With a drink in her hand—even though she had yet to take a single sip—Annie leaned against the wooden railing in front of her and stared out over the lake that seemed to stretch for miles into the distance before finally being cut off by the bottoms of great, tall mountains.
At sunset, the faded hue of pink in the sky cast its colourful reflection into the water below, allowing the lake to glisten with the last few rays of the sun for that day. There were birds chirping in the distance, and with the faint sounds of various conversations around her, Annie was sure she hadn't felt more content in a long while; even with the aspect of shipping off to the Pacific looming over her like a dark thunder cloud
"Sergeant Winslow." Annie heard her name and perked up, her forearms pushing her away from the railing as she turned to see Winters approaching her.
"Major Winters." Annie switched the glass to her other hand and gave a curt salute. "Is there something I can do for you, sir?"
Winters rested a single hand on the railing and glanced at the breathtaking scenery for a second. "Actually, Sergeant, there is something I am hoping I can do for you."
"Oh?" Annie tilted her head slightly at the statement. "Well, in that case, sir, what is it that you can do for me?"
"I can send you back to England," he cut to the chase, his eyes scanning the blonde medic's face for a reaction even though he had yet to mention any of the pertinent details. "There's a position that's opened up at one of the Army-owned hospitals near Aldbourne that I think you would be perfect for. They need someone with experience who knows what they're doing and I can't think of anyone who fits that description better than you, Sergeant."
Taking a moment or two to process the information, Annie set her glass down on the nearest surface and sucked in a deep breath. "Sir, I don't know what to say," she began. "Thank you."
"There's no need to thank me, Winslow." Winters couldn't tell if the offer was going over well or not yet. "If you want it, the job is yours. I can arrange to have you packed up and sent out within the week."
Annie let out a small chuckle. "If I didn't know any better I would think you were trying to get rid of me, sir."
"It's a good thing you know me better then." Winters cracked a smile as he thought back to the first time he had ever met little Antonia Winslow. So small, so shy, and yet, so stubborn. "You've served your country well; better than anyone could have ever asked for. Do yourself a favour, Annie—avoid redeployment, take the job."
A small smile spread across Annie's face as she weighed the pros and cons. On one hand, she would be going somewhere she knew she liked where she could put her skills to good use without having to put her life on the line every single day. On the other hand, however, she would be leaving behind the people she had spent the past four years with; she would be leaving behind her family. Margot, George, Joe, Eugene, Spina ... they would all go back off to war without her.
When it boiled down to it, however, the choice was simple; how could it not be? Clearly, between the two options, there was one that made the most logical sense, and that was the one she had to go with.
If there was one thing being in the Army had taught Annie, it was that sometimes you had to make sacrifices for the greater good, whether that be the greater good of the people or even just yourself.
●●●
As the jeep slowed to a stop in front of Liebgott and the German General, Winters and Nixon motioned for the three passengers in the back seat to hop out. Climbing out behind Lipton, Margot and Annie rested against the side of the vehicle with their arms folded over their chests.
After his conversation with Annie, Winters had bumped into Margot and offered for the two women to come down and watch the final surrender of the German Army at the airfield. "You two worked twice as hard as anyone here to be a part of this war," he had said to them. "I think you've both earned the right to see it through to the very end."
Walking over, dressed in what Margot could only guess was his very best attire, the German General gave a nod toward Winters before turning to Lipton. "With your permission, I would like to address my men briefly."
"That'll be fine, General." Lipton agreed.
With another nod, the General turned back and marched to the front of his patiently waiting troops. As he did so, a familiar face appeared, bringing back both fond and not-so-fond memories. Sobel made eye contact with Winters, but when he was saluted to, did not salute back and instead averted the many gazes on him.
"Captain Sobel," Winters called out to the man who used to make his life a living hell.
Looking over for a brief second, Sobel sighed. "Major Winters."
"Captain Sobel," Winters said again, this time stopping the man in his tracks. "We salute the rank, not the man."
Exhaling hard, Sobel turned to face Winters and gave a salute; the expression on his face showing just how unimpressed he was. Winters saluted back and before anyone could say a word, Sobel was off again, eager to get out of there as soon as possible.
Watching as the defeated Captain sulked off, Liebgott smirked, thoroughly enjoying the site of someone finally being able to, in not so many words, tell Sobel where he could stick it.
A few moments later, the German General began his speech. Of course, he was speaking in German, so no one knew what exactly he was saying. Thankfully, Liebgott was there to translate.
Resting his gun against the jeep, Joe tucked himself in beside Annie and listened carefully. "Men, it's been a long war, it's been a tough war," he began to translate the best he could as Speirs wandered over from somewhere to listen in. "You fought bravely, proudly, for your country. You are a special group, who found in one another a bond that exists only in combat among brothers. You've shared foxholes, held each other in dire moments, have seen death and suffered together. I'm proud to have served with each and every one of you. You deserve long and happy lives of peace."
Annie smiled softly to herself at the speech, knowing that every single word spoken could just as easily apply to Easy Company as well. Hell, it could apply to any company in any war from any country; and yet, it didn't make the sentiment any less special or true.
There truly was a bond formed between brothers—and sisters—of war that was so outstandingly unique. It wasn't something you could come across naturally or by accident; it was something that took years of building—years of teamwork and bonding and sharing the worst moments of your lives together. It was something that, once you had it, you never lost.
