Maybe Tomorrow by Carter-Orange
Summary:

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Five men from different walks of life are brought together when called up to fight in Europe during World War Two...


Categories: Fanfiction > Backstreet Boys Characters: AJ, Brian, Group, Howie, Kevin, Nick, Other
Genres: Alternate Universe, Drama, Historical
Warnings: Violence
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 25 Completed: No Word count: 32172 Read: 42817 Published: 11/24/11 Updated: 02/19/13
Story Notes:

I originally started this a couple of years ago but neglected it, but now I'm all ready to carry on! I've made some alterations, hopefully for the best.  Hope you enjoy :)

Also wanted to add that this story is inspired by various movies and real life events.

1. Chapter 1 by Carter-Orange

2. Chapter 2 by Carter-Orange

3. Chapter 3 by Carter-Orange

4. Chapter 4 by Carter-Orange

5. Chapter 5 by Carter-Orange

6. Chapter 6 by Carter-Orange

7. Chapter 7 by Carter-Orange

8. Chapter 8 by Carter-Orange

9. Chapter 9 by Carter-Orange

10. Chapter 10 by Carter-Orange

11. Chapter 11 by Carter-Orange

12. Chapter 12 by Carter-Orange

13. Chapter 13 by Carter-Orange

14. Chapter 14 by Carter-Orange

15. Chapter 15 by Carter-Orange

16. Chapter 16 by Carter-Orange

17. Chapter 17 by Carter-Orange

18. Chapter 18 by Carter-Orange

19. Chapter 19 by Carter-Orange

20. Chapter 20 by Carter-Orange

21. Chapter 21 by Carter-Orange

22. Chapter 22 by Carter-Orange

23. Chapter 23 by Carter-Orange

24. Chapter 24 by Carter-Orange

25. Chapter 25 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 1 by Carter-Orange

 

Chapter 1

February 1943

Tampa, Florida

 

 

 

Nickolas Gene Carter wasn’t just a chef at his parent’s busy diner; his talents stretched way beyond flipping burgers in a hot kitchen. He also liked to write - especially poetry - in his spare time, often quoting it to the waitresses, much to their delight. He dreamed of getting out of the small seaside town he’d lived all of his life and seeing something of the world.

He was the kind of guy that everyone seemed to like and all the local girls wanted to date. At just over six foot with the classic American boy next door good looks, he probably could’ve picked any girl he wanted, but he only had eyes for his girlfriend Emily, whom he’d been dating for a few months.

“Hey baby, you ready to go?” he asked when she answered the door. Her parents lived in an impressive house and he hoped one day to be able to provide her with the kind of life she was accustomed to. He knew that working in his parent’s diner wouldn’t be enough for that though.

“Sure, let me just grab my purse” Emily flashed him a dazzling smile and turned to pick up her purse from the hall table.

“Don’t be late” her mother called as Emily rushed out the door.

“Don’t worry Mrs Ryan, I’ll have her back safely” Nick assured her as Emily put her arm through his and they turned to leave.

“She’s such a nag” Emily murmured when they were out of listening range.

“So, where would you like to go? There’s a new movie playing in the movie theatre if you fancy it” suggested Nick.

“I’d like that” replied Emily, snuggling closer to Nick as they walked.

So that’s where they went.

Nick bought the tickets and popcorn, and then placed his arm around her as they sat in the darkened theatre watching the movie. He often couldn’t believe his luck at being with Emily; she was every bit as gorgeous as the actresses on the screen in front of them. He knew a few of the local girls liked him, he wasn’t stupid, but to him, Emily was everything he wanted in a woman.

“Are you going to read me that new poem you‘ve been working on?” Emily teased as they walked home hand in hand after the film.

“I don’t know…it’s not finished yet…”

“Nick, stop putting yourself down!” Emily chastised “you have a gift”

“You’re biased” Nick kicked at a stone on the ground, not able to believe that Emily actually meant the words of praise she’d just given.

“Maybe a little…” she teased once more.

“OK, here goes” said Nick reaching into his back pocket to retrieve the piece of folded paper with his latest piece of writing on which he‘d been working “it’s not finished though”

“So you said” she smiled.

And so he began to read…

Midnight diamonds stud my heaven
Southward burning like the jewels that are your face
And the warm winds that embrace me
Just as surely kissed your face…

 

“Aww Nick, that was beautiful” she purred when he’d read the whole poem to her.

“You think?” Nick asked. He was always a bit self conscious over his writing.

“I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t so” she smiled at him “one of these days you‘re going to realise just how talented you are”

They walked in silence for a few minutes and Nick’s mind wandered to thoughts of the ongoing war in Europe. He knew it was only a matter of time before he got called up, young men all over America were being shipped away, some had already gone to fight, a couple of his friends included. He tried to take his mind off it all, holding Emily closer to him and giving her a kiss before saying goodnight at her doorstep.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

 

Nick was leaving for work one morning a couple of weeks later when the mail arrived. Beating his father to it, he picked up a brown official looking envelope addressed to him and his stomach began to churn, he’d feared this day for months. He knew it could mean only one thing.

He carefully tore the envelope open, hoping upon hope that somehow this was all a big mistake, that the letter was some huge misunderstanding and not really meant for him. The letter confirmed his fears. He’d been called up into the Army providing he passed the medical examination.

He wasn’t prepared for this, he didn’t want to go and fight in a war he felt he had no place in. But he had no choice, it was compulsory unless he wanted to face jail for draft evasion and bring shame on his entire family in the process. He slumped against the wall in shock and horror, crumpling the letter in his hand and closing his eyes.

“Nick, whatever’s the matter?” asked his mother walking into the hallway and seeing him leaning against the wall.

“This” said Nick handing her the letter. She took the letter from his hands but already knew without looking at it exactly what it said.

 

 

Chapter 2 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 2

 

 

 

The next few days passed by in a blur for Nick, how could he continue to enjoy life when faced with such uncertainty about his future?

“Come on Nick, cheer up. You may not be sent overseas, the war could all be over before you even get through the medical. There’s still hope” Emily said brightly, trying to snap Nick out of his gloomy mood.

“I highly doubt that. The daily news says nothing to suggest that an end is in sight” he said flatly, but not wanting to continue with this conversation he put a fake smile on his face and changed the subject.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

Nick walked into the medical centre for his interview and examination, wondering why he couldn’t have thought up something to get himself out of this situation. Surely time in jail was preferable to being forced into the Army against his will.

There must’ve been a hundred men there, all with the same lost expression on their faces, all here for the same purpose. He took a seat next to a dark haired man and let out a sigh.

“I know exactly how you feel” said the dark haired man “I’m Alex”

“Nick. I would usually say ‘pleased to meet you’ but under these circumstances it’s not really a pleasure” Nick replied.

“Yeah, I agree” Alex tapped his foot nervously.

They sat talking about what they did for a living, anything to take their minds off what lay ahead. Nick was so engrossed in Alex’s tales of life on the road as a jazz musician that the pair of them didn’t hear anything else going on around them.

“Mr McLean please” announced a nurse a little while later and Alex got up.

“Good luck buddy” Nick told him.

“You too” said Alex and followed the nurse into the examination room. He didn’t need to be told he was fit enough, he already knew it. But it still came as a shock when his papers were stamped pronouncing him fit to join up. He felt sick to the stomach as he left the room and walked out of the building in a daze.

Nick had been called into another examination room moments after Alex. Within minutes he’d been checked over and also given the all clear to fight, his papers stamped making it official. He left the room feeling numb and saw Alex just ahead of him. They walked out into the sunshine together and without even thinking, walked into the nearest bar they could find.

After propping up the bar for a few hours and downing countless shots of whiskey (which wasn't supposed to be available, but was if you knew where to go), the pair of them decided it was time to go home and let their families know how things had gone.

“See you around” Nick slurred as he staggered out of the bar, hardly able to walk in a straight line.

“Yeah, take care” Alex also slurred drunkenly and they went their separate ways.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

 

“Will you come and wave me off at the station?” Nick asked Emily the night before he was due to leave for England. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that he was going.

“Just try and stop me” she said and kissed him passionately on the doorstep after their evening out.

“See you tomorrow then” he said and walked away, turning once to see her still in the doorway. He would’ve liked nothing more than to have taken her in his arms and made love to her before going off to war, but he couldn’t. They weren’t married or even engaged and she wasn’t the kind of girl to partake in sex before marriage, or so she’d told him whenever things had heated up between them.

He spent the rest of the evening sat with his family, talking until late into the night, trying to put off going to bed. He was going to miss them all, even his annoying little brother.

The following morning Nick finished his packing. He took a look around his room one last time, not knowing when he was going to see it again, if ever.

“Ready son?” asked his father, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a little squeeze.

“As ready as I’m gonna be” replied Nick and gave his father a weak smile.

“Come on then”

Mrs Carter was too upset to go with her eldest son to the station; she knew she’d fall apart when the train pulled away. So she hugged him goodbye before he climbed into the car and then excused herself to the other children and went upstairs to her room where she could cry in private.

On the way they picked up Emily, Nick sat in the back with her, holding her hand and saying very little. All too quickly they arrived at the train station. Nick’s father helped him with his belongings, gave him a hug and wished him luck and then said he’d give him a few moments alone with Emily.

“Promise me you’ll write?” Nick begged, taking Emily’s hands in his.

“I promise, and you must promise to keep sending me love letters and poetry” she smiled through her tears.

“I will. Thinking of you will get me through. Promise to wait for me?” Nick asked, bringing her hands up to his lips to kiss.

“Nick, I love you and only you” she said with tears streaming down her face, then brought her mouth to his and kissed him softly.

The train pulled into the station and Nick sighed, this really was it, no escape now. He looked up the platform and saw Alex, also having an emotional goodbye with a woman who could only be his mother. He raised his hand in a wave to the man he’d met at the medical centre and Alex acknowledged him with a nod.

Mr Carter appeared again and shook his son’s hand then pulled him into a hug and told him to stay safe and hurry home.

“I’ll do my best Dad” Nick replied and then turned and hugged Emily and kissed her one last time before getting on the train.

As the train pulled off Nick watched as his father and Emily stood there waving, he waited until he could see them no longer before he finally went to find a seat on the crowded train.

“We meet again” Alex said as Nick took a vacant seat opposite. They soon got into comfortable conversation, trying to block out the reason for this journey with talk of more pleasant topics. By the time they reached the ship they’d be sailing on, they were firm friends.

 

 

 

End Notes:

Thanks for reading!  I wonder what they'll think of England?

Chapter 3 by Carter-Orange

Chapter Three

April 1943 - England

 

 

 

 

“So this is England” said Alex stepping off the ship and slinging his duffle bag onto his back.

“Yeah, home for the next however long” replied Nick casting his eyes around the drab looking Liverpool Docks. It was a grey and miserable looking place and even though it was April it felt bitterly cold.

They were ushered into trucks which were waiting to take them to their base, many miles away from the docks. Nick and Alex climbed up and took a seat in the back so that they could get the best view of the country as they travelled. Before long they were out in the open countryside.

“Pretty country, look at all this green” Nick exclaimed dreamily as he looked out at the beautiful English landscape.

“Wonder if the girls are as pretty” chuckled Alex, lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag from it.

“Is that all you can think of?” laughed Nick, giving his friend a nudge.

“Well someone has to” he said, turning the collar of his jacket up against the chilled morning air.

It was a cold spring morning in a small northern town in England, suddenly the roaring of trucks disturbed the peace and tranquillity, bringing the locals out of their houses. Truck load upon truck load of American soldiers were arriving, there must‘ve been hundreds of them.

“Look at them all, they’re taking over” mouthed one woman to another as they stood gossiping and watching the Americans descend upon their town.

“Well, it’s about time really” said another with a cigarette dangling from her puckered lipsz88;“we could do with their help”

The trucks passed through, the soldiers waving to the people in the street and calling out to the pretty girls, who‘d put their brightest lipstick on especially for the new arrivals.

“And I thought English girls were all plain looking! There sure are some beauties here” said Alex scanning the crowd and winking at a few pretty girls as they drove through the streets.

They eventually arrived at their destination, the base that was going to be home until they were sent to France or wherever the Army decided. Stepping out of the truck, Nick and Alex stretched their legs and followed everyone else, it had been a long and bumpy ride and they were in need of something to eat and drink.

There was a Red Cross marquee set up with various refreshments including tea, coffee and donuts which were being offered to the new arrivals. Nick and Alex followed the crowd and got in the queue with everyone else.

“Welcome to England” smiled a Red Cross volunteer as she handed Alex a cup of coffee and a donut.

“Thanks” replied Alex as the cup warmed his cold hands.

“Thanks” said Nick also as he accepted his drink and donut gratefully.

They stood outside in the cold, hungrily eating their donuts and drinking their coffee in an attempt to warm up. April in England was a lot colder than they’d expected.

“Beautiful country ain’t it, but it’s a little chilly; maybe they forgot to put the roof on!” came a friendly voice beside them “I’m Brian…Brian Littrell, from Kentucky”

“Nick Carter and this is Alex McLean” Nick replied.

“We’re from Florida” Alex added.

“Ah, so this weather is gonna take you guys some getting used to also” commented Brian. They stood around for a few minutes, chatting to the other guys and taking a look around at what was to be their new home.

 

 

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

 

 

 

Nick soon settled into his job in the kitchen, quickly progressing to the role of head chef due to his previous experience (and the fact that the previous head chef’s cooking skills left a lot to be desired), although feeding hundreds and cooking on such a large scale was not something he was used to doing and was a bit of a challenge at first. But challenge was something Nick relished.

“More onions Alex” he requested as he tested a stew which was simmering in a huge vat.

“Yes chef” replied Alex as he jokingly saluted his friend and then began chopping the required extra onions for the stew.

“Clear this area, it’s gonna cause an accident” Nick called out to another person and pointed to a spillage on the floor. He could not tolerate working in a sub-standard kitchen and everything had to meet with his high expectations. A dirty workplace wasn’t acceptable.

Later that evening Nick was lying on his bunk writing another letter to Emily whilst Alex checked his reflection in the small mirror on the inside of his locker. After a month without any leave, they had finally been given passes to leave base.

“Come on Nick, these girls have waited years for men like us” said Alex excitedly, making sure his hair was just right.

