Europe, it's over," Dick repeated, grinning. "It's over."

It was over.

The war was over.

The death, the blood shed.

It was over.

Before she could stop it, she sobbed. Alice covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle the cries. It felt like she'd had a dozen glasses of champagne. Her body buzzed. Her head and chest burned as she couldn't breathe. Alice sank to the ground. Her knees hit the floor with a bang. She didn't notice.

With the sheer amount of emotions shooting through her, Alice couldn't speak. She held her face in her hands, trying desperately to stop her crying. But the realization that it was done, it was over, it was finished sent wave after wave of elation through her body. They'd won. France was free. Germany would be free. Her people would be free.

"Alice, breathe!"

At Dick's firm command, she struggled to do just that. As she calmed down, she could feel the pressure of Lipton's hand on her shoulder blade. When she managed to force her eyes open, wiping the tears away with her sleeve, she looked at Dick. He had crouched in front of her, looking concerned. Lipton was on her right, hand firmly pressed against her back.

"It's over?" she choked out. Her breathing faltered as she tried, desperately, to control her sobs. Just past Dick, she could see other people but with her tears she couldn't make them out.

Dick nodded. He grabbed her arm. "Yeah. Yeah it's over."

The war, at least in Europe, was done.

It took her another minute for her legs to regain stability and not feel like jelly. Once she had her breathing more under control, Alice nodded to both of them. She assured them she was okay. With Lip's help, she stood up.

She glanced at the men behind Dick. He followed her gaze. They looked scared. Alice realized they'd probably never seen that much emotion from her, ever. Her eyes locked with George. He watched her closely.

Dick sighed, but he still had a smile on his face. He turned to the men, most of whom were Easy's NCOs. With a small laugh, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Just got the official word. Germany's surrendered. It'll be official after midnight."

A moment of silence interrupted only by Alice's labored breathing followed. Then it hit them. At once, disbelieving laughter and hugs erupted from all of them. Before they could get too far, though, Dick called them back.

"We're heading to Austria in the morning. Be responsible!" he added.

Most of the men rushed out of the hotel. Alice guessed they'd be partying for quite a while. As Dick left the room, though, he patted George on the shoulder. When she saw him, Alice grinned and burst into tears. She grabbed him into a hug.

"We did it," she sobbed. "George we made it."

"Damn right." He grabbed her tight in a hug. He could feel her shaking and, if he was honest with himself, he was shaking right along with her. Shutting his eyes, he just reveled in the fact that they'd finally, finally won. At least, they'd won in Europe.

She pulled away after a minute, trying to reclaim composure. It didn't take long before George grabbed Lip in a hug too. Then it was her turn. Pretty soon Alice's tears were replaced by sheer excitement. The three of them moved out into the lobby. Soon enough, Dick rejoined them, sending several officers of 2nd Battalion out into Berchtesgaden. George left them to talk.

"It would seem that Harry, Ron, and Nix are currently at the Eagle's Nest," he said. Though he tried to act annoyed, his grin erased all hope of that. "Think they'd want to hear the news?"

Alice laughed and beside her, Lipton just smirked. With a gesture for them to follow, Dick led the way out into the street. The officers' jeeps were parked not far away. He had them both get in.

The drive passed mostly in silence. All sorts of emotions circulated through her, not only in her mind but she could feel it. A bit of anger, resentment for the ones who hadn't made it. Sadness, for the time lost. But overwhelming joy as well, a sort of sweet serenity, a knowledge that they'd won. At a great cost, yes, but they'd still won.

And even though the thought lingered in the back of her mind that the war in the Pacific still raged, she tried to force that away. Alice wanted one day to revel in the calm and the bliss. If they went to the Pacific, Alice knew she would not. The Army had no use for her there. So for now, she would enjoy her friends.

When the jeep pulled up to the Eagle's Nest, Babe and Garcia stood on either side of the door. Babe leaned against the wall, rifle leaning up against his leg. At the sight of the jeep both he and Garcia straightened up to attention. Alice tried to suppress a laugh at their actions.

"At ease," Dick assured them.

They nodded. Following Dick and Lipton, Alice trailed behind. She wondered how long it would be for all the enlisted to find out. She had a feeling once they'd told the officers, Dick would be fine with her spreading the good news to the rest of the men. When she walked into the main room where light streamed through the windows, she paused. Memories of a few nights ago rushed back in. Heat rose to her cheeks and a bright smile followed. Finally she forced her feet to keep moving as she dashed after them.

When they reached the top of the stairs out onto the balcony walkway, she could hear and then see Harry, Nixon, and Ron sitting on some wooden chairs. Three, no four, bottles of champagne lay and or sat around them. The spoils of war.

"Hey Adolf! Love your Eagle's Nest," Harry drawled.

