" A soft spirit in a hard world."

- Unknown

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Hazel stared hard at herself in the mirror and Shifty was beside her staring in the mirror, just as equally stone faced.

" Are you two just gonna sit there and stare at each other, or let me cut your hair?" Joe asked behind them, a bit annoyed if he were honest. The two snipers, as quiet and humble as they were, were cautious in decision making, careful if you will.

" Still thinking." she said, just knowing it would annoy Joe. She smirked.

" Just the sides, Joe, a bit," Shifty said as he leaned back, " and the top a bit, but keep it pretty much the same."

" At least someone can make a decision." Joe said and Hazel giggled.

In the past few weeks, Hazel had found herself coming out of the aggravating slump of the post-Bastogne era which had overtaken her life it seemed. She was thankful she noticed the little things in life, for she was beginning to accept happiness again, and the fact that there were moments in life, sad moments, but they didn't dare define her as a person. And the boys were always there for each other and for the women, and it was always a great group that managed to put a smile onto Hazel's face, without fail. She had been hanging around with everyone more, even if that meant not looking to the stars like she had been doing, but she felt that was okay - they'd always be there.

" You couldn't decide between the chocolate or vanilla the other day, Joe," she said and she heard Joe scoff as he began work on Shifty's hair cut.

" Did not, it was easy, chocolate over vanilla any day." Joe said as a snip from his scissors occurred. Hazel smirked.

" Not what happened," Hazel said softly and Joe smirked.

" Why? Care to let Shifty bare witness to this?" Joe said.

" Please just don't take out an eye." Shifty pleaded to Joe.

" Well in Swindon-" Hazel started.

" I brought out one of those Hershey chocolate bars-" Joe continued as Hazel glared.

" And he offered me the rest-"

" Which further my point in that chocolate is the better option over vanilla-"

" And that you most definitely did not say chocolate yesterday at the counter." Hazel scoffed as Joe chuckled.

" Did too." Joe said back to her.

" You want to duke it out after? I'd prefer to not have a botched haircut by tomorrow." Shifty said as the trio broke into chuckles.

" Don't worry, Shift," Joe said before looking at Hazel who sat in her chair, " may the most convincing win."

Hazel took it as a challenge.

So throughout the week, she did what she could too convince him the reason he got vanilla ice cream that day was because he really had just liked the vanilla better and not the chocolate the Army provided, while Joe blabbered that he had misspoke.

A childish act between the two, but something to laugh about later on.

Ronald Speirs was well, being Ronald Speirs - enough said.

Him and Hazel individually were scary when activated in their own ways, but together, rather dangerous.

Many just thought that Speirs was excited that she was in fact a sniper and was fantastic at her position. True. An odd pair to be frank, but a good one.

Through PT training, Speirs treated Hazel like she was a fragile baby bunny, making sure she was always remembered, always kept up to date on thing, and well of course gotten a well-deserved promotion to Sergeant.

Speirs had said to her that the promotion should've been given to her back in the times of The Island at least, during their month with Dike, but Speirs just said that Dike was too incompetent

Winters had easily approved the promotion.

And boy would it take time to get used to.

Hazel had sewed on the chevrons, the three stacked on top of one another, beside Talbert, who was resewing his own just so Hazel could follow. And by the end, she felt she could sow on each and every man in the 101st's patches. Hazel gently held up her ODs and stared at it.

A Sergeant??

She would've never believed she would move up from the spot. But Speirs had been adamant and Speirs was intensely observant. He just knew things. He was fascinating.

Lizzie had a backlog of letters from her family, mostly about her grandmother's dwindling health. Lizzie read through all her letters and then had stood up and left the tent, ignoring even Tab's call for her as she left. But it was hard on her. Lizzie adored her grandmother more than anything and being here while she suffered in Grand Rapids was a hard toll to really take on, more than anything.

So, Lizzie did what she could, and sat and thought, her leg bouncing, attempting to read a book and then reading the same page over too many times without understanding a single bit and finally slamming the book shut, before walking in the same distinct pattern, her thoughts a mumbled mess. She was anxious, her mind a reck, and she resorted to the idea of distancing herself even more from others as she dealt with it all. She blamed it on her mental health, her inability to stay focused or too focus in so much that she remained hyper and coffee would settle her down.