“Well, I’m sure they can wait a little while longer” Nick replied as he carried on writing his letter to Emily.

“Oh come on man” pleaded Alex “there’s a town full of girls and if you hadn‘t already guessed, there‘s a shortage of local men. We could get lucky…or maybe I could get lucky seeing as you‘ve got your girl back home”

“Give me five more minutes” said Nick “and then we’ll go to town”

“If you don’t mind, I’ll join you both. Not for the women obviously, but just to get out of here and get a change of scenery” said Brian. Brian had been a farmer in Kentucky before getting called up. Married with a son, he hated being away from his family. He’d never been out of Kentucky before arriving in England and he couldn’t wait to get home again, but at least working at the base’s goods inwards/outwards department wasn’t as physically challenging as his role back home.

“Sure Brian” replied Alex “we’ll see you outside Carter, don’t be long or we’ll go without you”

“See you outside in a few minutes” Nick replied and then focused back on his letter.

 

 

Dearest Emily

I hope you are well. I miss you so much you wouldn’t believe.

England is such a beautiful place and I hope some day we’ll get the chance to see it together when the war is over. I think you’ll like it; it’s so different to Florida… but so cold!

I’ve settled in quite well and found my place here in the base kitchen and to be honest, it’s not too bad. The men can be a little lazy, but you know what I‘m like in the kitchen, they will soon be whipped into shape.

I’ve not had much chance for much poetry writing yet, but here is a little something I wrote when I was thinking of you.

Never gone, never far
In my heart is where you are
Always close, everyday
Every step along the way
Even though for now we've got to say goodbye
I know you will be forever in my life
Never gone…

Love always

Nick

 

 

 

 

Nick folded the letter and placed it in the envelope, carefully sealing it and leaving it next to his bedside ready to send in the morning. He looked at his photo of Emily, stared longingly at her image and wished he had her close to him. Then he turned and went in search of his friends.

 

 

End Notes:

I hope that wasn't too cheesy, but I suppose back in those days letter writing was more romantic.  I know my grandparents used to write each other letters whilst my grandad was fighting in France.  Thanks for reading!

Chapter 4 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 4

 

 

 

Elena and Juliet Armitage began to lock up for the evening, taking the money out of the cash register and storing it safely upstairs. They ran their parent’s grocery store, and had been doing so since their brother had been called up to fight and their father had joined the Home Guards to do his part for the war effort. At one time their mother had also helped out, but since the death of their brother William, she kept herself locked away in the living quarters upstairs.

William’s death had hit them all hard, but their mother felt the loss the most. William had been her favourite; she made no attempt to hide that. He was destined to take over the shop after the war, but destiny had other ideas for him. It was three months ago that the telegram had arrived, a few lines on a piece of paper to advise them he‘d died fighting the brave fight for his country.

“Are you coming to the dance with me tonight Elena?” asked Juliet as they finished up.

“I don’t think so, it doesn’t seem right to be going out and enjoying myself when Jeremy is over in France fighting for his life” Elena replied sadly as she thought of her boyfriend.

“Don’t be such a party pooper, he wouldn’t want you to sit here night after night, bored out of your mind with mother and father” she teased her sister.

“Even so, I’m not sure about it” Elena picked at a thread hanging from her blouse.

“Oh come on, you could do with a night out and a dance, it’ll be fun” she insisted “Jeremy won’t mind”

“You just want to check out those new American soldiers” Elena said knowingly, giving her sister the eye.

“Well, there might be some nice ones“ Juliet grinned “come on, you never know…I could meet the man of my dreams there” she said dreamily.

“And can you imagine mother and father’s faces if you did? They’d have a fit I’m sure” Elena laughed at the thought of her sister bringing home a foreigner to afternoon tea with their parents.

“Please?” she begged “pretty please?”

“Oh alright, but I’m not dancing with any men and I’m not staying too long either” Elena relented.

“Thanks, you are the best sister ever” she said hugging her sister.

They sat at the table with their parents eating their evening meal and then excused themselves to get ready to go out. They didn’t have a wide variety of clothes in their wardrobe; no one did, but they made the best of what they had. With the war on, new clothes were hard to come by for the ordinary working person; clothes were handed down and mended rather than thrown away.

“How do I look?” asked Juliet posing like a film star for Elena to respond.

“Stunning as always” replied Elena with a genuine smile for her sister.

“Thanks, you look good too” she replied. They both applied their red lipstick and took one last look in the mirror before heading downstairs.

“You girls look lovely” said their father “enjoy yourselves”

“Thanks Dad” they said together “we won’t be late”

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

Nick, Alex and Brian caught the bus into town, or what they hoped was town. They weren’t so sure as they departed the bus in the dark.

“Are you sure this is town?” Alex asked the pretty red haired bus conductor.

“Just a couple of minutes walk in that direction and you’ll be there” she said with a wink and a smile for Alex.

They began walking and Alex had a smile plastered across his face “did you see that, she was flirting with me”

“Come on Casanova” Nick teased and they carried on walking in the direction of town and the weekly dance that was held there.

They didn’t know where they were going so just followed everyone else. Within a few minutes they’d reached their destination; a building with its windows all covered so that not a speck of light could be seen from outside.

“Wonder why that is?” said Alex slightly confused by the lack of light.

“We have to black out all the windows and doors because of the planes flying over at night, to help prevent an air attack” replied a woman as she walked into the building.

“Makes sense I guess” Nick agreed with the passing woman.

The men walked in and surveyed the place, it was jam packed with locals and soldiers. There were people dancing, sitting around at tables talking, stood at the bar and just forgetting that a war was on for the moment.

They went up to the bar and ordered a beer each and then stood sipping their drinks and checking out the place.

Spotting a small group of girls, Alex motioned for his friends to follow him.

“Hey there ladies, I’m Alex and these are my friends Nick and Brian, how you doing?” said Alex leaning in to talk to the girls. Nick and Brian gave the girls a friendly but not too friendly smile. Neither of them wanted to give the wrong impression. They weren’t here for the ladies.

“Pleased to meet you Alex” replied Juliet flirtily “I’m Juliet; this is my sister Elena and our friends Louise and Frances”

“Can I get you all a drink?” asked Alex, his eyes not leaving Juliet’s face.

“Oh yes please, I’ll have a gin and tonic” she replied eagerly. The other girls declined, insisting they were fine as they were.

Alex went over to the bar to order a gin and tonic and Elena pulled her sister over to one side “Juliet, what would mother say if she knew you were taking drinks from strange men?”

“Who cares what mother thinks” Juliet giggled and walked over towards Alex who now had her drink in his hand.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

Nick didn’t really want to be there, he wasn’t in the mood for drinking or dancing or chatting to pretty girls. He missed his home and his girlfriend Emily. He looked over towards Alex and wondered how he did it; he was so full of confidence and embraced his new home so easily. Nick sometimes wished he were that easy going. He decided he might as well try to enjoy himself; it wouldn’t hurt to talk to the ladies. Talking never hurt anyone.

He looked at the three girls who were talking and occasionally looking over at their friend who was with Alex. They were actually very pretty and in different circumstances he would’ve been interested.

The dance floor began to fill up as a fast number was being played by the band. Soldiers were taking girls hands and leading them away for a dance and everyone looked to be having a good time. Nick decided to stop being a misery; he walked over to one of the girls and asked if she wanted to dance.

“Go on Elena” said her friends and Elena reluctantly took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.

“Elena is it? Pretty name” Nick said “I’m Nick”

Elena didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t comfortable talking to strange men, let alone dancing with one.

“Why are you scared?” he said into her ear.

“I’m not scared. I’m sorry, I have a boyfriend…I shouldn’t even be here” Elena replied, not wanting to meet Nick’s gaze.

“One dance…nothing more. That‘s all I ask”

 

 

End Notes:

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!  They'd better enjoy England while they can...

Chapter 5 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 5

 

 

Although Nick and Alex worked in the kitchen at the Army base, they still had to undertake the tough training regime in preparation for when they’d be shipped off to fight.

“Aw man, this sucks” said Alex as he slumped against a large rock. Their group were out on a ten mile run with backpacks and it was hard going. The route was hilly and sometimes slippery underfoot, but this was supposed to help prepare them for whatever was to come. They had to be in excellent physical condition and Alex was not as fit as he‘d thought, at least not yet, but he’d get there.

“Come on McLean, do you think you’ll have time to stop when you’re facing the enemy? Now get a move on” shouted the drill instructor. Alex pulled a face behind his back.

“He has a point y’know” said Brian who was used to physical farm work and therefore finding the activity easy.

“Yeah, yeah, I know” said Alex finally getting his act together and carrying on.

“Only another mile and a half to go” said Nick as Alex groaned.

When they got back to the base they were all covered in mud and sweat. It was a great sense of relief to take their backpacks off and strip off out of their filthy clothes.

“Have we got passes to go off base tonight?” asked Brian as they stood in the communal showers washing the mud and sweat off themselves.

“Too damn right we have…I’m meeting Juliet again” Alex smiled to himself. He’d seen her a total of five times since the dance and thought she was lovely and totally different to the other girls he‘d dated. Usually girls came and went and he didn’t give them a second thought, but this one had him hooked and he hadn’t even got her into bed yet!

“Must be love” teased Nick. Alex threw a bar of soap at him.

“Well, I think it’s great Alex. Why shouldn’t you have a bit of fun? You’re single after all!” said Brian

“Would you ever…” Alex began but didn’t get the chance to finish.

“No way, I’m a happily married man” replied Brian, knowing exactly what Alex was going to ask.

“You not even tempted?” Alex asked curiously.

“Not at all” said Brian “I love my wife”

“I couldn’t do that to Emily either” said Nick. He didn’t mind the occasional dance with a girl, but knew where his heart belonged.

Alex didn’t say another word about it, but he knew there was no way he could go without like his friends were doing. He loved women. Although with Juliet things were different, she wasn’t the kind of girl to just love and leave; he actually felt something more for her.

After they’d finished for the day, the three of them caught the bus into town. Alex was meeting Juliet at the local movie theatre, so once they’d got off the bus they went their separate ways.

Nick and Brian walked into a pub called The Coach & Horses and ordered a beer at the bar, they stood talking when across the room a fight broke out. From what Nick could make out, it was three locals against an American solider, and so he started to make his way over to see what was going on. Three against one wasn’t good odds.

“Fuck off back where you belong” one of the men shouted as he punched the soldier in the face.

“Smash his fucking face in” came a shout from one of the other men. The American solider tried to fight back, but was out numbered.

“Hey, leave him alone” growled Nick, pulling the man off the solider. Brian was soon on the scene, as were a couple of other men.

“Why don’t you all just fuck off back to your own country” shouted the man with his fists up ready to punch again, but Nick was too quick for him and gave him a jab in the stomach which left him bent over. The landlord of the pub came over and told the English trouble makers to leave and thanked Nick and Brian for helping out.

“You alright?” Nick asked the American soldier who was bleeding from the mouth.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thanks for stepping in, I really appreciate it” he said as he wiped at his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket.

“You’re welcome. I’m Nick by the way, this is Brian” he said looking towards Brian

“Nice to meet you, I’m Howard but everyone calls me Howie”

“What was all that about?” Brian asked, wondering what the fight had been about.

“I have no idea…I guess I was in the wrong place at the wrong time” Howie mused.

“His wife left him for an American solider” he pub landlord replied having overheard the conversation “he’s not got over it yet”

“Right…well that would explain it then” Howie said, still not knowing why that made it his fault. It wasn’t as if he’d been the guy.

They had a few more drinks and chatted about home and how much they all missed it, before making their way to the bus station to catch the last bus back to base.

Before going to sleep, Nick opened up his notebook and began to scribble some notes, just a few words really, but it was how he was feeling at that moment in time. He got Emily’s picture out of his wallet and looked at her smiling face, then closed his notebook and went to sleep.

 

 

End Notes:

So that's how they met Howie!  

Also just want to say thanks to everyone who has nominated my stories, I really appreciate it :)  If you want to vote then head over to the AC forum and take a look in the Awards thread, lots of amazing writers nominated.

Chapter 6 by Carter-Orange
Author's Notes:

Sorry for the delay, you know how it is this time of year!  Hope everyone had a good Christmas. 

Chapter 6

 

 

 

Louise Bond sighed with relief when the post man finally delivered a letter she’d been waiting days for. She hadn’t heard from her husband Daniel in a couple of weeks and was beginning to fear the worst. She’d put a brave face on in front of friends and neighbours, but deep down she’d been worried sick. She tore the envelope open and began to read, a big smile spreading across her face as she imagined him saying the words that were written on that piece of paper. After she finished reading, she read it again and then held the letter close to her, as if in doing so she was closer to her husband.

Louise and Daniel had only been married for a few months, and most of that time had been spent apart because he was away fighting in the war. But they hadn’t wanted to wait until the war was over, like so many other young couples in love.

Daniel Bond was a pilot in the RAF, he was often sent on extremely dangerous missions behind the enemy lines, and he’d lost count of the number of planes he’d shot down or buildings he’d bombed. But it was all part of the job. Kill or be killed in this environment…and he had no intention of being on the receiving end if he could help it.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

 

“Good morning” Louise said cheerily as she walked into Armitage Stores for a pint of milk. She worked as a volunteer for the Red Cross but wasn’t due in until later that day, and so decided to call in to see her friends and let them know she’d heard from Daniel. She knew they’d been worried too. Anyone who had a loved one overseas understood how important letters were.

“Hi Louise, you look cheerful today, have you heard from Daniel?” asked Elena as she noted the happiness in her friend’s voice.

“Yes, he’s been on some top secret mission and wasn’t able to tell me much as it’s classified information, but he’s safe and well. Guess what? He’s got some leave coming up soon, I’m so excited” said Louise excitedly.

“I’m so pleased for you, when is he coming home?” Elena asked.

“I‘m not sure yet, he‘s going to let me know as soon as he knows though. I’m thinking of having a little get together when he’s home, it’s his birthday soon and I know he may not be home for his actual birthday, but we can have a little celebration anyway. Although with the way food is rationed, it’ll not be anything too fancy!” she said with an annoyed frown on her face. The war rationing was hard, especially when previously they’d been used to certain luxuries which they couldn’t get their hands on now.

