Alice woke up at the first light of the sun. She could hear someone down the hall running a shower. Closer to home, the ticking of a clock and the breathing of Nix to her right made the only noise in the otherwise dark and quiet room. Shifting her arm out from under the sheets, Alice pushed her hair out of her face. With a small yawn, Alice shifted in the bed to sit up.

The clock read 0620 hours. Through the window, she could see the beginning of dawn. With a last look at Nix's peaceful face, she slipped out of the bed. She knew he'd need to get up as soon as possible; they'd be leaving for Austria by 0800. As quiet as she could, Alice slipped into her clothes for the day. Soon she stood at the window, watching as enlisted men moved about on the road below. 

She regretted nothing about the night before. Alice had reached the point where she was done waiting. Every day that passed had led to death and turmoil. With the war in Europe over, she started to wonder how long with Easy Company she had left. Did she even have any days left to just celebrate with the survivors? 

Her usefulness had come to an end. If the Americans decided she'd finished her task, then she'd have to decide where to go. Nix had another half of the war to fight. She did not.

Paris would be the obvious choice. She knew that Jean-Luc and Marie would open their flat to her, or maybe she and Juliette could find their own. She could try to finish school. But every time she thought about Paris, a deep ache formed in her chest. Paris reminded her more and more of loss, between her family and Bill Guarnere and Joe Toye. She wasn't sure she'd be able to handle living in that city again.

Alice figured Millie would welcome her back in Aldbourne. That made the most sense. Alice supposed she could get a job at a bar or a shop in the town, help support the Bratts in exchange for lodging. But again, Aldbourne was full of ghosts now. All she wanted to do was go somewhere where she'd never really have to think of the war again. Unfortunately, nowhere like that remained.

With the war in Europe over, Alice wondered if maybe the Army would lax their insistence that her job be kept secret. If that were the case, maybe she could take her savings from the war and go live somewhere in America. But she couldn't go alone.

Alice sighed. Looking out over the street, she tried to let the sunlight sink into her skin, warm her. She closed her eyes. Her life had changed in many ways over the course of a single day. Maybe the sun would make her feel better.

"What time is it?"

At Nixon's half-coherent mumbling, she turned around. Alice smiled at him as his eyes scrunched against the sunlight that fell his way when she moved. His peaceful expression when he slept morphed into one of annoyance as he had to get up.

"0645," Alice told him. "Come on. I'd rather have you out of the room before Dick knocks on it or something."

"Don't want to be seen with me?" he joked.

Alice laughed under her breath. She moved from the window over to the bed and sat down. "No. But I don't want to be the one responsible for you getting a dishonorable discharge."

"Oh, right, that." He yawned again, sitting up in the bed but still under the sheets and blanket. "Dick wouldn't do that. Trust me."

She just hummed in agreement. But Alice wasted no time in opening the window curtains further and flooding the room with light. Nix gave an almost imperceptible groan, but he got the message. It didn't take him long to get ready once he'd rolled out of bed.

"Uh oh." Nixon looked at her, suppressing a small smile. As he tied up his jump boots, he nodded to her. "You're thinking about something."

Alice narrowed her eyes and turned back to him. Her arms were across her chest and she'd been staring out the window again. "What?"

"You've done the exact same thing every time you get stressed and start thinking too hard," he explained. "You've done it since Toccoa. So what are you thinking about?"

With a sigh, she walked a bit away from the window. "My part of the war's over, Nix."

"Yeah."

"Well, that means I have to figure out what to do now," she muttered. 

Nixon frowned. He began lacing up his second boot. "You're not being sent off yet."

"No, I know. But it could be any time," she explained. Alice shook her head.

With a quick shake of his head, Nixon refused to entertain the thought. He looked at her. "For all we know, Sink'll have jobs for you for the next several months!"

"And if he doesn't?" she protested.

"Jesus, we just won! Can't we at least enjoy it," he muttered. Nixon shook his head. "Come on. Think about the look on Dick's face when he finds out about us," he suggested. The grin on his face only grew as he thought about it. "I need to be there."

Alice couldn't help but laugh even as she rolled her eyes. "He won't be surprised." Throwing her extra clothes into her duffel bag, she tried to get herself put together for the day. 

"No, but I can't wait for the 'be responsible' lecture," he reminded her. He pushed himself off the bed and went to the window to look out. 