It was overwhelming.

So Hazel spent breakfast with Lizzie, instead of sitting with a group of guys, talking to her about anything really and by the end of the meal, she could see the color back on Lizzie's face. But it was worry that caused that. Worry was normal. It was okay that she worried, it was human nature. Hazel read her mother's letter as if it were a drug, missing just her mother's gentle eyes which never failed to make Hazel feel better.

Dear Hazel,

I hope this letter finds you well! I am so glad honey, that you are okay. Your letter gave me quite the scare and honestly, I did cry for about a week after I received your letter. Your my daughter and having you hurt on the opposite side of the world is something a mother does not want to hear. But knowing you are okay, it makes my heart warm and I'm glad to know you are okay and that you were in good hands. Remember I love you honey.

It's March now, and I've been trying to get a letter sent in for months, but now that I know you've finally been relieved you can expect a few more letters coming your way. The weather is so nice now. You wake up in the morning, the suns already up, Daisy's lying out on the rug your grandmother made, sun on her golden fur, and the house smells fresh, because you know me, I leave those windows open for that fresh mountain air. I find myself drinking a lot more coffee now that you've been gone for so long. I'm still used to making the same amount for whenever you are around, but since you haven't been here I've just taken the extra cup at this point. The sunrises have just gotten even more beautiful on the days I wake up early to work on the garden all day, which has some beautiful blooms.

I'm hoping this war can end soon and that you can come home, I miss having you here. It's just not the same, even though Daisy makes up for a majority of it. I just want to be able to hug my daughter again. The Americans are doing what they can back here at home. Everyone in the town always prays on Sundays for a while, for every man sent away. I pray for you, my daughter, caught up in all of this; they may not know, but I do as your mother and that's all that matters. And I believe in you, remember that. I'm always your number one supporter.

How are Catherine and Lizzie holding up? I pray for them at night after I pray for you. They seem like such wonderful women that are involved in the company with you and I hope after this we can all come together for dinner at home and not have to worry about the war.

This boy you're talking about - Joe Liebgott. Honey, it's called love. By the time you receive this you might've already figured that out, but you love him. You love this boy, just by the way you write about him. My advice to you is, wait. If he's worth the wait, until cliche enough, that perfect moment, you'll wait for him. And he'll wait for you too. Love is a beautiful concept and love is passionate, and shy at times, but love is always there. And if you love him, sometimes without having to say it, you can show it, until the time is right, and until you feel like telling him. If you truly love him, you could wait years for him. Love sometimes never fades.

I'm sure you've heard, but Americans are engaged in the Pacific on a tiny Island called Iwo Jima, battling the Japanese. It's been raging for a while by now, almost a month, but the papers are saying that it is shaping up for hopefully an American victory, putting us one step closer to winning the war in the Pacific. It feels so close, like when victory is on the tip of your tongue, but still so far. But I know you're all fighting your hardest to come out victorious on top. And for me, and the folks back home that's all that matters.

I love you so much, and I can't wait to see you again, love.

Love,

your mother, Lena

Hazel smiled, before flipping the letter over and finding a picture tapped to the back. One of her mother and Daisy, a recent photo. Hazel smiled wide at it, holding the picture in her hands. Her mom looked beautiful, even if her daughter was across the world, she didn't show fear in the picture.

Standing with that signature smile on her face, her dirty blonde hair pulled back with a headscarf that her grandmother always made for them. Daisy had a little bandana around her neck, something her mother had always put on her family dogs as a kid growing up in Kentucky on a large horse farm.

Hazel missed her mother a lot, but a letter like this was motivating, especially right now, when she wished this was the end of the war. She knew she could make it though, her mother even said so. Her mothers advice on love was the comfort she needed. Hazel could wait ages for Joe, years, decades, Hazel could wait for forever for him.

In late March, when men started to get weekend passes to different towns and cities and ports in France, Hazel had an unsuspecting visitor. Sergeant Coleman came walking through the gates of Mourmelon-le-Grande, a wide smile on his face. Hazel had been in the dining hall sitting with Malarkey, as the two were laughing quietly over a picture back from their time in Aldbourne.

