" There is always a glimmer in those who have been through the dark."

- Unknown

✰✰✰

Bavaria had to be one of the most beautiful places that Hazel had ever been too, its mountains with their snow covered peaks, the bright sunshine shining brightly down on top of the trees, from the blue sky, the air sweet and warm, with a slight mountain breeze blowing in every so often.

Over the past few days as April faded into May, Hazel had felt herself slowly coming out of the slump that Landsberg had seemed to throw her into. She smiled more, she laughed more, she was just significantly happier.

Hazel noticed that Joe came out of the slump as well, the both of them really. Hazel had noticed that Joe had been really upset about the entire thing for a few days, but Hazel was too and she couldn't blame him, no one could.

The emotions connected to the day at the camp would be carried around with every soldier currently here.

So there Hazel sat, on the ground next to Joe, the raybands covering her eyes from the sun, as she sat criss cross applesauce, looking at the smooth pebble that was in her hands. She had picked it up a few days back, brought it all the way from Thalem, she still had it. Just a tiny little pebble. They were currently awaiting passage or word from Division on whether or not the engineers were coming to blow through the wall that blocked their trek up to Berchtesgaden.

She had heard about Hitler's death but knew there was still a war to fight, to battle through, to finish for once and for all.

Hazel watched curiously from her spot as Chuck with his Bazooka in hand and Christenson walked towards the rock that had been purposely placed there to block them from going through. Hazel gently leaned her hand against her bent hand and watched curiously.

Chuck set up his Bazooka before cracking off a shot forward from the weapon. It hit the front of the rock mass, spitting up dust and dirt and debris, but barely making a dent, the sounds of a few birds squawking and flying away was the only real reaction. Catherine was watching from where she stood beside Nixon, her helmet shading her eyes from the sun. She smirked watching Chuck go along with his grandiose plan.

" When are we expecting the engineers to arrive?" Dick asked, out loud, laying back and seemingly sunning himself.

" Half an hour ago." Nixon muttered, annoyed.

" We're stuck here until they do, Nix." Dick said, and Catherine smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

" Well, if you're the SS you're not gonna let us Waltz into Hitler's house." Nixon said and Catherine snickered, " Probably throw a few rocks at us yourself."

" If you're looking for someone to find another way up that mountain, Easy Company is ready and willing." a voice said and Catherine looked up to see Speirs heading toward the two, with a proud, determined smile upon his features.

" Duly noted. I already recommended you to Colonel Sink." Dick said.

" Terrific," Speirs said, with a smirk, " let's go find out where Hitler lived." Then he began to walk off, and Catherine had to laugh.

" Ron, we're not sure what's up there." Dick said stopping him, " The Colonel doesn't want us taking any unnecessary risks."

" So the French are gonna beat us tot he Eagle's Nest?" Speirs asked, a bit disappointed. Just at that moment a jeep was heard, and Catherine turned her head, before stepping back with Speirs to the side. It was Colonel Sink. They all saluted, as Colonel Sink took a drag. Malarkey and Webster were stashing grenades near the base of the mountain for when Chuck would try again. Catherine smirked before looking back at Sink.

" Lady, and Gents, I just had a conversation with General LeClerc." Sink said, " He told me he was first into Paris and, by God, he wanted to be first into Berchtesgaden." At that moment Chuck shot the Bazooka again, and it was fairly the same result.

" I told him I understood his point." Sink said, as Catherine raised a brow, " Now you fire up 2nd Battalion and outflank that French son of a bitch." Catherine smirked at him.

" Yes, sir." Dick said, as the jeep started up. They all saluted, as Catherine glanced towards Speirs next to her with a smirk his way. Then the jeep pulled back and away as Speirs and her stepped forward.

" I want Easy Company in the lead. Have the men assemble down on the Autobahn." Dick told Speirs as Catherine smirked.

" Yes, sir." Speirs answered a smile in his voice.

" Go tell them to pack up, Cath." Dick told her.

" Yes, sir." she said with a mock salute before turning and jogging towards where Easy Company currently was situated.

" Hey Easy!" Catherine called as she approached receiving head turns from various groups that were around.

" We're packing up and moving through to Berchtesgaden!" she called with a smile. A smile lit up Hazel's face as she looked to Joe who was smirking proudly.

" Finally." he muttered as he stood helping the girl up at the same time. Hazel smiled wide, pocketing the pebble.