“I’ll ask my Alex, he works in the kitchen on the base doesn’t he? He’ll be able to get us all sorts of goodies that aren’t available elsewhere” said Juliet confidently. Alex liked to shower Juliet with little luxuries which were in abundance on the base.

“Thanks Juliet, that would be great” replied Louise “things still going well between you and Alex then?”

“Oh yes…I think I’m in love!” she laughed “can you believe it?”

They chatted for a while between serving customers, and then Louise had to go. She had a few other errands to run in the village before she was due to go to work and she wanted to make sure she had enough time to have a bite to eat before her shift started.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

“Come on Littrell, put some effort into it!” shouted the drill instructor in Brian’s face “you’re not gonna kill a man with that attitude, it‘s kill or be killed, remember that! Toughen up man!”

Brian sighed. He really couldn’t picture himself killing anyone; it just wasn’t in his nature to be that way. He wouldn’t think twice about pulling the trigger on an injured farm animal, slaughtering livestock for market or snapping the neck of a turkey at Thanksgiving, but that was different. They were farm animals and not people. He was finding it hard to stick a knife into the strung up mannequins of German soldiers.

“Imagine it’s some guy fucking your wife while you’re over here all cold and lonely” Alex said with a smirk on his face.

“My wife wouldn’t do that!” Brian retorted.

“You’d be surprised my friend. It’s always the good girls you have to watch out for…” Alex trailed off.

That did the trick. Brian couldn’t stand the thought of some hired help on the farm taking advantage of his wife whilst he was out of the picture. The anger built up inside him as he imagined someone else’s hands on his wife’s body and he charged at the mannequin, letting all the rage out.

“Now that’s what I‘m talking about! I don’t know what McLean said to you, but whatever it was, just think of that when you are facing the enemy and you’ll be alright” said the drill instructor.

“Yes sir” replied Brian. He could do that if that’s what it would take.

They spent the rest of the day doing target practice followed by a map reading exercise in the woods before returning back to the base cold and exhausted. But they were not so tired that they were going to spend the evening in; it was Friday night and that meant a trip into town to go to the weekly dance. It was something they all looked forward to.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

Nick hadn’t seen Elena since that night he’d danced with her, but she was there tonight and looking as lovely as he‘d remembered. If he were single he’d definitely be interested in her, he couldn’t help noticing the fullness of her lips and the way her blue eyes lit up when she smiled, the way her brown hair shone under the lights and hung in loose curls just past her shoulders. He could just imagine running his fingers through her hair, bringing his lips down onto hers…if he didn’t already have a girlfriend back home. He felt guilty for his thoughts, but figured it was because he was missing Emily so much.

“Hey Nick, snap out of it” Howie was waving his hand in front of Nick’s face.

“Oh, what? Sorry. I was in a world of my own” replied Nick.

“Oh yeah? Who is she?” asked Howie with a wink. Had he been that obvious?

“My girlfriend Emily” Nick lied “come on, let’s get some beer”

They walked over to the bar and ordered pints of beer before being called over to join Alex who was sitting with Juliet and her friends. Nick found himself sitting next to Elena.

“Hi” he smiled at her.

“Hello” she smiled shyly in reply “I’m sorry about last time we met, I was rude to you and it was wrong of me”

“No need to apologise, I totally understand. I have a girlfriend back home too, I wasn’t trying anything” Nick explained.

“You must be homesick. What’s your girlfriend’s name?”

“Emily. I’m thinking of asking her to marry me when I get home, if….” he began but Elena cut him off.

“Don’t say that! Of course you’re going home one day. You have to think positively Nick”

“Yeah, you’re right. It‘s just hard sometimes y‘know” he shrugged.

“So, what’s it like where you live? Is it anything like here?” she asked hoping to change the subject to something happier. Elena needed some happiness to take her mind away from worrying over Jeremy. They all needed a bit of escapism sometimes.

“Well, for a start it’s a lot warmer than it is here, and it doesn’t rain as much either!” he laughed and Elena laughed with him. They chatted easily with each other, enjoying each other’s company in a platonic way.

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

Alex pulled Juliet down onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close for a gentle kiss. He inhaled the smell of her perfume and her clean hair as he nibbled her neck softly, a quiet groan escaping her mouth.

“I think I’m falling in love with you Jules” Alex whispered in her ear. This girl had really captured his heart in such a short space of time and yet he wasn‘t afraid of it.

“I think I love you too Alex” she replied and kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck. They kissed for what seemed like forever, and then broke free from their embrace. Juliet stood up and took his hand to lead him to the dance floor as the band began playing one of her favourite songs. They danced close, their bodies swaying in unison to the music, arms around each other in their own little world as if no one else existed. They had eyes for only each other.

 

 

End Notes:

I know it was a bit sappy in places but I do like a bit of romance sometimes :)  

Chapter 7 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 7

 

 

It had been almost three weeks since Nick had received his last letter from Emily. He wondered whether her letters had somehow got lost in the postal system, or been delivered elsewhere by mistake. Whatever the reason, he sighed every time mail was delivered to his friends and colleagues, but not to him (with the exception of the monthly letter from his parents). With each day that passed with no word from her, Nick’s spirits dropped, he felt abandoned and incredibly lonely without word from her. So when he did eventually get a letter from her, he rushed back to his bed to read it in private, away from his friends and colleagues. He lay down on the bed and tore it open, a smile spreading across his face as he pictured Emily’s pretty smiling face.

But as he began to read the letter his expression soon changed.

 

Dear Nick,

I do hope you are keeping well over there in England, all is well here.

I’m not really sure how to say this, so I’ll just come out with it…

I’ve met someone else.

It all happened so fast, like a whirlwind, and this war has made me realise that you have to grab at opportunities for love and happiness while you can and not hold on to what might or might not be. Life is too short for waiting around.

I’m so sorry to have to write it in a letter but I couldn’t go on letting you think we had a future together when we don‘t. Joseph is a good man and has asked me to marry him. I’ve accepted and we are to be married very soon. Please don’t be too mad at me, but I couldn’t put my life on hold any longer.

Stay safe.

Emily

 

Nick read the letter again; wanting to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him and then screwed the offending piece of paper up into a ball and threw his head back against his pillow, closing his eyes to prevent the well of tears from spilling down his face.

Emily had met someone else? She was getting married? While he was over here doing his part for his country, facing god knows what, she was getting on with her life without him as if he‘d meant nothing to her. Damn this war. Damn her for forgetting him so quickly and conveniently. What did this Joseph guy have that Nick didn’t?

Nick laid there for a few minutes, he didn’t know whether to cry or lash out at someone or something. If that Joseph guy had been within reach he knew he’d definitely get a fist in the face, and would deserve it too.

He eventually pulled himself together and decided that what he really needed was a drink, or rather lots of drink. Everyone else had gone into town already, but he didn‘t want their company, he didn‘t want to be around happy people who were enjoying themselves. He just wanted to drink himself into oblivion. Nick tore up the letter, ripping it up into tiny little pieces and then watching as they fell into the bin like pieces of wedding confetti. He then got out Emily’s picture, looked at it for a few moments before ripping that to shreds also.

“Who needs love?” he muttered to himself and then pulled on his jacket and left the building, heading for the bus to take him into town.

Nick walked into the pub and ordered a beer and a whiskey. He thanked the barman as he lifted the whiskey glass to his lips and drank it in one gulp, then he slammed the glass down on the counter “I’ll have another, make it a double” he said, drinking his beer whilst he waited for the double whiskey.

“Everything alright lad?” asked the barman. He’d seen Nick in the pub quite regularly with his group of friends and knew he didn’t usually drink like this. Being in the job he was in, the barman (or pub landlord as was his proper title) saw all sorts. Not a lot happened in his pub which escaped his attention.

“Yeah, everything’s just fucking great!” Nick said sarcastically and downed the whiskey, closing his eyes as he felt it burning his throat “I’ll have another”

The barman knew better than to say anything else, he’d seen it a million times and knew a woman must be involved. He felt sorry for these soldiers; it was hard on them being away from their country and the ones they loved. He poured another whiskey and handed it over, watching as Nick drained the glass in one go again.

“Hey, Nick, you finally made it” called Howie as he spotted Nick tucked away from the crowd and walked over to him “jeez…how many have you had already?”

“Not enough” replied Nick as he picked up his sixth double whiskey.

“What’s wrong man?” asked Howie. He hadn’t known Nick for long, but he knew that he didn’t usually drink whiskey…especially not alone. He wondered whether he was prying, but figured a problem shared was better than bottling it up.

“It’s Emily. She’s met someone else. The bitch. She’s even marrying the guy” Nick said into his glass, hoping the whiskey and beer would make him forget it all.

“Come on, she’s not worth it, forget her” Howie said, unsure whether this was the right thing to say or not, he just knew his friend wasn’t going to feel any better by drinking in this way.

“How the fuck would you know?” Nick scowled, turning towards Howie.

“I don’t know…I…” Howie didn’t know what to say to make it better. Maybe he should’ve stayed out of it after all.

“Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you. I’m just so fucking mad…sad…I don’t know what I’m feeling anymore. I love her Howie”

“Come on, come and join the others” Howie suggested trying to guide him away from the bar to the table where everyone else was sitting.

“I’m not very good company at the moment, I’m just gonna have a couple more drinks here and then go back to base. I’ll see you later” said Nick.

“You sure?” asked Howie, concerned for his friend.

“Yeah, you go and enjoy your evening” Nick replied and turned back to the barman and ordered another double whiskey, this time sipping it more slowly and savouring the burn as it trickled down his throat.

He was beginning to feel very drunk, his head felt fuzzy and everywhere he turned, people were laughing, dancing and having fun. He was going to have some of it. He staggered onto the dance floor and grabbed the nearest girl he could focus on.

“Wanna dance?” he slurred at the well groomed brunette.

“I’m already with someone” she said politely, looking to the man she was dancing with.

“And?” he asked, knowing that he was being obnoxious but not giving a shit.

“I don’t want to dance with you” she said

“Not good enough for you eh? But I’m good enough to come to this fucking country and fight!” Nick was beginning to draw attention to himself.

“Listen pal, the lady said she doesn’t want to dance, now fuck off” said the guy who was dancing with her. He looked to be a higher ranking serviceman than Nick was, but as Nick was drunk, he didn’t care.

“Make me!” said Nick provokingly, running his eyes up and down the woman then turning to the guy.

“Right, you asked for it” said the guy, raising his fist and bringing it crashing into Nick’s cheek. Nick staggered back a little and then regained his composure and swung at the guy, landing a punch to his jaw.

A crowd began to form around them as they battered each other. Howie, Alex and Brian heard the commotion and were soon on the scene to see what was going on; they were horrified to see that their friend was in the centre of it.

“Nick, come on, leave it” shouted Alex to his friend as the two men fought.

“Stay out of this pal, it’s got nothing to do with you” said the guy as he punched Nick in the eye. Nick fell to the floor in a heap and the guy walked off muttering to himself something about staying away from his girlfriend.

“Come on Nick, let’s get you up off the floor” Alex muttered as he and Howie lifted him to his feet and walked him back to where they’d been sitting.

“Oh my god, what’s happened to him?” asked Elena getting to her feet to help.

“He’s been in a fight and by the look of him, he’s also had far too much to drink” said Brian.

“He’s bleeding and he can hardly stand” said Elena as she eyed his injuries with horror.

“I’m alright, it‘s nothing” Nick slurred, one eye closed and swollen looking, blood trickling down his face. He managed to stand without assistance to prove himself.

“No you are not; you can’t go back to the base like that. What would they think?” said Elena shaking her head “come on, I don’t live far, you can get cleaned up and have a cup of coffee to try and sober up”

Elena told everyone to stay where they were. She could manage Nick by herself and it was pointless ruining anyone else’s evening. She felt sorry for him, something had obviously happened to make him drink like that and get into a fight, and although he wasn’t her responsibility, she wanted to help.

Nick leaned on Elena as she helped him walk towards her house, her arm going around him to steady him.

“You’re lovely” he said.

“And you’re drunk. Come on, let’s go and get you sobered up” she retorted, taking no nonsense.

Within a few minutes they were at Elena’s door, her parents would be fast asleep in bed by now so she told Nick to try and keep his voice down as they entered the house. She took him into the living room and sat him down, then went into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

“Ouch, that stings” he said a few minutes later as she dabbed gently at his face with a wet rag.

“Shush” she said “if you would just keep still and let me carry on, then it’ll be so much quicker”

“Alright boss” said Nick and pretended to salute, then began to giggle. Realising he was supposed to be keeping quiet, he put his fingers to his lips and said “shhh”

“All done” Elena looked at him to make sure she’d wiped all the blood from his face. He was going to have some bruising there tomorrow and probably a black eye too.

“Thanks” said Nick, his eyes meeting hers and lingering there.

“Coffee?” Elena got up and rushed into the kitchen.

She made a strong cup of coffee for Nick and a tea for herself and carried them back into the living room, but stopped when she saw Nick. He was fast asleep and snoring softly. He looked so peaceful it would be a shame to wake him, so she got a blanket from the back of the sofa and covered him then sat at the other end of the sofa and sipped her tea.

End Notes:

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 8 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 8

 

 

Nick woke up the next morning not knowing where he was or how he’d got there, the previous night’s events were a bit of a blur. All he knew was that his face hurt like hell and he wasn’t at the base, where he should‘ve been. He took a moment to peruse his surroundings and discovered he was on a sofa in someone’s living room by the look of it. He sat up and groaned, clutched the sides of his pounding head, and took a look around the room. He saw a clock on the fireplace and noticed that it was a little after five o’clock in the morning.

“Shit” he muttered to himself. He was going to be in big trouble for not going back to the base last night, if he was caught that is! Maybe he’d get lucky for a change and get away with it. Or if he was caught, he could try and talk his way out of it, hope someone would take pity on him and not give him too much of a hard time. But what could he say in his defence, he hardly remembered a thing, apart from the fact that Emily was marrying someone else, and he‘d obviously been in a fight with someone.

He stood up and folded the blanket that had been covering him and placed it over the arm of the sofa. He looked around for some sort of clue as to whose house he was in as he had no recollection of getting there, and then he noticed a small cluster of photo frames on a side table and walked over to take a closer look. He picked up a picture; it looked to be quite recent and was of Elena, Juliet and a man in uniform. He quickly realised that he was in Elena’s house.

