" Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what."

- Unknown

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" 5 bucks Lizzie pay up."

" Shut up."

" 5 bucks."

" Oh alright." Lizzie slipped the 5 dollars into his hand as Floyd smirked at her. The music that played over the speakers was drowned out by the $1,000,000 smirk that emitted from his lips.

" Alright, Mr., you won this round and this round only." she said as Floyd couldn't help but peck her cheek softly in the process.

" Floyd, stop it." she said with a giggle as Floyd chuckled against her cheek.

" Alright, alright, I will." he said," But just one more." He pressed another kiss to her cheek as he leaned away and smiled softly at her.

" I just....I'm happy with you, Liz, like real happy."

" Floyd you're getting sappy." she said with a laugh.

" Ah, you know I do it to hear that giggle." he said and Lizzie giggled again shaking her head.

" Hey!' a voice called through the room," Can we get the newly-weds out here! It's time for...the first dance!"

Cheers rose up around the room, as Joe rose from his chair to lead Hazel towards the center of the dance floor where the soft spotlight sat there as cheers slowly died down. Lizzie softly glanced at Floyd who watched softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as Lizzie softly rested her head against his shoulder, inhaling his soft scent. Lizzie watched as the lights dimmed everywhere except the dance floor.

Slowly the gentle tune of Amapola came over the speakers and she saw a smile glow on Hazel's face. Lizzie knew why - Joe had danced with her in a spotlight in Mourmelon-le-Grande to this song, as he sang it softly to her. It became her favorite song after that.

Lizzie smiled as the newly-weds danced, their arms clasped around the other's waist, gazing at one another's eyes. It even seemed like Joe was whispering the words softly to her, making her smile.

Lizzie looked to Floyd and watched his smile grow watching two people who were like a brother and who was like a sister to him, finally hold each other close in the bond of a beautiful marriage.

It was beautiful to watch them dance, but halfway through the song, Lizzie found herself looking up to Floyd, whom she was not so discretely watching with gentle eyes. Softly leaning against him further, she swayed in his arms, in their own little corner.

The annual Father-Daughter dance, turned into Speirs in near tears as he danced with Hazel, a bit choked up as any normal father would be, except this time it was a Captain and his most trusted soldier.

A moment that Lizzie knew Hazel would always remember, by the way she held so tightly onto Speirs, simply swaying side to side relishing the comforting Captain's touch.

As the night drew on, moving later in the night, people dancing, talking, laughter rising up through the night, Lizzie had found herself retreating away, outside in the fairly cool night, sitting with her glass of white wine as the gentle thrum of music moved out of the door. The night was beautiful, sitting there with wine and the peace and quiet outside of the hall.

The war had changed their lives, each and everyone of their lives. And looking back, she wouldn't change what happened to her because then she wouldn't have been sitting here with this group of people right in this very moment. She thought back on the war often, more often than she ever did, more often than she wanted to, but war was part of the cycle of life - there was always war. It was just a matter of what you did with it, what you did after.

Not only survive anymore but live and continue to live.

She would've never been a Nurse Corps member if it weren't for war.

She would've never been apart of Operation Virago or met the two women she would forever cherish with her life.

She would've never been apart of Easy Company and held the family that was within that group of men who had taken her and the other women in with open arms.

She would've never had to fight the battles who shaped her into the woman she was today.

She would've never met someone like Floyd Talbert who loved her despite the grief in her heart.

Lizzie smiled to herself, sipping her drink softly again, listening to the joy inside the hall - a joy that they all deserved.

" Hey, you." a voice said and Lizzie turned to see Catherine there, stepping out from the hall entrance with a glass of water in her grasp a smile on her face.

" Cath!" Lizzie said, moving to stand but Catherine waved her hand in front of her face.

" No, no, you sit, I need to sit on down, George almost didn't stop dancing in there." she said as she slowly sat down beside Lizzie, gulping back the bit of water in the cup and sighing as the moonlight streamed down, sparkling a bit on the visible bay down from the hill they were atop of with the hall.

" How're you feeling? The little baby treating you well?" Lizzie said as Catherine laughed lightly, shaking her head.

" So far, the morning sickness I could've done without though." Catherine said and Lizzie laughed lightly shaking her head," George was there though and Chip. Pretty sure I scared the poor little guy to death the one day." Lizzie snickered sipping her wine softly. Catherine watched her, a gentle grin on her face.

" You okay? Seems there's a lot on your mind." Catherine said, gently rubbing her shoulder affectionately with a smile. Lizzie looked at her and smiled softly, nodding her head.

" I think about the war a lot," Lizzie said," more than I want....but I get over it."

" It sucks." Catherine said, the truth automatically spilling - there were people who couldn't even face the truth of war at this point and it did it sucked," I'm glad though, happy and proud for who I met, who I loved, and who's stories we tell. And this story, Easy's story, I want to tell it." Lizzie watched Catherine softly with shining eyes.

" Even with everyone we've lost..." Lizzie whispered," I feel them in my heart sometimes, ya know? Just a familiar presence - like they're never really gone." Catherine smiled softly, wrapping her arm around Lizzie's shoulder, as Lizzie softly rested her head on Catherine's shoulder, sighing softly.