" Only took half an hour." she said. Joe smirked at her. Helping her to her feet, Hazel sighed and looked at the tiny pebble.

" You still carrying that thing around?" Joe asked her as they climbed up into the truck bed.

" Yes, of course, Joseph, I'm not a fool," she said as she slid in beside him, staring at the little pebble. Joe just smirked, shaking his head.

Too damn pure, he told himself.

Easy Company eventually arrived at the town of Berchtesgaden.

To Hazel, even though slightly eerie, with no people around and a distant dog barking off in the distance, she still found beauty in everything, or at least tried her best. She walked just a little bit behind Shifty, as her helmet shifted around on her head, her wide eyes taking in the entire street.

White flags hung from balconies, as dust and debris floated down the street as wind picked them up. There was a shutter creaking ahead. It seemed that the Germans that had lived here had just upped and left all in one, leaving behind everything. Hazel suspected that a few people had to still be here, she saw a few doors close, or the drapes fall down in front of a window.

Hazel kept a steady pace but her eyes were constantly moving back and forth as the scored the entire town. She could see mountains in the background everywhere she looked, they were beautiful. But papers littered the ground where they walked. Hazel was quick to stoop down and pick one up. It looked like the front of a German newspaper it seemed, all in German with a picture of Hitler on the front.

Hazel frowned, before tossing the paper again to the ground. She didn't want to even have to look at that man.

The homes were like something out of a fairytale town, with their stooped peaks, and colorful panelings, and all the little windows and dips and framework that seemed to be cast around each window, with squeaky shutters. Hazel glanced over as Nixon, Winters and Welsh drove up in their jeep towards a building, Berchtesgadener Hof.

It had Nazi flags up on either side. Hazel stopped to look up at the building, staring at the flag and the symbol of the Nazi Party. She narrowed her eyes. If it was true that there wasn't a signal sign of any natives, than she was willing to walk right up and rip down the flag.

Hazel slowly shouldered her weapon and walked closer to the Nazi Flag. They had been the ones that had forced America to even send them to Europe. They had been the ones to do what they did to the men in the striped uniforms in Landsberg. They had been the ones that had brainwashed people so much that they followed Hitler into this.

Hazel couldn't take it.

She slowly approached the flag and reached her hands up, giving it a yank. It budged a bit, the flag rippling at the feeling of contact. Hazel gritted her teeth, and gave the flag another pull. She heard a rip from above.

With one more, rather angry yank, the flag gave way, and came right down, falling and eventually touching the ground as it did so. Hazel stared at the flag on the ground, the one that had caused so much fear and terror to be riled up in everyone's mind. She turned and left the flag there on the ground before doing the same with the other flag, proudly.

Catherine walked in slowly to the Berchtesgadener Hof behind Speirs, her eyes taking in the sights with large eyes. Lizzie was right beside her, eyes wide in curiosity.

" And to think that as we were freezing our asses off, that lunatic was here." Lizzie grumbled beside Catherine. Catherine snickered.

" Well it's ours now. He's dead and we're knocking on the doorstep." Catherine said in awe of the place. When the two women turned the corner, Dick and Harry were working through some silverware already and Speirs was already pulling stuff from the shelves. There would be plenty of time to loot.

" Major Winters, sir." Catherine heard More say as her and Lizzie walked in.

" More." Dick said looking up.

" Permission to climb the mountain, sir?" More asked, " The Eagle's Nest?"

" What is this?" Harry asked as Catherine stepped forward and looked at the thing in Harry's hand.

" Where you place a knife, if you put it through butter." Catherine said with a smirk as he raised his brow at her. She nodded.

" Wait one minute." Dick told More, as More sighed and Lizzie came up curiously to his side, hoping for passage up to at least explore. They were in Berchtesgaden where Hitler had once stood.

" Harry, have F Company put a double guard on the hotel. Set up roadblocks on the west side of town. I want Battalion HQ to seal off the north side and prepare for prisoners." Dick told him.

" Sergeant Grant." Harry called turning and heading out to look for Chuck.

" And Harry?" Dick called, " Nobody gets hurt, not now." Harry looked at him. Suddenly there was a clicking sound and the group looked over to see Speirs standing where the Nazi banner fell.

" And Easy?" he asked, turning to look at the group.

" Easy'll head up the mountain through the Obersalzberg and take the Eagle's Nest." Dick said as a smirk dawned on Catherine's face and Lizzie smiled widely. Dick turned to look back to where Lizzie, Catherine and More stood. He nodded, as the 3 saluted in time with smiles upon their faces.