" Hazel!" she heard a voice call and Hazel glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened.

" Sergeant Coleman?" she called, her eyes shining. Robert smiled. Hazel shot up from her spot by Malarkey and went racing over towards the man, and softly wrapped him in a warm hug. Sergeant Coleman laughed lightly in her ear as she hugged him tightly. When Hazel pulled back she looked up at him.

" I didn't expect to see you here," Hazel said looking around.

" I figured, but Sink requested I show up, I have the newest M19034A model sitting in my office." Sergeant Coleman said and her eyes widened.

" It'll be the last addition, and with the way the war's going, you might be needing it for the Pacific at the current rate, so they've created the best possible version they could and wanted me to practice with you." Sergeant Coleman explained. Hazel grinned.

" What have you been doing since we left?" she asked him.

" I've been working a bit with an uncredited Special Ops Force that was working throughout the Alps in the winter, collecting intel from spies that worked within the OSS. We stayed in huts along the Alps, and managed to get whatever information we could get back to the Department of Defense." Sergeant Coleman explained and Hazel grinned.

" That must've been exciting, doing it all." Hazel said and Sergeant Coleman smiled.

" You could say so, except the bitter cold of the Alps was not enjoyable." Sergeant Coleman said and Hazel felt her smile fall.

" Yeah, Bastogne wasn't that enjoyable either." Hazel said and Sergeant Coleman nodded softly.

" You wanna head out, get some practice? I have to move out within the week towards the Mediterranean near Greece, supposedly they have some more info and intel we need to collect." Sergeant Coleman explained.

" Definitely, definitely, let me just grab my things, and tell Don." Hazel said and Sergeant Coleman nodded with a smile. Hazel turned and walked back over to Don with a small smile.

" I have to start some practice again, do you mind?" Hazel asked.

" No, no of course, go," Don said with a smile as he sipped his coffee and Hazel grinned.

" Thanks Don," she said and pulled her coffee into her hands before giving him a gentle wave and following after Sergeant Coleman.

" So, how have you been?" Sergeant Coleman asked her and Hazel smiled sadly.

" Okay, I guess, best I can be at the moment," she said and Robert smiled.

" Yeah, couldn't agree more." he said and Hazel smiled softly. They arrived at his office and Hazel immediately noticed the weapon on the desk.

" The power's been jacked up highly and the knock backs are more controlled than ever. Bolt action is quick, quicker reaction time, and the shots are even more accurate than what you've been using." Robert explained and Hazel gently picked up the weapon in her hands.

" Wow." she said, weighing the weapon in her hands and admiring it," This is amazing."

" Let's hope it's the final design decision that's made." Robert said and Hazel smiled as she brought up the weapon and aimed it. It seemed clearer and even a bit lighter than her normal one which she had dragged through Bastogne.

" I like it." she said.

" Good, good, I hope it works well," Robert said. They fell into a routine that was just like it had been back in Aldbourne, working with the weapon, taking practice shots together, as Robert gave her tips and ideas to use that would hopefully help her in the future, say if they ever had to end up facing the Japanese. Shifty even joined them near the end and both Robert and Shifty got along well. It was a nice relief, all of it.

It was enjoyable for once and she didn't even bother thinking about the horrors that had swirled through Bastogne and her mind.

In early April, when the weather was getting warmer and there was hope that the war was ending soon, Easy got word delivered that they were heading into Germany to a town of Sturzelburg. They had to pack all their things, before moving out to the fairytale town in Germany.

Crossing over the German border was bittersweet.

For years, they had been awaiting this moment and now they finally had reached it and it was odd. Half the men they started with, weren't finishing with them and seeing this glorious moment.

It was truly bittersweet.

But the German town, Hazel felt, was beautiful.

It was stunning, set near the Rhein river, and for a moment when Easy had moved out of France, there was no shooting at them, no bombs being dropped on them, and no risk of freezing cold weather. For a moment there was peace even in the little German town.

Catherine walked around the town searching for the man named Richard Winters.