The sheer amount of alcohol they must've downed to make them as drunk they seemed made Alice grin like an idiot. Harry and Ron were by far the worst off. The latter sat slightly hunched over, only turning and greeting Lip with a smile for a moment before settling back into an empty stare. Harry, in contrast, had leapt up, wobbling, and moved to stand before Dick. Behind Ron, laying back with his hands behind his head, Nixon watched them all in amusement. When he saw her walk in, Nixon just grinned. He at least had his wits about him.

"I hope you don't mind. We made ourselves at home," added Harry, snickering. "Love what you've done with the place." Reaching behind himself, Harry grabbed a bottle of champagne. He thrust it at Dick. "Hey, here, take a drink. Just so we can says we saw you do it."

After watching Nixon down another long drink straight from a half-empty champagne bottle, Dick just shook his head with a laugh. He pushed the bottle back towards Harry. Not too cut up, the man just slipped another drink for himself.

"Listen up! Just came in from the Corps." He glanced up briefly. Then he returned his attention to the paper. "Effective immediately. All troops stand fast on present positions."

Alice nearly burst out laughing at the way Harry attempted, dramatically, to stand at attention. When Dick glanced at him, though, he started snickering. Nixon just assured him with all the drunk sarcasm he was capable of that he was, in fact, standing fast. Ron muttered something incomprehensible.

Content to stand and watch the joy that would soon erupt from her friends, Alice hid her smile with her hand as best she could. Beside her, Lipton turned from the drunk men to her. She nodded to him. He nodded back with a smile.

"Do you wanna hear it?" Dick asked, grinning. When Harry nodded, he started laughing at him again. With a pat on Harry's shoulder, he shook his head. "Yeah? Are you ready for it? Listen up. The German army surrendered."

Silence. The three drunk men moved as one though, all of them straightening up. The humor evaporated. But Dick just smiled, and Alice felt tears in her eyes again. After several beats, Dick gently smacked Harry in the face a few times to snap him out of it. As Harry regained focus, Dick laughed and turned to Nixon.

"I've got a present for you. Come on." He pointed to the way out. But as Nixon gathered himself, Dick turned to Alice. "I promise to bring him back."

She burst out laughing and nodded. "Go."

Nixon looked at her for a moment, but he had to hurry after Dick who seemed to be a man on a mission. Alice grinned after him. When he disappeared back down the stairs, she turned back to the other three. Harry grabbed Lipton in a hug. On the lounge chair, Ron had sunk over, head in his hands. Stepping over to him, she crouched down and lay a hand on Ron's back.

"You're going to regret this tomorrow," she joked.

He mumbled something she couldn't make out. When she asked him, Ron scoffed, sitting up further. He looked a bit more sober, probably from the shock of the news. Shaking his head, he swayed where he sat. "I already regret it."

She chuckled and rubbed his back for a moment. But before long, Harry had grabbed her hand and pulled her up into a hug. She laughed into the embrace.

"You won," he said.

But she just shook her head. "No. We won."

When they broke apart, he just nodded. Then he sunk down into the chair behind him, head in his hands. Alice turned to Lipton and suggested they get them both back to the hotel. Through his chuckles, he agreed.

It took some effort. Once they'd pushed Ron into the passenger seat of the jeep he'd take up earlier, Alice climbed into the back and dragged Harry with her. He started joking that she reminded him of first Doris Day, later Olivia de Havilland, and then the most common comparison she got, Marlene Dietrich. Alice laughed him off.

When Lip pulled up to the front of the hotel, she scrambled out of the jeep and away from the drunken officers. With a smirk, she grabbed Harry by the arm and hauled him out. She pushed him forward and he stumbled slightly. Lip assured her he'd get them both to sober up or go to bed, so she stayed where she was out front of the hotel.

It didn't take long for Alice to decide to head to Easy's CP. It was only about three minutes down the road. Along the way, she found celebrating men chatting and laughing with not a care in the world. Upon reaching the building where Easy had set up, Alice didn't knock. She swung it open. A half dozen friendly faces turned to look at her. She didn't say anything, just grinned.

Talbert grinned. He shouted her way. "There she is!"

"Does Tab get a dance now?" Perco asked.

With a laugh, Alice moved into the room. It took zero time for Talbert to pull her into a hug which she gladly returned. "Sure, Tab. You'll get a dance."

"Now we really did win," he joked.

Hugs went all around. She even insisted on giving hugs to the more touch-averse in the group, like Johnny and Bull. Before long, she sat on a couch celebrating with Lieb, Perco, Talbert, Johnny, Bull, Grant, Ramirez, Alley, and eventually George. With George came three bottles of champagne. They went on for hours.