" Hi-ho Silver!" Catherine dashed up the side of the mountain with Chuck, Malarkey, More, Lizzie and Popeye and Speirs following a bit behind, the largest smile on her face. The group let out excited whoops as they pushed up the trail to the mountain top as if it were Currahee. Nothing would ever compare.

The feeling was indescribable. She remembers running along the river back in Camp Athene, the pain she felt with the sore muscles the following day. Now, running up to the Eagle's Nest without a care in the world was the only thing on her mind, as her feet propelled her forward faster and faster as her heart raced and a smile fell on her features.

She heard whooping, shouts of Currahee and yells from the trucks below that were moving the rest of the guys and Hazel. Catherine glanced over her shoulder to look down at the group. She could see people like Joe, Hazel, Tab, Christenson and Skinny, with wide smiles of pride and Joe on their faces as they cheered them on.

" Currahee!" Catherine yelled and looked up ahead only to see the boys calling out to the group below through bear hugs and raising their weapons in the air. Catherine smirked as she dashed forward and felt arms wrap around her and smiled when she pulled back and looked up at Chuck, grinning. A laugh left her lips as Malarkey wrapped his arms around her waist as she snickered.

The atmosphere was light and everyone was so happy. it was a relief to finally experience an ounce of happiness again. Lizzie was giggling as Malarkey picked her up in a hug and twirled her around, before poking her shoulder and racing off again. The rest of the way up felt like a breeze. Lizzie picked up a lot of flowers along the side of the road, and with each turn came an even more beautiful view of Germany, even when you thought it couldn't get any better.

When they finally arrived at the Eagle's Nest, Catherine was the one that pushed open the door and stepped in first, Speirs came after her with his pistol drawn out in front of him. The group slowly followed him inside and down the hallway. It was slightly eerie and quiet, but you could tell that at some point there were people here, the enemy, as they laughed and drank schnapps and toasted on the celebration of another victory.

That was all gone now, as Americans stepped into the grand room.

Chuck and Malarkey had pushed open the doors, as More held up his weapon. Speirs was relaxed with his drawn pistol in his hands. The group looked around and at each other a bit before slowly stepping inside. Catherine slowly walked past Chuck as Speirs walked down the staircase and into the grand room. Lizzie glanced at Malarkey who raised his brows in surprise at how big it all was, the fact something like this was up here.

There was a creepy looking fireplace, with large windows out to a balcony, and seating with tables and couches everywhere. There was a large staircase that disappeared of what Catherine was assume to the upstairs. Speirs pointed and sent Malarkey on a check upstairs as he walked forward.

Catherine's eyes were wide as she slowly approached a table and felt the soft fabric of the table cloth.

It was all so oddly grand.

She glanced towards Speirs who approached a window and seemed to smirk before turning and stopping. Catherine raised a brow. Speirs walked over to a table, but that's when Catherine's eyes spotted the drink in More's hands. She immediately put her hand out after he took a sip. She gleefully suck down a bit of the drink and sighed to herself as the wonderful taste that filled her mouth.

Boy did she hope there was more where that came from.

Speirs had found a dead German officer body where he had shot himself in the head. Suddenly there was a loud cork pop and Catherine saw Speirs jump. She smirked. Catherine looked at Malarkey as liquid flooded from the bottle. Malarkey walked to Speirs' side and raised the bottle.

" Here's to him." Malarkey said before drinking it down. Catherine laughed. She flopped herself down onto one of the couches with the bottle of fine wine and tipped back the bottle, sipping it.

" Ahhh, finest wine in the land." she said to herself as she felt she was in complete bliss. She leaned back with a smile, before sipping yet again on the wine.

It tasted like victory.

Hazel and a later group had finally made it up to the Eagle's Nest. When Hazel stepped inside, her eyes widened to the size of balloons. It was so vast, so mighty, yet its owner was dead. When Hazel entered the first person she saw was Catherine who was basically drunk. She was talking to no one her words slurred, eyes half open, and a bottle of wine sloshing around as she bounced her foot up and down off the couch.

" Hazel." Catherine called, " Is that you?" Hazel laughed.

" It's me. Are you drunk?" Hazel asked with a smirk.

" Drunk?" Catherine asked as she struggled to stand up, " I'm just getting started." Hazel watched as the drunk woman opened up a new bottle and began sucking it down.