"Speaking of being responsible," Alice said, "you need to get back to your own room."

Nixon huffed and turned back to her from the window. Instead of moving towards the door, though, he just sat against the window and watched her. Alice could feel his gaze. After a minute of silence, she just shook her head. 

"Jesus Christ, you're pretty." Nixon muttered. He wrestled his flask from his pocket and took a drink of whatever was in it.

Alice snorted. "I'll admit, I feel a lot prettier now that we have showers and warm beds and food." She sat down on the bed to readjust her boot. It dug into her a bit too tight. "I may still be a mess, but at least I look less like one than in a foxhole."

But Nixon shook his head. He fell quiet for a moment. Then he smirked. "No. Not your hair. You. You're smart. Too smart, honestly. It's not fair. Not to mention you care about everyone-"

"Why the compliments?" she asked, voice soft. Alice stopped her moving about the room and watched him. 

He stopped smiling. His humor evaporated in an instant. Nixon looked away. Then he sighed. "I don't think you hear it enough. Sometimes you remind me of Blanche. She doesn't know what she means to people. I do my best to remind her." With a bitter scoff, he looked back at her. "I just haven't been able to say it to you, since we were being responsible."

Alice flashed him a sad smile. She moved over to the windowsill and sat against it next to him, shoulder to shoulder. "I never asked. But how did Blanche take the divorce?"

"She's worried about how our father's going to react," he said. "But I think she's secretly glad that it's almost like a bit of rebellion against our parents. She never really liked Kathy."

They stayed quiet for a few more minutes. Enjoying each other's close contact, neither moved. The clock ticked on nearby, the only other sound Nixon's occasional drink from his flask. When the clock hit 0710, Alice sighed.

"Come on. You need to go pack." 

Nixon nodded. "Yeah." But he didn't move. Lost in thought, he just stayed against the window and sipped at the flask.

"Nix," she said. Alice walked back over to him. He seemed to be a mile away, the expression on his face reminiscent of the way he'd been acting in Sturzelberg. She sighed. "Nix, now you're the one thinking too much."

"The curse of being brilliant," he teased. But he looked up at her and shrugged. Nix pushed off the window and winked. With a fake smile, he went to leave. "I'll see you in Austria."

She grabbed his arm. She frowned when he paused and looked her in the eyes. "Nix, you can talk to me. And as long as you want me here, I'll be here." After a pause, she forced herself to smile. "Don't drink yourself to death without me. I think I've earned the right to some of your liquor."

Nixon grinned. With a shake of his head, he just winked. Alice let him go. When the door to her room closed behind him, she couldn't stop herself from smiling as well. She sat back on the bed. Taking a few moments to just breathe and enjoy the sunlight streaming into the room, Alice relaxed. 

At 0730, she pushed herself off the bed and grabbed her bag and helmet. Before long, she'd hurried through the hall and down the stairs into the lounge. She found Harry, Ron, and Lipton standing together by what was once a check-in desk for the hotel. Alice joined them.

"Sad to leave Germany?" Harry asked her.

She shrugged. Was she sad? If Alice was honest with herself, sadness was only one of several emotions she felt when thinking about leaving Germany. "If that's the price I pay for getting to see this war end, I'll pay it." 

As Harry went to respond, Dick and Nixon both came hustling down the stairs. The former called everyone around, the dozen and a half officers waiting for instructions. "Listen up! I want everyone ready to go in ten minutes. We should be in Zell am See by 1030 hours. From there, I want all Company Commanders to find me for instructions." 

Once they all nodded to him, he dismissed them. He joined his friends. "Are Easy and HQ ready?" Ron and Harry both nodded, so he turned to Alice. "Sink wants you in the lead with me, in case we need a translator to make the German surrender smoother."

"Right." She nodded and shuffled from right to left. One the one hand, the fact that Sink still had work for her to do allowed a weight to lift from her shoulders. But the thought of having to help German officers have smoother surrender caused anger to replace it.

"Let's get moving," Dick ordered. 

Alice picked up the duffel bag at her feet. Hauling it out the door, she followed Dick, Nixon, and Harry to a nearby jeep. Bull met them, taking their bags to one of enlisted trucks. Alice thanked him. As Nixon took the driver's seat, he slipped on his aviators and smirked at her. With a small laugh, she shook her head. Harry settled next to her in the back, and before long they set off. They left Germany behind.