Looking out at the rows of German soldiers, Annie felt something she thought she never would: sympathy. It was at that moment that—even though she had been aware of it the entire time—she finally processed the fact that the enemy she had been fighting this entire time was just like her; they were people too. They had families and friends, they had lost comrades, and just like her, they wanted nothing more than to go home. Just like her, this fight wasn't their own, but nevertheless, they had put their lives on the line for it.
It was a truly surreal feeling, realizing that in many ways, you were no different than the enemy.
"I'm proud to have served with each and every one of you," Annie repeated some of the General's final words, her head turning to look at the people around her. "Beyond proud, in fact. Honoured."
"Amen." Margot slung an arm over the blonde girl's shoulders, just barely catching the momentary look between Joe and Annie out of the corner of her eye.
Once the official surrender was over, the group loaded back into the jeep and headed back up toward the base and away from the airfield. The sun had almost dipped completely behind the horizon by then and the faint colours in the sky had turned darker and more vibrant.
As soon as they had returned, Margot had excused herself to take a shower and the rest had dispersed in different directions, most probably heading off to enjoy what little free time they had left before training started up again in a few days.
Strolling into the building where the troops were billeted, her head in the clouds, Annie made her way down the empty hallway and toward her room. She was hoping to finish a letter to her family that she had started that morning so it would be ready to mail out the following day.
Passing an open door, the blonde slowed a little and peered inside. Spotting George sitting on the edge of his bed with an old, ratty book in his hands, she decided to say a quick hello. Leaning against the doorway, the girl smiled at the sight of the radioman completely wrapped up in whatever he was reading. "Boo." She giggled when he jolted slightly.
Snapping the book shut, George tossed it onto the bedside table and shot her a joking glare. "Didn't anyone ever teach you it's not very nice to scare people?" He cocked a quizzical brow.
"I must have been away that day," she answered, taking a few steps into the room and noting how tidy it was, in true army fashion. "I just watched a German General officially surrender. What have you been doing?"
George gestured to the book he had been holding not minutes before. "Reading," he stated as if it were obvious, which in all fairness to him, it was.
"Exciting." There was a pause in the conversation where silence took over for a few seconds and the two just looked back at one another. "Winters offered me a job in England today."
Annie hadn't been planning on bringing up the conversation she had with the Major earlier that day, and if she did, she would have thought Margot would be the one she would mention it to first. However, in a split-second decision, she decided to tell George about it. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she just felt like she needed to get it out in the open.
It was hard to keep things from George; it always felt like he knew you were hiding something, somehow.
George's eyebrows shot up and he stood from the bed. "England?" he questioned. "What job?"
"It's a position for a medic in an army-run hospital," she answered. "Winters said it was just outside of Aldbourne somewhere."
"So you're leaving?" George suddenly felt like he was running out of time, almost like the woman in front of him was slipping through his fingers like sand. "You're not going to the Pacific with us?"
Annie held her hands out to stop George from spiralling, which he was clearly doing, but he was jumping to conclusions faster than she could keep up with. "George." She grabbed him hard by the arms and gave him a good, hard jostle. "Calm down, will you?"
"You-you can't go." He peered down into Annie's deep, brown eyes. "We need you."
"Well, I'm not the only medic in Easy." She rolled her eyes playfully, hoping that when she made eye contact with George again he wouldn't still be looking at her in that way that was making her knees weak. No such luck. "Roe and Spina would be heartbroken to hear you've completely forgotten about them."
"I'm not in love with Roe or Spina."
The world around Annie came to a screeching halt and suddenly she was very aware of her breathing and the way her heart was pounding relentlessly against her chest. George's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, making it clear that he hadn't meant to say what he had said.
But he had. He had said the 'love'.
Neither Annie or George moved a muscle. Annie's hands were still gripping onto the fabric of George's sleeves and she was watching him—watching as his expression changed from one of complete and utter horror to one of soft enchantment.
Annie watched as he watched her, her body frozen but her mind running a mile a minute. Internally, she begged for George to just let go of her. She prayed he wouldn't do anything stupid to ruin their friendship, unsure if she could ever go back to being 'just friends' if he did.
But he was George Luz, and as it was known by the entire company, stupid was his middle name.
When George kissed Annie, she made no attempt to push him away or pull herself back. Instead, her hands slid up to rest on his shoulders and she let her eyes fall shut. The kiss was very different from the one she had shared with Joe. Maybe it was because she hadn't initiated this one, but nevertheless, it was softer and fueled by a passion that had been building for years.
When Annie had kissed Joe, it was quick and she was full of worry that he wouldn't return her feelings. With George, however, there was no uncertainty; it was crystal clear that the medic and the radioman harboured a deep desire toward one another.
"George-" Annie's head swam as she pulled away from the kiss and tried to refocus on the thought she had been holding on the tip of her tongue. "George, I said no. I'm not going to England."
For many others, the obvious choice would have probably been to take the job in England and avoid redeployment like Winters had said, but for Annie, it could not have been more clear that the opposite was what was right for her.
No matter where she was or who she was with, Annie would always be Easy Company's medic; so, in her mind, it just made sense to be with them, whether that be in the Pacific or not. They needed her, and in many ways, she needed them.