“Must be her brother William” Nick murmured as he held the framed picture in his hand. Elena had mentioned him briefly, but hadn’t said much. Nick knew it must be a painful topic for her to talk about and so hadn’t asked too many questions. He put the photograph back in its place, and then he let himself out quietly before the rest of the house woke up. He hurriedly made his way back to base.

Luckily for Nick, he managed to get back onto base and escape any questioning about the previous night (thanks to the boys on the gate who knew him and knew they’d get extra goodies if they kept quiet) and got on with his work in the kitchen immediately. He had to put up with a few comments from the guys about his black eye, but managed to make them believe he’d walked into a wall during blackout the previous night. There was no need to divulge the truth to anyone but those who’d been witness to it. It wouldn’t set a very good example to be fighting with anyone but the enemy.

“You alright?” asked Alex when no one else was within hearing distance.

“Yeah, but what happened? It’s all a little fuzzy” Nick admitted.

“I’m not surprised after the amount you drank! You got into a fight with some guy, apparently you were trying to dance with his girl and wouldn’t take no for an answer” explained Alex as Nick shook his head in embarrassment.

“Oh god, what a jerk I must’ve been” groaned Nick

“You said it!” laughed Alex

“And how did I end up at Elena’s?”

“You were in a real mess, and so she offered to clean you up” replied Alex with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

“I don’t remember much of it really, it’s all a bit of a blur. I woke up there this morning and wondered where the hell I was” Nick told him.

“You didn’t…you know…” Alex began, his mind automatically going to the gutter.

“No, before you ask it, no. Oh god I hope I didn’t say or do anything inappropriate. Elena’s a nice girl, I like her, but she has a boyfriend and I’ve just split up with Emily. I’m done with love” Nick announced.

~*~

Later that day when he got off duty, Nick headed into town with the purpose of thanking Elena for looking after him the previous night. He walked into the shop where she worked, the little bell above the door ringing as he did so, but she was busy serving customers and so didn’t see him enter. Nick stood off to the side out of the way of paying customers and watched her work. After a little while she noticed him and blushed slightly, then tried to carry on with her customer’s order.

“I’ll finish ringing these items up Elena, you go and talk to Nick” Juliet offered.

“Thanks” said Elena and came out from behind the counter and walked over towards Nick. His face was bruised down one side, especially around his eye, and his lip was still swollen, but Emily still thought he was handsome.

“Hey Elena” Nick smiled as he spoke “I wanted to thank you for last night, I’m so sorry you had to see me like that though”

“It’s alright, anyone would’ve done the same” she replied shyly, lowering her gaze to the floor.

“Well, I’m glad it was you” they both blushed slightly.

Elena didn’t know what to say to that, she wasn‘t used to such talk. Then to make her blush a little more, Nick handed her a box of chocolates, the likes of which you couldn’t buy in those parts due to shortages and rationing.

“Nick, you didn’t have to, but thank you so much” she said as she took the box from his hands, their fingers brushing slightly.

“I hope you like chocolate, I wanted to give you a little something for helping me last night” he explained.

“Like chocolate? I love it!” she exclaimed and wondered whether it would look rude to open the box right there in front of him. She’d not had chocolate for such a long time and they looked so mouth-wateringly tempting.

“You can open them y’know” he laughed “as long as I can have one”

“Would you like to go for a walk?” asked Elena, aware of the customers in the shop looking at them.

“Yes, I’d like that” Nick replied and they left the shop, Elena was due a break anyway and she knew her sister would be able to manage for a short time on her own.

They walked and talked for about a mile, veering off the main road and onto a little dirt track, far away from the few shops in the small town. It was a dry day and so they sat down on the grass and ate chocolates whilst they talked. Nick explained all about the letter from Emily and how he felt about it, how he turned to alcohol as a means to forget it all…letting his feelings pour out. It was very cathartic getting it all off his chest. Elena was a good listener and he felt as if he could tell her anything.

“Nick, she didn’t deserve you” Elena told him, her hand resting on his arm “come on, we’d better get back, Jules will be wondering where I am”

They walked back into town and said goodbye when they reached the shop. Elena watched him walk away before she closed the door.

“You like him don’t you?” asked her sister as she noticed and recognised that far off look in her sister‘s eyes which could only mean one thing.

“Yes, I do like him…as a friend and nothing more. I have Jeremy and he is a good man” replied Elena, feeling slightly guilty for liking another man whilst her boyfriend was away fighting for his country.

“Yes, he is” was all she could reply. Everyone liked Jeremy, he was the boy from next door literally, and had grown up with them, had always had a thing for Elena and so it was just natural that they would end up together. It was expected of them.

~*~

A couple of days later Nick was back at the shop, with Alex in tow this time though.

“Hi babe” Alex said whilst scanning the shop to make sure Juliet’s parents weren’t around and then placing a kiss on her lips. They giggled together and talked quietly between themselves.

“Hello Nick” said Elena “you’re looking better today” she blushed.

“I feel better today, thanks” he said and looked down at his hands, wondering why he suddenly felt so awkward.

“Hey guys, we’re going to the movies tonight” said Alex turning around to face Nick and Elena “fancy making it a double date?”

“But…” Elena began.

“Oh come on Elena, it’s only the cinema!” Juliet exclaimed, giving her sister a look as if to say ‘stop being a party pooper’.

“If you like you can ask your friends to come along too…the more the merrier!” Alex grinned.

Elena looked at Nick, and then back to her sister “alright then” she relented. It was only a trip to the cinema after all, and if all of their friends were going to be there too it would hardly make it a date.

“Great, we’ll see you girls later then and don‘t forget to ask the others” said Alex and gave Juliet a kiss before they left the shop. Nick and Elena just smiled at each other.

“She’s into you Carter” Alex told him as they walked along the street.

“She’s just a friend and that’s all. She has a boyfriend and she’s not the type of girl to play around behind his back, she’s not Emily” said Nick, spitting the name Emily out as if it was burning acid.

“No she isn’t, but she does like you” he said knowingly.

End Notes:

Hmm, I bet you're wondering if they are ever going to war!  

Chapter 9 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 9

“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe it” squealed Louise as the front door opened and in walked her husband Daniel. She ran to him and flung herself into his open arms, his arms going around her body pulling her closer, wanting to remember the feel of her in his arms after so long apart. They stood there in the hallway kissing for a while before pulling apart to take a good long look at each other. It had been such a long time since they’d last seen each other and as Louise looked at Daniel, she noticed he’d lost a little weight, but he was still a well built hunk of a man. He took her hand and led her upstairs to their bedroom where they got to know each other’s bodies all over again.

“I should go away more often if this is the welcome home I receive” he teased her as they lay there wrapped in each other’s arms a while later.

“No, don’t say that! I can’t wait for this war to be over so that we’re never apart again” Louise said as she snuggled closer to her husband.

“Me too darling…me too, a week at home is just not enough” he murmured and kissed her again.

~*~

Elena was busy arranging and stocking the shelves in the shop, her back turned away from the door as she went about her work. She heard the tinkling bell above the shop door ring and a customer walk in, but as her sister was already serving behind the counter, she didn’t stop what she was doing. She had a lot to do and wanted it done as soon as possible. Next thing she knew there were a pair of hands over her eyes and warm breath against her neck. She froze, wondering why Nick was being so bold. Had she given the impression that they were anything more than friends? She didn’t think so. She was about to speak, to tell him that he couldn’t behave this way in the shop where people would undoubtedly gossip. But when she spun around to do so, she gasped in shock.

“Surprise” said a familiar voice.

“Jeremy!” she exclaimed, hardly able to believe her eyes.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He breathed in the familiar smell of her shampoo and sighed, thinking it was good to be back, even if it was only for a short time.

“It’s so good to be home” he said and then gave her a kiss on the lips, aware that her sister was nearby “I’ve missed you so much”

“I’ve missed you too Jeremy” Elena said, not wanting to let go of him.

“Nice to have you back Jeremy” Juliet walked over to where they were standing “Elena’s really missed you”

Elena blushed slightly at her sister’s words. It was fantastic to have Jeremy home, she loved him and she had missed him a lot, but maybe not as much as she should have. She felt guilty for the times she’d been out enjoying herself with friends, for talking to another man and enjoying his company whilst Jeremy was fighting for his life in a country he didn‘t belong in.

“Daniel’s back too, we travelled home together” Jeremy pulled away from Elena and stood to her side instead. He wasn’t comfortable with public displays of affection.

“Oh that’s fantastic news, Louise will be so happy” Elena grinned, knowing that her friend had missed her husband terribly.

“Yes she will” Juliet agreed excitedly “maybe we can have that party we were talking about. Alex and Nick will be able to get us all sorts of goodies from the kitchen”

“What’s this about a party?” asked Jeremy curiously as he looked from his girlfriend to her sister “and who are Alex and Nick?”

“Alex is my gorgeous American boyfriend and Nick is his friend and also one of our friends” replied Juliet “and Louise was saying how nice it would be to have a little get together when Daniel got home as his birthday is soon”

“Well then, I’ll have to meet this Alex and see if he’s good enough for my little sister” teased Jeremy. They were as good as family, having known each other all their lives.

“He is perfect” said Juliet and sighed dreamily whilst Jeremy and Elena laughed. Juliet could be such a hopeless romantic at times.

~*~

“I’m not sure I want to go to this party” Nick announced a few days later as he and Alex were busy in the base kitchen cooking up some extras for the party. If he was being honest he was feeling a little jealous. Even though Elena was only a friend, he’d come to enjoy her company…a lot more than he should have.

“Come on Nick, you have to go. I need you there buddy, you know it‘s going to be a big night for me too. Plus, I know you’re dying to see what that Jeremy guy is like, right?” said Alex.

“Yeah, I guess I am a little curious…”

“A little?” Alex laughed.

“I just hope he’s deserving of her, because she is a great girl” replied Nick.

“I know she is and I’m sure he’s a decent guy” Alex told his friend “you never know, there may be some other chick takes your fancy at this party, someone who’s available”

“You could be right” Nick nodded, although he highly doubted it and wasn‘t really interested in ‘some other chick‘.

Later on that day, after they’d finished up in the kitchen, Nick and Alex got themselves spruced up and met with Howie and Brian. They were all going to the party.

“Hey, I managed to borrow a car for tonight” said Brian smugly and went on to tell his friends how he’d bribed one of the drivers with some whiskey and cigarettes from the warehouse so that they could transport all the food more easily. It would certainly beat having to cart it all on the bus.

“Thanks Bri” Alex told him “y’know I’m thinking of asking Jules to marry me tonight, so it’s gonna be celebrations all round, hopefully!”

“If she says yes” teased Howie with a wink.

“As if she’s gonna say anything else, she loves me” Alex said smugly.

“Come on then Romeo, we’ve got a party to get to” Nick announced with little enthusiasm.

A little while later Brian stopped the car outside Louise and Daniel’s house where the party was going to be at. There were a few kids playing with a ball in the street who stopped their game to watch the four Americans carrying plates of food into the house, their eyes curious. Brian called them over and handed them all a few sweets, smiling as they ran off happily to eat the rare treats.

“I think that’ll do” said Louise as they finished laying the table with the food which they had all helped to make. The room was looking good, the furniture had been moved around to allow room for dancing later and they intended to make it a great night with lots of laughter.

“Is it safe to come in now?” called Daniel from the hallway and without waiting for a reply he and Jeremy walked in and were amazed with the amount of food and drink there.

“This is really spectacular” said Jeremy looking towards Elena “I didn’t even think you could buy things like those anymore” he pointed towards the cakes set out on the table.

“Well, we have our ways of getting our hands on things” said Alex with a mischievous grin “I’m Alex by the way, you must be Jeremy. I’ve heard so much about you, pleased to meet you at last”

Jeremy shook Alex’s extended hand, liking him immediately “Nice to meet you too Alex”

“How’s things going over there?” Alex asked, referring to overseas.

“It’s not good” Jeremy replied in a lowered voice so that the ladies couldn’t hear “bloody awful actually. Do you know when you’re being sent yet?”

“No…no not yet” Alex replied, hoping it would all be over before they were shipped out. They changed the subject to something more jolly after that. It was a party after all and before long it was in full swing, with everyone enjoying the good food and drink.

“Could I have everyone’s attention please?” called Jeremy tapping on his glass with a cutlery knife. He beckoned Elena over towards him and she walked over and stood by his side dutifully.

“Oh god” muttered Nick to himself, he had a feeling he knew what was coming and he wasn‘t sure he wanted to hear it.

“Now that I have your attention” Jeremy began “let’s raise our glasses and wish Daniel a very happy birthday. Happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday Daniel” everyone cheered and raised their glasses.

Jeremy waited until the cheering had calmed down before speaking again “Now then, as you all know, Elena and I have been together for a long time and I love her with all my heart”

There were many an “oo” and “aw”

“So” Jeremy said as he turned towards Elena and got down on one knee “would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

Elena was left speechless for a moment, she looked at her friends and then back at Jeremy “yes” she replied and Jeremy slipped a diamond and sapphire ring onto her finger and kissed her.

“It’s beautiful” Emily said to him as she admired the gems sparkling on the ring.

“Just like you” he told her and smiled proudly.

Everyone cheered and congratulated them. Nick could see how happy Elena was, Jeremy was a great guy and he couldn’t stay jealous for long, no matter how hard he tried. Elena had never been his to be jealous over.

“Whilst were all gathered like this and making special announcements, I have something to say” called out Alex, taking Juliet’s hand in his.

“Juliet…I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I feel like we belong together, like we were destined for one another” he smiled at her and squeezed her hand tighter “so, I was wondering if you’d marry me?”

“Oh my goodness Alex, yes” she squealed excitedly and kissed him “yes” she smothered his face with kisses before he had a chance to slip the ring he’d bought onto her finger.

Once again, everyone cheered, they eventually broke free from their kiss and Alex slipped a gorgeous emerald ring onto Juliet’s finger.

“To match your eyes” he whispered in her ear and kissed her neck.

The party carried on until late into the night, everyone in high spirits and with lots to celebrate.

End Notes:

Happiness all around...surely it can't last!