But one face was noticeably missing from the festivities, one person who usually wouldn't hesitate to engage in such fun. Once they were thoroughly occupied with their drinks, she went through the house to see if she could find him. She found him at a desk in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

"Hey, Malark," she said, smiling. He glanced up. The forced smile he sent her made her pause. Alice moved inside and shut the door. "Not in the mood to throw a party?"

He chuckled, sitting back in his chair and putting the pencil down. With a yawn, he shook his head. "I was trying to write a letter." After hesitating, he looked at her again. "To Faye."

The happiness in the room evaporated immediately. Knowing that she wasn't allowed to correspond with anyone outside of those who already knew about her had kept Alice from having to wrestle with the emotions of that particular prospect. Malark had no such excuse to avoid it, though.

"I wrote her a few times, after uh." He paused, looking down. "But I haven't in a while." After another few moments of silence, he got up and moved over to the window. He moved the sheer curtain and looked down. "Well."

Alice moved to him and grabbed him in a hug. He stiffened at the touch at first. But it didn't take long for him to release the tension and accept the embrace. She held back her own tears for his sake. They stayed there, Alice offering him as much comfort as she could and he would accept.

"We have to live for them, right?" she said, voice soft. "We live for them because that's what they'd want."

He pulled apart from the embrace and nodded. "Right. Yeah."

"They're downstairs," she said. Alice smiled at him sadly. "If you want to join, that is."

Malarkey sighed. He glanced from the door to the blank pages on his desk. But he finally nodded. "Okay."

Together they headed back down the two flights of stairs. The Toccoa men were still drinking and laughing in the living room, perched on couches and tables and chairs. Though they protested her leaving, she just shook her head and smiled, insisting she had more to do. With Alley and Liebgott heckling her for being a lightweight, she closed the door and walked into the street.

Across from the door, sitting along the side of the road in front of a one-time cafe, she found Spina drinking from a champagne bottle, Gene beside him. For the first time in a very long time, they both smiled. Alice crossed the street and joined them.

"To winning!" Spina said, laughing. He raised his champagne bottle into the air. "And to never having to touch another goddamn bandage again."

"I'll drink to that," Alice teased.

Spina got the hint and passed her the bottle. The fizziness made her cough, but she enjoyed it all the same. Then she passed it to Gene. With a smirk, he took it and did the same.

"You two deserve more champagne than anyone else," Alice told them, voice devoid of humor. "Enjoy this. The company would be nothing without you."

Neither of them responded, not verbally. But Spina, who had taken the bottle back, raised it to her and nodded. Leaving them to their own celebration, she made her way back to the hotel. The sun had set and she found herself beyond grateful that Easy Company had spared their rations for her early.

The lounge and dining hall were filled with officers from 2nd Battalion when she walked into the Berchtesgadener Hof. It caused her to pause for a moment, searching for any of her friends. None of them caught her eye. With a sigh, a bit exhausted from the insanity of the day, Alice took the stairs up. She couldn't suppress her yawning.

It took a minute to move through the hall until she found her door. She fumbled through her pocket for the key. She frowned. It wasn't in the pocket she remembered. With a groan, she began to search through her other ones. Finally her hands found it in one of her inner pockets and she grinned. It unlocked the door.

"Happy VE-Day."

"Shit!" Alice jumped at Nixon's whisper in her ear. Whipping around, she tried to catch her breath against the wall. "Goddamnit!"

But he just laughed at her. "Didn't think you scared that easily."

Alice rolled her eyes. "What did Dick have for you?" she asked. Still leaning against the wall, she cocked her head and watched him start grinning. "That good, huh?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that good." But then he smirked. "But I've seen better."

Alice couldn't help the smirk that spread across her own face. She tried to suppress it. She couldn't. Most of the space between them had disappeared. The familiar warmth of being that close to him spread through her again. When he kissed her, she closed her eyes. How the hell he managed to make her turn into an emotional mess with little more than a look, she had no idea. Whatever the reason, Nix managed to make her body go haywire much more than her previous relationships. She couldn't even think. Every feeling, every longing she'd pushed down and locked away while Kathy was in the picture wanted out.

As the kiss deepened, she groaned. On instinct, she moved her head to make it easier. She had to bite her cheek to suppress a hiss. "Nix, not out here, damnit. You have such poor judgement!"

"This is a surprise?" he joked. But he lowered his voice. "Wait. Is that an invite?" 

Was it? The war was over, her war at least. But Alice realized that Nixon's war hadn't ended. The fight in the PTO still raged. No one knew how long they'd have before the 101st left for the Pacific, leaving her behind. She made the decision then and there that she would enjoy this moment. Because who knew if they'd have any more. 

She pulled him into a kiss and pushed him through the open door. He had already started unbuttoning his shirt by the time the door slammed shut. Alice wasted no time in following.