" Hell yeah!" she cried as she raised the bottle into the air and trekked upstairs like a 5 year old. Hazel glanced around, the entire area was almost like it wasn't real. She glanced curiously over towards the windows.

And when she glanced out of the window her eyes widened. They were so high up, above everyone else, above where they had been. She'd be closer to seeing the stars even. Hazel quickly turned and walked over to the door and opened it up and stepped outside. Her eyes widened. It was beautiful. No one else was out here yet, so she ran down a bit and leaned up against the concrete railing with wide eyes.

It was breathtaking.

The fresh mountain air that blew in smelled sweet like flowers, when you first would open a window in the morning. The sky was bright with the sun shining down brightly, and the slight breeze that blew was slightly cooler. The mountains were snow-capped and she could see where it faded into greenery again.

" Hazel!" Hazel turned her head and saw Shifty coming over to her a smile on his face.

" Shifty!" Hazel called and she turned and hurried over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He hugged her back before pulling back and looking over at the view.

" Wow." he said as he slowly walked to the edge. Hazel smiled as she stood beside him.

" It's beautiful, really." Hazel said as she pointed, " Look at the mountain tops."

" You never see mountains like this back home in Virginia." Shifty said, " At least in the Appalachian Mountains."

" I've only seen them in books. I can't believe we're in the Alps." Hazel said.

" You think the war's over?" Shifty asked, looking towards her, " We have the Eagle's Nest." Hazel smiled.

" I hope so," Hazel said, a small smirk on her face as she leaned close to Shifty, " I mean we have the Eagle's Nest and no one else does." Shifty snickered beside her.

" Maybe we'll be able to go home soon then," Shifty said as he leaned against the edge and looked out again, " I mean, we captured this, what else would we need to do to signal the end of war?" Hazel smiled.

" What will you do when you get home?" Shifty asked her, his expression suddenly a bit more serious and not as playful as it had been. Hazel bit her lip.

" Try and live my life, get a college degree, marry, have kids, try to lead a semi-normal life." she said. They would all have the war in the back of their brains for a long time and they knew it wouldn't fade.

" It's just a lot you know, all this war. All the violence, all the pain, I mean you can't explain that to anybody who hasn't seen it." Shifty said looking at her. Hazel bit her lip and looked over at him. He was right, how were they expected to even begin to explain this war, and all its complex layers from the bottom to top.

No one would expect that from someone, no one should expect that from someone. All the men they lost to death and injury, who sacrificed their lives so they could be here now. You could never explain the bond you had with that person, you couldn't expect someone to.

" No one should expect you too, any of us." Hazel said as she leaned her head down on the concrete railing.

" You're right," Shifty said doing the same. Hazel smiled.

" Hey, guys!" a voice called and Shifty and Hazel stood to look over to see Babe there with a bottle of schnapps in his hand.

" You want some?" he called as he hurried over. Hazel watched as Shifty took a gleeful sip of it, before turning to Hazel. She wasn't 21 yet, that was in July.

" I'm not 21." Hazel said softly. It was just something she stuck by, she followed the rules and she couldn't help it.

" Ah don't worry about it, July'll be the month when you finally can." Babe said and Hazel smiled as Shifty passed him back the bottle.

" They got more of that?" Shifty asked him. Babe nodded.

" And you should see the food they left behind." Babe said and Hazel's eyes widened.

" Food?"

" Yep, come on." Babe said as the trio turned and went back inside before Babe led them up the tiny stairwell and down the hall. When they entered the room where platters of food were out and in ice blocks, Hazel's eyes widened. There were a few guys already around and eating the food without a care in the world. Hazel stepped forward to a cheese platter. When she ate, she had never felt happier to be eating food like that.

" This is so good." she mumbled, as she picked up another piece and gleefully ate it up.

The rest of the day was spent with people getting drunk, and officers trying to prevent it because there was still a war on, not even the medics could do much to stop it all.

And nearly everyone was a mess, but who wouldn't be?

They were finally in Germany, in Hitler's summer home, in a place where he had once walked, now dead and gone to the world, with this left behind as a firm reminder.

✰✰✰

hello! and YAY! episode 10, one of my absolute favorites, i truly love it with all my heart :) i am so so excited to begin this episode, it will truly be very changing to this entire story i feel and i hope you'll love it! thanks for reading!! <3