Chapter 10 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 10

The next few days seemed to pass by all too quickly, and before they knew it, Elena and Louise were at the train station saying goodbye to Jeremy and Daniel, along with countless others also saying goodbye to their loved ones. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone and felt guilty for even thinking of him whilst Jeremy had been home on leave, but this last week without seeing Nick had been hard for Elena. She missed his company even though she knew it was wrong to do so. She was a soon to be married woman and Nick was an American soldier just passing through. She shouldn’t even be associating with him. Nothing could come of it.

The train pulled in to the station, already almost full of soldiers who were obviously heading back to war, solemn looks on their faces. The platform was crowded with people of all ages, there to wave goodbye to their loved ones, tears were flowing and emotions were high all around. Saying goodbye was so hard to do, especially when there was the uncertainty or war hanging over their heads.

Daniel pulled Louise close to him and kissed her passionately, not wanting to let go of her. He prayed that luck would be on his side and he’d soon be home with his wife for good. “I love you” he kissed her again as the train came to a complete halt and the door swung open right next to them “I hate to leave, but I must” he kissed her one more time before picking up his bag to board the train.

Jeremy wrapped his arms around Elena and kissed her softly on the lips. He couldn’t wait to be married to his childhood sweetheart and promised to write every chance he got. Next time he was home they would be married. He knew that thought alone would be enough to keep him going during the long days ahead. “Take care love” he said before joining Jeremy in the search for a seat.

“Hurry back my darling” Louise called out to Daniel once she spotted him in the crowded train carriage. He’d managed to find a window seat and had opened the window as wide as he could.

“I love you” she called once more.

“I love you too” he called back from the open window and they blew each other kisses.

“Stay safe Jeremy, I love you” Elena called to Jeremy as he stood in the window with Daniel and flashed her a beautiful smile.

“I’ll be back before you know it” he shouted as the whistle blew and the train began to pull away from the platform.

They waved goodbye until the train was out of sight, until it was just a speck in the distance, and then feeling a little deflated, headed back home.

~*~

This past week had been hard for Nick too. He’d stayed away from Elena and the shop whilst Jeremy had been there. It wouldn‘t have been right to hang out with them when their time together was so short and precious. He also didn‘t think he could handle seeing her so happy in the company of another man, even if that other man happened to be her fiancé. He liked her a lot, even though he knew nothing could ever come of it, but would rather have her as a friend than nothing at all. But would friendship be enough?

On the evening before Daniel and Jeremy were due to go back, everyone in their circle of friends had gone out but Nick had decided to stay back at the base, just his thoughts to keep him company. He got out his notebook and began to scribble a few words and feelings that had been gathering around in his mind.

Not everything is supposed to come true
Some words are best unsaid
Some love is not really love at all
I'll keep everything I shared with you
And that's enough
There's us

“Is it really love though?” he said to himself as he thought about Elena. How could it be when they‘d known each other for such a short time? How could he love another when Emily had been the love of his life and the girl he‘d thought he‘d grow old with? Whatever it was Nick was feeling towards Elena, it felt a lot like love. He sighed and closed his notebook.

~*~

“Hello Nick, we haven’t seen you around here for a little while” Elena said when Nick called into the shop the following day. She had a feeling he’d been avoiding her, but couldn’t be sure. Whatever his reason for staying away, Elena was happy to see him now. She’d felt so miserable after Jeremy had left the previous day and could do with some cheering up.

“Hey Elena” Nick replied casually “I‘ve just been a little busy this week, how you doing? Is Jeremy around?” Nick knew he wasn’t but was playing dumb.

“I’m good thanks” she smiled but then the smile slipped “Jeremy had to go back yesterday”

“Oh that’s a real shame, I’m sorry to have missed him. Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked concerned for her.

“I’ll be fine” she smiled again, more shyly “so tell me what’s kept you so busy?”

“Oh you know, they’ve had us working like crazy, lots of extra training and stuff” he lied with a shrug of his shoulders and a shift of his eyes.

“Oh right” Elena replied, thinking it strange how Brian, Alex and Howie had all been there the other night. She decided it was not her business though and said no more. Maybe he was seeing someone, she wouldn’t be surprised, he was single after all…and good looking…and a nice person.

“I was wondering if you fancied going for a drink later?” he asked hopefully.

“That would be nice, thanks” Elena answered. She knew she was an engaged woman now and probably shouldn’t be seen going out for a drink with another man, but this was Nick, her friend, someone she liked to spend time with. Who cared what people thought?

“Great, I’ll see you later in the Coach & Horses, about seven” he said and smiled that lopsided smile of his and left the shop.

“You shouldn’t be leading him on like that, you’re engaged to Jeremy” said her mother from behind her. Elena hadn’t heard her approach.

“Oh mother, it’s only a drink for god’s sake, not a proposal of marriage” she replied, not liking her mother’s tone of voice.

“What would Jeremy say? I bet he wouldn‘t be too happy to hear that his fiancée is cavorting with American soldiers whilst he‘s out of the country” her mother retorted.

“Well Jeremy isn’t here, he doesn’t need to know and there’s nothing to tell. Nick is my friend and nothing more” Elena replied defensively, folding her arms across her chest.

“I just hope he doesn’t hear of this” she said as she shook her head, not letting the subject drop.

“Mother!” Elena said and gave her a glare “let’s just change the subject shall we, I‘m going for a drink and that‘s it!”

“Very well dear, I’m going back upstairs” she said with a tut and disappeared back where she’d come from. Elena was glad to see the back of her.

“That told her” laughed Juliet who’d only caught the end of the conversation “so what was she giving you a hard time about?”

“Nick. I’m only going for a drink with him, you’d swear we were eloping the way mother reacted” Elena laughed.

“Don’t let her get to you. I still can’t believe she’s finally accepted that Alex and I are engaged! Remember what she said when he first came to the house? I was mortified!” Juliet said and flushed at the memory of her mother meeting Alex for the first time.

“Oh yes, poor Alex” they both laughed.

“So you’re going out for a drink with Nick eh? I wonder where he was all week?” Juliet wondered.

“He told me he was working”

“Funny that, he’s suddenly free now that Jeremy has gone back” she said knowingly.

“I’m sure he was genuinely working” Elena protested.

“Well enjoy yourself and we might see you there later, unless you want to be alone” she laughed

“Jules!” Elena blushed and hoped her sister wouldn’t notice.

“Just teasing” she said and they got back to work as a couple of customers had entered the shop.

z88;

End Notes:

Sorry if this seemed super cheesy, I couldn't help it, it just came out that way :)  They are having the easiest war ever, lol!

 

Chapter 11 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 11

Nick arrived at the Coach & Horses before Elena and so he went to the bar and ordered drinks and then found a table in the busy pub. He took a few sips of his beer as he waited and looked around nervously, hoping she’d show up. His heart began to beat a little faster when he saw her walking towards him, her brown curls bouncing as she walked and a smile slowly spreading across her face when she realised he’d spotted her.

“Sorry I’m a bit late, mother was giving me a lecture about how wrong it is to be going for a drink with another man when I’m engaged” she said. Nick didn’t need that little reminder; he preferred to forget that Jeremy even existed.

“No worries, I haven’t been here long myself. I got you a sweet white wine, is that alright?” he asked, hoping he’d made the right choice.

“Thanks Nick, that’s perfect” she replied and sat down next to him. They began to chat, conversation coming easily, and before long they were laughing at something silly he’d said.

“You have a beautiful smile, y’know” he told her.

“Thank you” she smiled shyly, not used to such compliments.

“You ought to smile more often”

“Are you going back to work for your dad after the war?” Elena asked, changing the subject to something more appropriate. Although she liked the compliments and enjoyed his company, she knew it was wrong to encourage anything more than a platonic relationship.

“Not a chance! When I get home I’d love to be able to set up on my own in a new place. I’ve been saving up for quite a while already, so we’ll see” he said. He smiled at the thought of home with its good weather and beautiful sandy beaches, a far cry from the unpredictable English climate, but then a frown settled on his face when he thought of Emily. He wondered if she was married now. He was slowly getting over her…in fact he was over her, she was history now as far as Nick was concerned. Howie how told him that these things happen for a reason and they obviously weren’t meant to be. He looked down into his beer and knew that Howie had been right.

“I’m sorry, I hope I haven’t upset you mentioning your family and home” she said with genuine concern, placing her hand on his. He placed his other hand over hers and looked up. Elena felt the buzz of electricity course through her body at his touch and wondered if he felt it too.

“Do you wanna get out of here? Go for a walk? It’s a lovely evening” he asked, hoping she’d say yes.

“I’d like that” she said and they finished what was left of their drinks and made their way out of the now over crowded pub.

It was a lovely warm summer evening, one of those perfect nights for a walk, away from the crowds, out in the open. Before they knew it, they’d left town and were walking up the grassy hills which from the top, provided stunning views for miles around.

“Race you to the top” Nick teased, never thinking Elena would accept the challenge.

“That’s not fair, I’ve got heels on” Elena protested just a little.

“Well take them off!” he replied teasingly.

“You’re on. I must warn you though; I used to be pretty fast”

“Used to be? Well let’s see what you’ve got now then” he said. She took her shoes off and Nick offered to carry them for her, thinking he’d give her a fighting chance, but knowing she would be no match against him. He was also fast.

“Ready?”

“Too right, on three. One, two, three” he said and they began running up the hill, reaching the top at the same time, both slightly breathless.

“That was fun” Emily said and flopped down onto the grass, patting the space next to her for Nick to sit down. He sat down next to her and they looked down at the view below them, it was stunning.

“Does Jeremy bring you up here?”

“Yes, he used to” she sighed

“Do you love him?” Nick asked

“Of course, everyone loves Jeremy”

“But do you love him?” Nick asked.

“I grew up with him Nick, of course I love him. Everyone expects us to get married, it was just always going to happen” she said and began to feel the sting of tears in her eyes.

She was confused; Jeremy was everything she could want in a man. He was a lovely person and they’d been destined for each other since they were only young, her parent’s loved him like a son. Yet here she was with Nick and wondering what it would be like to feel his lips against hers, his arms around her holding her close. She began to shiver, not from the cold but at the feeling of Nick’s closeness to her. More tears flowed.

“Please don’t cry Elena” he consoled “I didn’t mean to upset you”. He put his arm around her and shuffled up closer to her. He could feel her body trembling against his so he pulled her closer and wrapped his other arm around her to warm her up. Before they knew it, their lips were crashing against each others, kissing with a fierce passion neither of them knew they possessed. He lowered her down and leaned over her, never taking his mouth from hers as they now lay down on the grass. How long they stayed like that, just kissing, neither of them knew, but it had begun to get dark when they eventually pulled away.

“We shouldn’t be doing this Nick…but I like it” Elena said and snuggled up against Nick as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

“Me too” he said

They lay there, gazing up at the stars, content in each other’s company. It was after eleven when they eventually decided they’d better make a move and go back into town, it was now pitch black and they only had their torches (which they carried everywhere they went at night) to light the way back. Elena put her shoes back on and Nick then helped her get up, taking her hand in his as they began the walk downhill. They were laughing and chatting, when they heard the unnerving sound of the air raid siren from below.

“Oh god Nick, I’m frightened, we’ll never get to the shelter in time” Elena held his hand tighter, fear sweeping over her. The town had managed to go relatively unharmed by bombers compared to other towns and cities, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen.

“It’s going to be alright, now let’s turn off these torches quickly and sit it out” he said and took the torch from her hand and switched it off then sat her down next to him and placed his arms around her protectively. Not that it would help, he knew that, but he also knew she was terrified and needed to feel reassured.

The planes flew overhead, they couldn’t see them very clearly, but they could hear them, their engines humming high above. Nick and Elena held each other tight; both scared of what may happen in the next few minutes as they sat in silence, praying that everything would be alright. The hum of the aircraft engines grew more distant but Nick and Elena didn’t move, they just remained where they were, holding each other close until eventually the siren went off to signal that all was clear.

“Thank you” she barely whispered

“I didn’t do anything”

“You were there for me” she said and kissed him softly.

They continued their walk back into town, Nick’s arm around protectively around Elena’s shoulders and Elena’s arm around his waist.

“Goodnight Nick” she said when they had reached her front door “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Definitely” he replied and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek before turning to head back to base. He hoped he’d get a lift back with someone passing, there was bound to be some traffic about after the all clear from the air raid.

Elena closed the door and leaned against it, closing her eyes and imagining Nick’s lips against hers once again, she was in love for the first time and it felt good. But it didn’t stop her feeling guilty about Jeremy, whom she’d have to tell on his next visit home.

End Notes:

Everything seems so perfect for them, but it won't be for long!  Thanks for reading even if some of it is a bit sappy, lol.

Chapter 12 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 12

Under normal circumstances a wedding takes a lot of preparation and planning, not to mention the cost, but these weren’t normal circumstances. Alex and Juliet had got engaged only a couple of weeks previously, but it was long enough to arrange their wedding. They didn‘t want anything fancy, just a small ceremony without much fuss. All they wanted was to be husband and wife and to spend every moment they possibly could together before he was sent away. Rumour had it that they were shipping out in the next week or so. Alex hoped it was only a rumour. He was getting used to life in England and didn’t relish the idea of being made to fight in a war. All the training in the world wouldn’t change his views on combat.

~*~

“But you’ve got to wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. It’s tradition!” Elena told her sister as they served customers in the shop just a couple of days before the wedding.

“She’s right you know” said one of the regulars who’d been listening to the conversation.

“Since when did I ever do anything traditional” Juliet laughed.

“True. But you only get married once, you have to do it the right way” Elena told her.

“Well I’m borrowing Louise‘s dress, it‘s really lovely and fits me perfectly. I’ve got mother’s veil so that’s my something old and something borrowed. It’s just the something blue and new I’ve got to get. It doesn’t matter anyway, it’s just a silly tradition” she said, never one to really care for tradition.

“Well, we’ve got a couple of days yet, we’ll think of something” Elena replied.

The rest of the wedding preparations were all taken care of and Nick had made the most beautiful cake for the twosome as a wedding gift.

~*~

“Oh Jules, you look so beautiful” said Elena as her sister did a twirl for her, the dress a perfect fit and looking like it was made just for her. You would never have known it had been worn before.

“Will Alex approve do you think?” she asked as she looked at her reflection in the mirror and applied a little more make-up.

“He will be speechless” her sister replied.