" Hey!" a voice said and both women turned to see a pair of shining eyes in a beautiful dress standing in the door, a bottle of wine in her grasp, her eyes aglow.

" Hazel!" the two women said at the same time as Hazel grinned softly, giggling.

" How are you two?" she said, moving forward to softly sit beside Catherine and gaze upon the two with a beautiful, pure smile.

" Better now that you're here, Tiny." Catherine said, wrapping an arm around Hazel's shoulder as Hazel laughed lightly, softly resting her head on Catherine's shoulder just like Lizzie and sighed softly, as they watched the moon shine upon the bay below.

" Did you ever think it'd be like this?" Hazel whispered," Back in Normandy, did you ever think we would've been here in this moment? I never would've."

" No." Catherine said softly," Never."

" Me either." whispered Lizzie softly," But I'm glad I didn't anticipate it or think it'd be this way - I'm glad it turned out just the way it did. Right here, with you two." Catherine and Hazel smiled wide, grins on their faces.

" I'm happy it was you two," Hazel whispered softly, sniffling a bit," that when I learned who I'd be joining Easy with...that it was you two, out of all those brave women, it was you two."

" You've been like sisters to me," Hazel said quietly, sitting up briefly from Catherine's shoulder as she watched the two women with tear filled eyes," you'll always be my sisters." A tear softly fell down her cheek as Catherine smiled sadly, reaching up to wipe the tear from her cheek softly with a smile.

" Aw Hazel," Lizzie said, reaching forward to gently grasp her hand as Hazel smiled at the two. Lizzie watched Hazel's eyes well with tears further, and Lizzie started tearing up further.

" I was so scared for the future, but I don't think I'm that scared anymore." Hazel whispered softly as Catherine softly brushed away another tear on her cheek - Hazel laughed," Crying on my wedding night, I'm sorry."

" Awe Hazel, honey," Catherine said as Hazel softly rested her head against Catherine again and smiled softly, tears streaming down her cheeks," it's okay, you know I won't be doing much for another 6 months max and beyond that." Hazel laughed and Lizzie smirked up at Catherine.

" Easy will always be apart of use, hell the 3 of us are stuck with 3 of them ourselves." The 3 women burst out laughing at Catherine's comment. Hazel softly sipped from the wine bottle with a sigh and Lizzie chuckled.

" What?" Hazel asked her with a giggle.

" You drinking from a bottle - never thought I'd live to see the day." Lizzie said as she laughed. Little Hazel. Always Little Hazel. Hazel laughed.

" I guess you can say this is a day of change." Hazel said as the trio laughed again, almost hysterically at the comment.

Sitting there with one another surrounded by moonlight and warmth, the three women embraced the comfort of having Easy all in one mixing pot - having the ones who breathed the fresh air of life, those whose stories lived within their hearts and those who had supported and been there, watching their son or daughter go off to a war not made for the young.

" Life was so scary." Hazel whispered softly, a gentle smile growing on her face as Lizzie grinned, reaching forward to gently take Hazel's hand in her own and squeezing it," I don't think I'm that scared anymore." Lizzie met Hazel's shining eyes.

" You've always been ready," Lizzie said softly as Catherine watched Hazel with gentle eyes," Cath and I, from the moment you walked through that door, I knew.....I knew you were born for this. Even with a war like that and what happened, I knew you were ready. And you're ready for life. Not only do you have Easy, but you have Joe, a man who loves you for you, who saw you at your best and worst, and will always love you, and you have Cath and I."

" We'll always love you Hazel," Catherine said as Hazel looked up at Catherine softly.

" You'll always be my sisters," Hazel said, a tear falling down her cheek as she giggled, going to wipe it away quickly," even with different mothers." The trio laughed together, throwing their head backs in the night, their laughs swinging into the sky, through the stars and to the moon, in through the hall with a soft whisper.

" Thank you," Hazel said softly watching them. Lizzie teared up.

" Thank you," Hazel whispered again, squeezing their hands gently as Catherine's own eyes couldn't hold the tears anymore.

" You're going to make me cry like a baby, Hazel." Catherine said and Hazel laughed lightly, wiping her own eyes as she did so.

" You already have a baby though," Hazel said and that sent the group laughing again, eyes squeezed shut as tears squeezed out from pure, raw joy.

" What's it's name?" Lizzie asked Catherine as Catherine smirked and shook her head.

" Well, George has already decided he wants either a George Jr or a Ricky for a boy, and I said Lana for a girl - 6 more months and we'll see which way it goes."

" Sounds like Joe," Hazel giggled out," he already mentioned Joe Jr, but I fired back with Juliette. Of course when the time comes - I still have to get through college." The trio laughed again, louder than ever before.

And as the next drew on, smiles and laughter left their mouths - the joy even after a war which seemed determine to suck joy from every cell of life.

The stars smiled that night, Lizzie knew they were smiling.

Smiling down on the trio of women under the stars and the clear sky.

There sat the smallest star, shining with her friends under the darkness of the night. She glowed the brightest.

They all did.

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And here we are.....the final chapter. :,)

join me in the epilogue next chapter and then a thanking page for all of you. thank you, truly.

thank you, all of you. <3