The supply briefings had nearly just wracked her entire brain, as in, she couldn't wait until she got another cup of coffee in her hands. Nixon had been sent out to jump into Germany with the 17th. He was supposed to show back up today.

But with exhaustion settling into her bones, she decided coffee was a better choice and steered herself towards the place where she just knew every bit of coffee you could ever imagine would be. Catherine stepped up into the room, her leather jacket, a size to big she had to admit, hefty on her shoulders as she seemed to zero in on the coffee port in front of her eyes.

" You truly do love me, God." she whispered, as she poured herself a cup of coffee, the liquid pouring into the wonderfully warm coffee mug waiting to reach her lips.

" As if my life couldn't get any better," she said as she poured a bit of creamer in it. She'd gotten out of the habit of straight black coffee, a bit of creamer wouldn't hurt.

Then something caught her eye and she glanced up to see Richard Winters making his morning appearance looking put together as usual, a crisp it seemed in his hand, or whatever the British seemed to call it.

" Hey, there's the man of the hour." she said a smile on her face as she turned and leaned against the counter, taking in a wonderfully long sip of coffee that seemed to already energize her body.

" Hey, Cath," he said and looked around, " I expected to find you here."

" You know me too well," Catherine said taking another gleeful sip down with a sigh. Dick chuckled by her side as he came to lean beside her against the counter, arms crossing over his chest as he finished the food in his hand.

" What's up?" she asked.

" I heard Nix's back and I knew you'd want to see him." Dick said looking towards her and she raised a questioning brow.

" Already?"

" Yep," Dick said nodding, " wanna head over?"

" Yeah, yeah, let's hope he's not drowning in Vat69 just yet." she said and the two chuckled, as they moved out of the coffee room.

" You think we're finally starting to see the end of this war, the end of all of it?" she asked Dick as the two walked through the brightly lit streets of the German town, citizens everywhere, bustling each and every way, disgruntled looks upon their features.

" I hope, Cath, I really do." Dick said as Catherine sighed, taking another generous sip of the drink that sat in her palms. She wished it would be over.

Bastogne had been horribly draining.

No one deserved to go through what Bastogne had offered again. Catherine was still recovering in a sense and was using the addiction to coffee with creamer, cigarettes, and humor to simply cover it up. It wasn't going as well as she had thought it would, but hey she was still here. Bill had been one of her best friends and to see him like that and then to turn and see Joe Toye almost the exact same way. She couldn't bare to try and remember the painted expressions across their faces. They were men of the company who did nearly everything they could simply for the company. It hurt knowing how they had gone out.

" Catherine." a voice said and Catherine glanced towards the source to see Dick looking at her.

" Huh?" she asked.

" You okay?" Dick asked her. Catherine froze for a moment and nodded.

" Fine," she said," sorry, uh, dazed out."

Dick watched the Lieutenant by his side softly as she sipped her drink yet again and then continued staring glumly in front of her. Dick Winters knew Catherine, they'd become close friends from leadership together and her work at Battalion, just like Nixon was impressive.

Dick knew Catherine was still hurting from the events of Bastogne - they all were, but Catherine had been a part of the company and had been kept away from them for duty. Knowing she hadn't been around many of them much in their final moments must've had a horrible last ache inside her body that Dick hoped wouldn't continue to bother her in the future.

" Hey, it's okay." Dick said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Dick knew of Catherine's troubles.

She'd been close with Bill, Joe, Buck, Skip and Penkala.

Each one of them she had a special friendship with, he knew Catherine was hurting. Catherine gave a small smile up towards him and let out a shaky sigh.

" It hurts." Catherine said, her voice quiet even with all the bustling people around them as they walked through the streets.

Catherine nodded, feeling her throat tighten.

Dick gently squeezed her shoulder as they continued walking.

He understood.

He always did.

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hello! so my 3 chapters for the day were rather emotional, but they lightened up in the end, i just know bastogne was rough on them all, but since they're with each other, they can always find the happiness in things and i love that about them :) thanks for reading!!

and can i just say i can't believe i'm on 9 already??? i feel like i was just updating d-day and we were watching lil hazel parker start to find her place in this war. agh my heart :(