“And I’ve even got something new” Juliet flashed her legs and showed off the new stockings which Alex had given her the day before. He had his sources and could get his hands on all sorts of luxuries that were hard to come by at the moment for the average British person.

“Hmm, so you just need something blue” Elena mused.

“What about these earrings?” announced Mrs Armitage holding up a pair of beautiful sapphire drop earrings for her daughter to see “they were a present to me from your father a long, long time ago so be careful not to lose them”

“Thanks mother, they’re perfect” she said taking them and carefully putting them on “I think we’re ready to go now, I can’t wait to see Alex”

“I can’t believe my little girl is all grown up and getting married” said Mrs Armitage as she looked at her youngest daughter proudly “I just wish your brother could’ve been here too”

“Aww mother, we all do, but I’m sure wherever he is now, he will be watching” said Elena as she handed a handkerchief to her mother.

“Are my beautiful ladies ready to go?” asked Mr Armitage, popping his head around the door.

“Yes, we’re all ready. What do you think?” asked Juliet, doing a twirl for her father.

“I think you look absolutely lovely love. Now come on or he’ll think you’ve stood him up” he said trying to hurry them out of the house and into the waiting car.

The wedding was a very small affair, just a few people in attendance. Alex had written to his parents to let them know he was getting married and although he knew they couldn’t be there, he was sure they would approve of Juliet. He looked forward to the day he would be able to take her home to meet them.

As Juliet walked into the church on her father‘s arm, Alex turned and smiled, he felt like the happiest man on earth.

“She’s gorgeous” he said to himself as he watched her walk down the aisle. He never dreamed that this day would come. He’d always been a ladies man and never one to settle down with someone for long, but that had all changed the day he met Juliet. They were meant to be together.

They said their vows and each placed a thin gold band on one another’s finger and when they were pronounced husband and wife, they held each other close in a deep kiss.

“I love you Mrs McLean” he whispered in her ear.

“I love you too Mr McLean” she replied.

All the way through the ceremony, Nick had been unable to keep his eyes off Elena. Since the evening of their first kiss, they’d seen each other as much as possible. They both knew it was wrong to be seeing each other behind Jeremy’s back, but it didn’t stop them, they seemed to be drawn to one another like magnets. Elena vowed she was going to break it off with Jeremy when he next came home on leave as she didn’t think it right to tell him in a letter. Nick agreed having been on the receiving end of such a letter.

The wedding reception was held back at the house as they didn’t have enough money to hire somewhere special, but the house had been decorated with banners and balloons and looked great. Alex and Juliet were rendered speechless when they set eyes on the fancy three tier wedding cake taking pride of place on the table.

“Surprise!” Nick announced to her newly married friends.

“When…how did you manage to keep this from me?” Alex asked, still shocked that his friend had made such a stunning cake for him.

“It’s not too hard” Nick laughed.

“Thank you so much” Juliet gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah, thanks man” Alex said “we really appreciate it”

“What kind of best man would I be if I didn’t make sure the happy couple had a wedding cake. Consider it my gift to you both” Nick told them.

“You’d never know we were on rations” said Juliet looking at the sight before her. It wasn’t just the wedding cake, but a table full of party food.

After cutting the cake and spending a couple of hours enjoying themselves with family and friends, it was time for the newlyweds to leave. Alex hadn’t told his wife, but he’d booked a weekend away in Wales for their honeymoon. Their train was leaving in just over an hour so they had to get a move on. Elena had packed her sister’s suitcase for her as she was in on the surprise.

“The car’s here” Alex said and thanked everyone for what had been a lovely day.

“But I thought we were just spending a night at the hotel in town” said Juliet a little puzzled.

“Well, you thought wrong my darling, you’ll see” he teased her as he opened the car door to allow his wife to climb in.

Before getting into the car, Juliet turned back to her family and friends and thanked them all.

“Get ready to catch” she called as she held her bouquet ready to throw. She watched as it flew through the air and came tumbling down straight into her sister’s hands. Elena looked at Nick and then looked away quickly, blushing furiously.

“It’ll be you and Jeremy next!” said her mother.

“Yes” was all Elena could say.

“Goodbye everyone, see you soon” said Juliet and climbed into the car with Alex. The car moved away and they waved out of the window until the crowd were specks in the distance.

They spent a blissful weekend at a lovely hotel in North Wales, with their own balcony overlooking miles of sandy beach. It was like a different world to the small Yorkshire town Juliet was from.

End Notes:

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 13 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 13

 

The mood in camp was quite low and had been for days, ever since the rumours started circulating. It was feared that by the end of the week - if not before - they’d be shipped out. There was definitely something going on behind the scenes, although no one was saying anything yet.

After he’d finished for the day, Nick couldn’t get out of there fast enough, he had to see Elena. It might be his last chance and he couldn’t go without saying goodbye.

“Nick!” Elena said as she saw him enter the shop, a smile slowly began to spread across her face.

“Elena there are paying customers waiting to be served” called her mother and Nick was on the receiving end of an icy stare from Mrs Armitage, who wasn’t at all happy with the amount of time her daughter was spending with the American.

“Yes mother” Elena replied and then in a quiet voice only Nick could hear asked if she would see him later.

“Sure, top of the hill after you finish?” Nick queried and Elena nodded her head. Nick left the shop with a spring in his step and a smile on his face.

Nick took a wander through the small town, stopping off to purchase a bag of fish and chips (he was getting used to this British food) before heading towards his and Elena’s meeting place on the hill. He sat down and began eating the delicious hot chips as he looked out for Elena.

He really was becoming quite fond of this place, it would be hard to leave it after the months he‘d spent there. He finished his food and laid back on the grass, his eyes closed as he thought about what the future held. The next thing he knew, Elena was stood by his side. He quickly got to his feet and looked her up and down admiringly. He wondered if tonight would be the last time he’d see her.

“Mother would have a fit if she knew I was with you, but I can’t help my feelings…I love you” she said as she stepped into his open arms.

“I love you too Elena” he replied and brought his lips crashing down onto hers, pulling her close against his body. Elena returned his kiss hungrily, her hands running through his blonde hair. They kissed and talked, then kissed and talked some more before Nick walked Elena back home.

Nick made his way back to base, he was so happy that he wanted to shout it from the rooftops. His happy bubble soon burst though.

Word was out, they were leaving tomorrow.

That night, none of them really managed to sleep, how could they? They were being sent to face the enemy tomorrow, destined for France, where all the action was. They’d had it pretty easy so far, but now they’d have to put all that training and practice into action, now it was all going to be for real.

“I wish this fucking war was over” Alex said “we’re being sent to god knows where, for god knows how long. I’m not even going to get the chance to say goodbye to my wife, what will she think? That I’ve just deserted her?”

“Listen buddy, we’re gonna be alright, we’re a team, we’re gonna look out for each other. We probably won’t even see much action. Do you think they’d send their best cooks out to fight?” Nick assured him.

“Juliet will understand, there’s no possible way for you to sneak out tonight, security is too tight, but she’ll know you wouldn’t just leave” Brian said, putting his hand on Alex’s shoulder.

“Thanks guys” Alex replied, glad he had friends around him in his time of need.

Although Nick had assured Alex that everything would be alright, he couldn‘t help feeling that life was so unfair. He’d had one of the best nights of his life and now had to leave. He knew Elena was nothing like Emily, but would she be prepared to wait for him? Would it be fair to expect that of her when she already had a fiancé? He’d finally found the girl of his dreams and now he may never see her again. Life was cruel sometimes.

At five in the morning, after little or no sleep, they all had to get up and shower, have breakfast and then pack what little possessions they had into their duffle bags. It was time to go.

Before setting off though, they were summoned for a briefing, to find out more about where they were going and what they were expected to do. Some of the Air Force personnel would be parachuting into France behind enemy lines, whilst the Army would be heading there on the many small ships which were destined for Normandy.

Luckily for the four friends, they were taking the long road and sailing in together. It didn‘t make it any easier or safer as there were German U boats all over the place, but at least they stood more of a chance being in a boat than a plane. If a plane was shot down, chance of survival was minimal, whereas the chances were a little more in your favour in a boat.

Truck load after truck load left the base, thundering through the villages on their way to war. All the locals had come out of their houses to see them off, many of them shocked at the sudden departure of the Americans.

There were women crying as they scanned the crowded trucks for their loved ones, a couple of them pregnant and scared of being left to have an illegitimate baby and the shame it would bring on them. There were children cheering and waving, not fully understanding that there was nothing glamorous about war. Older men and women wishing them luck and passing food and drink into the trucks. It seemed as if everyone had come to see them go.

“Can you see Juliet?” Alex was asking as he looked out into the crowds, a sense of urgency in his voice “I have to see her, I can’t go without saying goodbye”

“She’s got to be here somewhere Alex” Brian said looking out over the crowds of people, looking for the faces that had become familiar to them over the past few months.

“Alex, Nick, there they are” Howie called out and pointed over to the right.

Alex and Nick jumped off the truck whilst it was moving; fortunately it was going pretty slow so they’d easily be able to catch up. They pushed their way through the crowds of people, as Elena and Juliet did the same, meeting up in the middle of a crowded street.

“I love you Jules, never forget that” Alex said holding her close in his arms and then smothering her with kisses “I will be back just as soon as I can”

They stood there both of them crying and holding each other tight, neither wanting to let go “I love you too Alex, so much. Write to me whenever you can please. I’ll be waiting and praying that you stay safe”

“Knowing that I have you to return to will keep me going” he said, not caring that tears were rolling down his face.

Nick and Elena were having a similar conversation, holding each other close and crying. “Can I write to you?” he asked.

“Of course and I will write to you. Please be safe Nick” she cried.

“I’m coming back, remember that” he promised and kissed her. He hoped that next time he saw her she would’ve had the chance to tell Jeremy. Only then could he propose to her.

“Goodbye Nick” Elena called out, her voice getting lost in the sounds of everyone else. Nick turned back and smiled, mouthing the words ‘I love you’ before running to catch the truck.

~*~

Elena and Juliet consoled each other as they walked back towards their home, both of them totally devastated that this had been sprung so suddenly without a proper chance to say goodbye.

“I hope they’ll be alright” Juliet said as tears ran down her face “Alex hates violence, I can’t imagine him having to fight for survival”

“Let’s try to stay positive, they’ve been training for months, they wouldn’t be sent to fight if they weren’t fit for it would they?” Elena said, hoping that she was right.

“I suppose you are right”

“You know I am, and anyway, they are cooks, they won’t be on the front line” Elena said and silently prayed to god that that was the case. She couldn’t imagine life without Nick in it.

End Notes:

Poor boys, it's goodbye England and hello hell :(  Thanks for reading!

Chapter 14 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 14

After a long a bumpy drive from Yorkshire down to the south of England, the troops of the 16th Division of the 1st Infantry weren’t in the best of spirits. The last thing any of them wanted was a night crossing to France. The port was in what looked like chaos, so many people milling around, it was a wonder anyone knew what they were doing. Alex thought about turning around and sneaking away, getting word to Juliet and the pair of them hiding out somewhere like Wales until the war was over. Who would notice apart from his friends? But the more he thought about it, the more he realised he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t let them go and fight whilst he hid like a coward; his conscience wouldn’t let him. He was terrified, he was against war, but he wasn’t going to be labelled a coward. Besides, he had no idea what would happen if he was caught and prosecuted for desertion, in the old days, deserters had been shot by a firing squad. He wondered if that still applied in the 1940’s. He didn’t want to take the chance of finding out.

“Where are we supposed to go? I can’t remember and it’s crazy here!” Nick exclaimed.

“Division?” queried a man in navy uniform.

“Sixteenth…E Company” Nick replied.

“Over there” the man pointed to where a queue of men was already gathering. “Good luck boys”

“Thanks” Howie replied.

In the chaos, the group of friends had lost sight of many of their division, including their Captain.

The ship was hardly the height of luxury, in fact there was nothing remotely comfortable about it, but with the nervous tension on board, it could’ve been a top of the range cruise ship and no one would’ve noticed. Everyone was just sitting around in subdued silence, fearing the unknown. If anyone managed a couple of hours sleep, they were in the minority.

The crossing seemed to be going smoothly, no sign of the Germans after they’d reached more than halfway across the English Channel. The Allies had learned their lesson well after a rehearsed invasion had ended with German U boats torpedoing their ships and killing hundreds of men. They were better prepared this time and hoped for more success.

“What do you think it’ll be like, y’know, when we get there?” asked Nick as he looked out into the darkness.

“I think it’s going to be how I imagine hell to be” replied Alex “it’s gonna be fucking awful”

“Do you think we’ll actually have to kill anyone?” asked Nick again, he was talking out of nervousness, he knew it.

“I think we’re gonna have to do a whole lot of things that aren’t in our nature” said Brian sadly.

Just then they heard an explosion in the distance. Had it been a bomb? Had one of their ships gone down? It brought home to them just how dangerous this was going to be and if they got off this ship alive, they’d have to keep their wits about them.

Word went around that it had in fact been one of their ships which had been bombed. Other ships in the vicinity had gone to the rescue to try and save as many people as possible. The RAF flew overhead and blew the German ship to smithereens. The rest of the crossing was one of unease. The men all praying that if they had to die, it be an instant death.

“I want to go home” one man began crying, rocking himself back and forth manically.

He wasn’t the only one.

Anyone who said they were feeling alright was a liar. There were men being sick all over the place, and possibly not just being sick.

AJ wished he’d run when he had the chance. He wished he’d hitched a ride back to Juliet and run off to some remote Welsh village. Firing squad might have been preferable to the unknown method of death which waited.

Howie didn’t want to think about what lay ahead. Anything but that. Instead he pictured the classroom full of happy children in the elementary school where he taught. He wondered if his - hopefully temporary - replacement was doing as good a job as he had.

Brian was wishing he was back on his family’s farm in Kentucky. Some farmers were excluded from the call up, but with more than enough capable farm hands working at the Littrell farm, Brian being the youngest and of age was considered eligible. He wished he’d set up on his own, started the dairy farm he’d been dreaming of owning since marrying a few years back. They wouldn’t have got him then.

And Nick…he closed his eyes and pictured home. He decided that if he survived this, he was going to go back to England for Elena and take her home with him.

~*~

In the early hours of the morning, Captain Cavill drilled the men once more before they landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy, Northern France. Before the men had even begun disembarking they were immediately under fire from the Germans who were guarding the area heavily.

Bullets were flying in every direction, men were being blown out of the water before they‘d even had a chance to step on French land, blood and guts everywhere turning the water crimson; it was a horrendous sight and one that no survivor would ever forget.

“Stay low, weave in and out, don’t stay on a straight course” shouted their captain, his voice full of authority. But before he had a chance to guide his troops any further, a German bullet tore a hole in his face, brain matter splattered behind him and he crumpled in a heap in the wet sand.

“Fuck” Nick cried out. He’d been just a couple of feet away from him. If could’ve been him…could still be him being gunned down.

The men tried to do as their captain had advised, moving as quickly as possible to get to safety. Adrenaline pumped through their veins, it was the only thing to keep them going.

“What the fuck is all this about? We don’t stand a chance do we?” said Alex shaking his head in despair when he reached shelter behind a huge rock further up the beach. The rock was a peculiar shape and was large enough to hide about six or seven men from the rain of bullets.

“Listen to me, with an attitude like that man, then no you won’t. You have to stay strong, stay positive and listen to me now” a voice with the ring of authority said from the side of him.

“And who the fuck are you?” asked Alex, not trusting a word anyone said. His captain was dead; god knows how many others were dead. The beach was strewn with dead and injured men, rivers of blood flowing down to the water or gathered in pools on the wet sand. It was sickening, truly gut wrenching.

“I’m Captain Kevin Richardson, 17th Division, the guy you’re gonna want to listen to from now on” the dark haired Captain replied with a smirk.

End Notes:

So gorgeous Captain Kev is finally with them, but are they all safe?  Thanks for reading :)

Chapter 15 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 15

 

 

Alex apologised profusely for talking to a senior officer in such an inappropriate manner. How he hadn’t noticed the difference in uniform was beyond him. But then again, noticing a man’s uniform was not top of his list of priorities at the moment; staying alive was.

“Don’t worry about it and let’s drop all the formality whilst we’re here, it’s Kevin or Richardson” he advised the men, looking them over with his piercing green eyes.

Alex nodded and decided he liked this captain already. He was a no nonsense kind of man, a strong leader and someone who wasn’t going to bullshit them; just what they needed right now. A confident leader instilled confidence in his men.

“So what’s going on Kevin?” Nick asked the older man, hoping that he had an idea of what they were supposed to do to get out of the sticky situation they’d found themselves in. “It’s obvious we can’t move from here without being shot to a million pieces”

“There’s a team of men who are at this very moment, scaling the walls to take out the German lookout and any soldiers around there. Once their snipers are out of the picture, the rest shouldn’t be too difficult to take down. When the area is secure, we move out” Kevin announced confidently. He saw no reason for failure as the men were highly trained for combat and keen to seek revenge for what had just played out on the beach.

“So we just have to sit tight then? Wait for a signal or something?” asked Howie, not feeling much confidence that they would succeed. The sights he’d witnessed not long ago would forever haunt him. How could so many men be killed in such short a time? It didn’t give the former elementary school teacher much hope.

“That’s right” Kevin replied, giving Howie a reassuring look. He had no intention of dying today or another other day in this war.

“Where’s Brian? I’ve not seen him since we left the boat” Nick suddenly realised and looked around, fear and panic washing over him as he thought of his friend getting caught up in the gun fire. He felt sick as he looked at the sea of blood and the mutilated bodies scattered on the sand.

“Oh god, please don’t let him die here” begged Alex, biting his lip in worry. He felt guilty for not having noticed Brian missing sooner. Then he thought of Brian’s family back home and felt even worse. He didn’t know them, but he felt as if he did after hearing his friend talk about them so often.

“I’ll stand up and see if I can see him” announced Howie, although he didn’t hold out much hope of seeing him again, it was carnage on the beach.

“Be careful” Kevin warned, not wanting to lose one of his newly acquired men. He’d already lost so many today.

Howie stood slowly and scanned the beach for signs of Brian, hoping and praying that he was still alive.

“Any sign of him?” asked Nick hopefully.

“No…not yet” Howie replied and turned his attention back to the beach for one last look.

He was just about to duck back down and give up when he saw him, crawling along the beach, not far from where they were hiding. His uniform was covered with blood, but he seemed able to move with ease. Howie figured the blood might belong to someone else.

“Brian” he called, trying not to raise his voice too much for fear of being heard. “Over here”

Brian looked up and around, not knowing where the voice was coming from. Howie called out his name again and then Brian saw his friend and scurried as fast as he could towards him, completely undetected by the enemy.

“Thank god, I thought you guys had been killed” said Brian as he slumped down behind the rock breathlessly. He was safe for now and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Brian?” said Kevin in wonder.

“Kevin! What are you doing here?” Brian asked, completely shocked to see a familiar face from home.

“You know each other?” Nick asked, looking from one to the other.

“We’re cousins” they said together.

“Small world!” AJ exclaimed.

“Kev, what the hell are you doing here?” Brian asked again. He knew his cousin had joined up; in fact he’d joined up a long time before Brian had, but didn’t expect to find him here.

“I moved up the ranks and now here I am…a Captain…your new captain actually” Kevin replied with a smirk for his younger cousin.

“Well, I for one am glad you are with us” Brian said and gave him a hug. When they’d been kids, Brian always knew that nothing bad would ever happen to him as long as Kevin was around. He hoped now that they were older that it still applied.

The five men sat huddled up in their hiding place, listening to Kevin’s stories while they waited for either the all clear…or to be faced with the enemy.

~*~*~*~

It had started off as a normal Saturday morning in the Armitage house, nothing out of the ordinary. Elena was working in the shop and was rushed off her feet as they had had a new delivery which had been eagerly awaited. In fact it was so busy that she didn’t notice the telegram boy ride past on his bike…a sight which would usually not go unnoticed as it was a sight that everyone dreaded. And so she carried on serving her customers as usual.

About an hour later, the door of the shop opened and in walked a sombre looking Edward; Jeremy’s younger brother. Elena immediately knew that something was wrong, Edward was such a happy young man usually.

“Edward, what’s wrong? What’s happened? Are your parents alright?” she asked and then her heart sank as she thought the worst “Is it Jeremy?”

Edward couldn’t contain the tears anymore “We had a telegram…” he sobbed “his plane…was shot down……..he’s dead Elena”

“Oh my god, no…” Elena said bringing her hands to her face in horror. “No, he can’t be dead”

“It’s true” Edward sobbed and Elena immediately flung her arms around the boy and they stood there crying together. Edward was only fifteen and adored his older brother, they were such a close family, and god only knows how his parents were taking the news. Probably the same way her parents had taken the news of William’s death. How were you supposed to react to the death of a child?

They stood there comforting each other in their grief, oblivious to anyone around them. One of the customers had realised what must’ve happened and ushered everyone out of the shop and turned the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed’. There was no way the Armitage family would be able to run the shop today.

“What’s going on?” asked Mrs Armitage coming downstairs. The shop had become eerily quiet, the sound of chatty customers had ceased and she wanted to know why.

“Mother…..it’s Jeremy” Elena said, looking up at her with red rimmed, teary eyes. She didn’t need to say another word, Mrs Armitage knew. She also began to cry silent tears, Jeremy had been like part of the family, was going to become family on his next leave, and now he was gone, it just wasn’t fair.

“Go on Edward, you’d better get home to your parents, please give them my sincere condolences” Mrs Armitage said, walking him over to the door. She watched him walk home and then closed the door and locked it.

She turned to look at her eldest daughter who was stood there with tears streaming down her face “Oh Elena…come here” she said and they flung their arms around each other, crying until they were all cried out.

End Notes:

Poor Jeremy!  But he had to go one way or another :(

Chapter 16 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 16

After being cooped up together behind the rocks for what seemed like hours, Captain Kevin Richardson’s men finally gave the all clear signal. They’d taken out a substantial number of lookout nests, which were situated all along the top of the cliffs and therefore the perfect location for gunning down unsuspecting soldiers just off the boat. With them gone, they had more of a fighting chance of getting off the beach.

“Right then men, let’s get out of here” Kevin said looking across the beach at the sea of blood and guts, at the hundreds - or maybe thousands - of men who had perished before they’d even stepped foot on solid French ground. Those soldiers hadn’t stood a chance against the barrage of bullets which had been fired at them.

“Well, I for one am glad we sat that out” Alex said as he looked on with horror. He felt sure that the sight before him would be etched on his brain forever.

“Me too” said Nick shaking his head. How did it come to this? When did human life become to mean so little that it could be just snuffed out in the blink of an eye?

“Well, don’t get too optimistic just yet, we still have a long way to go” Kevin warned them. “Just because the lookout nests have been secured doesn’t mean there aren’t other pockets of Germans to contend with. Grab whatever guns and ammunition you can and let’s move out”

“And where are we supposed to go? We’ve been told nothing; it’s an absolute shambles” said Howie. He hoped Kevin had a much needed answer.

“I know it is, and I’ll keep you informed as much as I can. We weren’t expecting this, nothing could’ve prepared us for this” Kevin replied. He wondered what had happened to the armoured tanks which were supposed to land on the beach with them? There had been no sign of them; not even one out of the twenty nine Sherman tanks could be seen.

Getting off that beach was going to be much harder than they ever imagined though. The cliff top nests may have been blown up, but there were a whole load of other obstacles to navigate. One such obstacle being land mines. As if being gunned down from above wasn’t bad enough, now the men had to tread carefully too.

“Keep your eyes to the ground” Kevin warned having learned the hard way just how barbaric mine fields could be. Just when the men thought they were actually gaining some ground and might possibly get off the godforsaken beach, one of them happened to step on something which triggered an explosion large enough to blow him apart…literally. His head landed upturned at Kevin’s feet, making the Captain feel quite nauseous. He’d seen a lot of truly awful sights in a few short hours, but this was the worst by far.

“How do we know what to look for?” Nick asked. They’d had some training, but treading through mine fields wasn’t something a chef was supposed to worry about. What happened to looking after the catering staff? He guessed that didn’t apply now. Who needed catering anyway? They may never eat again!

“We don’t know what to look for, they’re probably covered” Kevin replied bitterly. As far as he was concerned, planting those kinds of bombs was cowardly and unnecessarily cruel. “But they are usually khaki coloured and round. If you happen to step on one, you’ll hear a click which triggers the mechanism inside. But it’s when you step off it that the bomb explodes”

“Fuck…we’re doomed” Alex muttered. How were they supposed to get through hidden bombs? He wished he’d listened to his gut instinct which had told him to run and hide before getting on the boat. He could’ve been nice and safe somewhere in England with Juliet. He wouldn’t have even cared if the military police had found him and locked him up for desertion; at least he’d be away from this hell hole.

“My thoughts exactly” Brian replied. In another life, he wouldn’t dream of using language like that, he was a mild mannered, church going family man. Times like these meant that the usual etiquette didn’t apply. He hoped God would forgive him for the things he was going to say and do. “Fucking Germans!”

“So how are we gonna do this?” Howie asked, keen to get the hell out of there rather than standing around talking about it. Not that he had anything against planning a route out; he just wanted to move before anything else bad happened. Just because a few lookouts had been destroyed didn’t mean they were free of German soldiers, they could be hidden in trenches, waiting for them to get close enough to gun them down. He shuddered at the thought.

“Follow me…and I mean in my exact footsteps” Kevin advised. Using his rifle to poke the ground in front of him, he cautiously moved forward inch by terrifying inch. He may be in command and therefore putting a brave front on for the sake of his men, but inside he was shaking with fear.

They were making good - if somewhat slow - progress. Kevin had nudged a couple of objects with his rifle which could’ve been landmines, and then ever so carefully they had avoided them. He kept repeating to his men the importance of following him exactly, and to their credit, they listened. But then one man made a wrong move. The click of the landmine echoed in everyone’s ears and the man - only aged eighteen at the most - let out a terrified gasp.

“Captain, what do I do?” he asked as he stood statue still.

“Just stay where you are Bellamy” Kevin warned whilst backing away slowly. He had to get the others away from him, because when that thing went off, it might take someone else along with it too. “Move back everyone, let’s get some room here”

“You’re not gonna leave me here?” he asked in panic, his foot shuffling a little on the deadly device underneath him.

“Bellamy, stay still!” Kevin warned again. “Let me think how we’re going to do this”

Kevin figured that if they could somehow slip something weighty into Bellamy’s place, that the boy would be saved. But what? They all carried a back pack, but even the heaviest one wasn’t as heavy as a person. Kevin wondered if it mattered.

“Captain…” Bellamy whined “I can’t stand still for much longer”

“You have to” Alex called out. He’d seen enough bloodshed already and it sickened him. He didn’t want to add seeing a man blown apart to the list of horrors he’d already seen today.

“Bellamy, listen to me, I’m going to get you out of there” Kevin told him. He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he had every intention of trying.

Kevin took his back pack off his back and held it out, testing its weight. It was heavy but needed more weight to it, although he didn’t know what else he could add.

“Here” Nick handed over his water bottle.

“You can have mine too” Brian volunteered.

“Thanks” Kevin replied and stuffed them into his bag. It weighed a little more, but still not enough. It would have to be though. “Bellamy, I’m going to push this bag towards you. As it touches your foot, I want you to carefully move backwards off the landmine. No sudden movements”

“Yes sir” Bellamy replied as sweat dripped off him.

Kevin began pushing the bag over with his rifle. He was still much to close for his liking, but hoped he was far enough away to avoid injury should his plan go wrong.

But Bellamy got a bit too carried away. He moved his foot before the bag reached the mine and it was the last move he ever made.

Kevin saw it all as if it was being played in slow motion and moved backwards. The bomb went off, taking Bellamy’s life with it.

End Notes:

Thanks for reading :)

Chapter 17 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 17

 

Kevin thought the ringing sound in his ears would never go away. It was three hours since one of his men, Bellamy, had become yet another victim in this savage war; blown apart by a mine hidden in the sand.

“Sir…I mean Kevin, do you think we’re all gonna die out here?” another young soldier asked, fear in his eyes as he looked for answers from his captain. He couldn’t have been more than eighteen years of age and didn’t look old enough to be a part of this. But then who did look as if they belonged?

“I can’t make any promises I’m afraid” Kevin replied. He didn’t want to lie to his men. He’d promised Bellamy he’d get him out of there and look what had happened; he’d failed. He’d made a promise he couldn’t keep and he swore to himself that he wouldn’t do that again. He knew he’d done everything he could for the man, but it didn’t make it any better, he’d promised something he couldn’t deliver. “The best we can do is work together as a team, remain vigilant at all times and look out for one another”

With the mine field seemingly finally behind them, the men could all breathe a little easier. They were now on more solid ground with a huge wall of rock in front of them and not much chance of anything being hidden beneath their feet. The problem they now had to overcome was getting up the cliff face unscathed. Even though the lookouts had been destroyed, there could still be Germans lurking, just waiting for their opportunity to spill more American blood. Kevin had to be cautious, he was the most senior officer now and therefore the men’s lives were in his hands.

He looked around to see where the radio operator was, he’d not seen him since getting off the boat, but now needed him for further instructions from the command centre.

“Has anyone seen Eric?” Kevin asked. Eric was the radio operator and without radio they would be in serious trouble as it was their only link to the outside world.

“Who’s Eric?” Nick asked. There had been thousands of men on the beach, and he only knew a small percentage.

“Radio operator…oh, there he is over there. Eric, over here!” Kevin called out to a stocky looking man carrying the portable radio device in one hand whilst the other hand clutched the receiver as he spoke animatedly into it. Eric looked up when he heard his name and acknowledged Kevin with a nod of his head.

The special team of men who’d already scaled the cliff and destroyed the lookouts also had a communication device with them, so before sending his men into the unknown, Kevin wanted confirmation that the area was indeed relatively secure. He didn’t want for them to climb that wall and then be faced with a bullet to the head.

“Sir, we’ve got the green light to proceed as planned” Eric told his senior officer as he reached him.

And so with no other way off the beach, the men began their ascent up the jagged rocks, hoping that when they got to the top, no nasty surprises would be waiting.

~*~

With no body recovered in order to ship home and bury, Jeremy’s family held a simple but emotional memorial service for him. It was as if the whole town stopped what it was doing to pay tribute to yet another one of its young men who’d been taken too soon.

Elena stood with her family as she wiped away a few stray tears for the man who’d been a part of her life since they were children.

It was two weeks since the news had arrived of his death, and Elena was slowly coming to terms with the fact that she would never see Jeremy again. He’d been a good man; too good for her. She felt guilty for the way she’d behaved with Nick. How could she have had feelings for someone else when she was supposed to be getting married? She’d known it was wrong, but it hadn’t stopped her. Now Jeremy was dead and Nick was in France somewhere; the possibility that she may never see him again either brought on fresh tears.

Mrs Armitage put her arm around her eldest daughter, not knowing what to say to make it all better. There were no words. Nothing would take away the pain of losing a loved one; she was still hurting over the loss of William.

“I’ve got to get away from here” Elena eventually pulled away and ran. People looked her way, pity on their faces, but they understood her need to escape. Not only had she lost her brother, but now her fiancé. It was a cruel world. But her tears weren’t just for the man they were all gathered for, and that’s what had made her run.

She ran and ran, not stopping until she got to the place where she knew she could be alone with her thoughts; the hill where she’d spent so many evenings with Nick.

“Please don’t let him die too” she cried to the sky, as if that held all the answers. She knew it was wrong to be thinking of Nick today of all days, but she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t change her feelings for him anymore than she could change what had happened to Jeremy.

It had been weeks since Nick had left, and yet she’d received no letter from him. She’d sent him about a dozen, knowing that letters meant the world to a soldier when he was away from everything he knew and loved. Had he received them and replied? Were the letters from him on their way? Or had he forgotten the English girl who’d fallen in love with him? Elena hoped he was safe, wherever he was, and that he’d get the chance to send her word that he was alright.

A couple of hours later, she walked back into town, her tears had dried up and she was ready to face the world once again.

“Are you alright?” Louise asked when Elena walked into the house and found her friend and sister talking in the front room. Juliet hugged her sister close.

“I’m fine” Elena replied with a half smile for her friend. She wasn’t the first, and she wouldn’t be the last person to lose someone. She had to pull herself together and carry on like everyone else did. “How are you? Last time we spoke you were looking a little under the weather”

“Well…there is a reason for that” Louise couldn’t stop the grin which started to spread across her face. “I’m pregnant! Can you believe it, I’m going to have a baby and I want you two to be godmothers”

“Congratulations!” Elena hugged her friend, glad of some happy news in amongst all the sadness. “And I’d be honoured to be godmother”

Later that night, after Louise had gone home and Juliet had gone to sleep, Elena pulled out her writing paper and pen and began writing another letter to Nick.


 

My Dearest Nick,

I don’t know if you will receive this letter, or whether you’ll receive any of the letters I’ve sent. But I hope you got the one which included a photo of the two of us taken at Juliet and Alex’s wedding, such a happy day.

It was Jeremy’s memorial service today, and I’m ashamed to admit that I ran away before the end. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I know everyone thinks it was because I was too upset about him being killed - and I am upset, Jeremy was a good man whom I did love - but the truth is, I ran because I felt guilty because I didn’t love him as much as I love you.

I love you Nick, please be safe wherever you are.

All my love,

Elena

xx

 

 

 

She folded the letter and placed it in an envelope ready for posting in the morning, then switched off the lamp and climbed into bed.

End Notes:

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I hope you're still with me

Chapter 18 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 18

It was a good thing Nick and his friends had undergone the tough physical training back in England, because without it, they wouldn’t have made it to the top of the jagged rocks. They were worn out and sweating profusely, but they’d done it. All they wanted to do was rest, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, not when the enemy could be lurking in the shadows and waiting for an easy opportunity to attack.

“I would give anything to be able to just lie down and sleep…even for just a couple of hours” Alex groaned. The men were exhausted and running on adrenaline and fear alone.

“Me too. I’d give my left leg for a comfy bed!” Nick exclaimed.

“Once we’re away from this danger, we’ll find somewhere to shelter for the night” Kevin advised, looking at each and every one of the men under his command. He was just as tired, but he couldn’t let it get to him. He had to remain focused on the job, which was to clear the area of Germans and get the hell away from this damn beach.

The men moved cautiously, eyes like hawks as they scanned the area, but after approximately an hour they realised the enemy had either been killed or retreated. They were safe for now.

They were now away from the utter devastation of Omaha Beach and making their way inland on an old dirt road, figuring it better to stay off the beaten track. The sun was setting on what had been the worst day of their lives, and the men could only hope that tomorrow would bring them more luck; that was if tomorrow ever came.

Physically and mentally drained, after a couple of hours of walking, they decided to stop for the night. The air had a slight chill to it, even though it was summer. Maybe it had nothing to do with the weather, the chill they all seemed to feel, and maybe it was the situation they were in. They came across a deserted farmhouse, the occupants long gone by the state of the place. It had been ransacked by previous passers by; all that had been left was furniture that was too big to carry, like the beds in the bedrooms and a worn and tired looking sofa. For the men of the 16th and 17th division though, it was sufficient for their needs. They were too tired to care; all they wanted was a place to get their heads down, and to be sheltered from German gunfire. They slept as many as they could fit into a bed, and surprisingly managed to sleep with ease, fatigue had taken over and their worries were forgotten for the night.

They awoke early the next morning, to the sound of the birds singing in the trees and the sun shining brightly through the grubby windows. They’d survived their first night in France, but this was only the beginning.

A couple of the man went outside to try and scrounge up something to eat. Although the farm was no longer operational, they hoped to at least find something edible. For once, luck was with them. They found a chicken coop, which although was falling apart and unsecured, miraculously still housed a couple of chickens. For a brief moment Howie wondered how they were still there, but he didn’t question it for long and reached in, grabbing the couple of chickens and the few eggs. If they could get a fire started on the kitchen stove, then they would be eating a good breakfast.

Nick saw this quiet time as the perfect opportunity to pull out his notebook and write a few words to Elena. He wondered how she was doing back in England. Was she thinking of him? Was her town safe from the bombs which seemed to be hitting towns all over the United Kingdom? He remembered how much he’d hated England when he’d first arrived, with its cold weather and strange accents, but now he would give anything to be back there with Elena.

He pulled out his pen and paper and sat around the back of the farmhouse, the morning sun shining down on him.

Dearest Elena,

It’s been a couple of weeks since we parted, but I think of you constantly and hope you’re well and have not forgotten me. I wish I’d had time to ask for a picture of you before I left, but your smiling face is etched in my memory and will remain with me forever.

I can’t begin to describe how awful it is here…

Nick stopped for a moment to think about what he was writing. Did he really want her to know the hell he was suffering over here? She would only worry even more and he didn’t want that.

He carried on writing.

…so I won’t go into detail except to say I wish I was anywhere but here; preferably with you, up on our hill. How I miss those times…

He scribbled a few more words, a sort of poem of how he was feeling.

Empty spaces fill me up with holes

Distant faces with no place left to go

Without you within me I can’t find no rest

Where I’m going is anybody’s guess

I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to write to you, or whether you’ll get my letters. But please know that I’ll be coming back to you just as soon as I can.

All my love,

Nick

x

Nick folded the letter and placed it back in his book, ready for when he’d get the opportunity to send it.

“Come on then men, let’s get to it” said Kevin authoratively once they‘d finished eating. He had his orders to get to the meeting point and wanted to get there as soon as possible.

With the aide of maps and compass, they navigated their way through open countryside and along dirt roads. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, they heard gunfire, it could’ve been a single shooter or maybe two, they didn’t know.

“I’m hit” called out Private James Lewis holding his right shoulder to stem the blood flow.

“Get down” shouted out Kevin, but it was too late for another member of the group - Robert Armstrong, another young man who looked too young to fight - as he collapsed to the ground, a single bullet to the head.

“Fuck” muttered Nick as he witnessed a colleague’s death before his eyes. He did as Kevin commanded though and dropped down into the dirt, praying that he’d get out of there alive and unharmed.

“Cover me” said Kevin. “I’m going after him, it’s just one guy” and with that, Kevin manoeuvred his way away from the rest of the men, towards the direction of the gunfire. The sniper was disguised in the trees, but Kevin knew where he was and when he got close enough for a shot, he pulled the trigger, fatally wounding the solider. He fell to the ground, dropping his weapon. Kevin ran over to him, kicked him to make sure he really was dead and then went through his belongings for anything which would be of use to his team. He took his gun, his ammunition and the little food and water supply he had left.

They buried the body of their dead colleague in a shallow grave and said a few words in prayer. James’s shoulder was bandaged up; luckily the bullet had passed through. Then they carried on walking, their eyes and ears open for the slightest noise out of the ordinary.

End Notes:

Thanks for reading, hope you're enjoying!  Sorry for any details which aren't right, I'm not very accurate about war detail stuff and kind of make it up as I go :)

Chapter 19 by Carter-Orange
Author's Notes:

Sorry for the delay!

Chapter 19

 

“It’s from Nick!” Elena exclaimed excitedly as she ripped open a letter she’d been hoping for since the day he’d left for France.

“What does he say?” Juliet asked, trying to look over her sister’s shoulder. She’d received a letter from her husband Alex the previous day, and reading his words only made her miss him more. Although he’d said he was fine in the letter, Juliet knew he was only saying that to prevent her worrying too much. Of course he wasn’t fine.

“Hold on; let me read it first and then I’ll tell you” Elena replied as a big smile spread across her face. Nick hadn’t forgotten about her after all.

She cast her eyes back to the slightly crumpled piece of paper and began to read. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she read his beautiful words. He still wanted her and was coming back for her. Her tear streaked face lit up at the thought of seeing him again.

“He’s written me a poem, look” Elena handed the letter to her sister. “I hope he receives my letters, especially the photo”

“He will, it just takes a bit of time to reach them” Juliet placed her arm around her sister and they sat thinking of their men, so far away.

~*~

After a couple more days of walking, the men were anxious to get to their meeting point. Sleeping in dug out little trenches at night wasn’t ideal, but it helped conceal them from enemy attacks like artillery and mortar fire. Kevin, being the more experienced solider amongst them, had shown them what to do to create a place to sleep. They all hoped there would be something a little more comfortable when they eventually reached their destination. If they reached it.

On the fourth day, after confirming the map co-ordinates, they reached the point where they were supposed to meet up, or what was left of it.

The village of Neuville had been all but destroyed; most of the buildings had been bombed so badly that they were now just empty shells with no visible forms of life left.

“Where did everyone go?” Brian muttered more to himself than anyone else. He was tired, thirsty, hungry and pissed off. He wished he was home.

The men were all worn out due to very little food, drink or sleep. They’d all been hopeful that when they reached Neuville, they’d not only find more of their men, but also a little bit of civilization, but it was not to be.

“What the fuck? There’s nothing here!” Nick exclaimed, clutching at his hair in desperation “just what the fuck are we doing here? Walking endlessly for what…for this!” He dropped to the ground and pulled his knees up to his chin, resting his head there. He wondered what he would’ve been doing right now if he were still in England. He thought of Elena and wondered what she was doing. Was she missing him as much as he was missing her? He told himself to stop thinking so negatively; she wasn’t Emily who had run off with the first guy who‘d shown an interest once he was out of the picture. He knew she was genuinely the girl for him and he was going to prove it when he returned to her.

“I wish I knew why we’re here” said Alex, sitting down in the road and resting his head on his backpack. He would’ve given anything for a decent meal, a hot bath, a cigarette and more importantly, his wife. He closed his eyes and thought about her, remembering their wedding night. Why hadn’t he run away at the port when he had the chance? Surely no one would’ve notice one solitary man out of the thousands.

“Come on, let’s see if we can scrounge up some food, there’s got to be something edible somewhere” suggested Howie, walking over to the remains of a shop.

“Wait” Kevin commanded, “we don’t know whether this is some kind of trap”

The men were suddenly alert again, but realised that if this had been some kind of trap, they would’ve all been dead men by now. So they began searching for food and drink, not caring what they found, they weren‘t choosy and anything would do. Much to their surprise, they unearthed a few bottles of wine, some tinned food without labels, cigarettes and some very stale and mouldy bread.

“It’s gonna have to do, I’m starved” said Nick getting out his knife to hack one of the tins open.

A couple of hours later and they were all feeling quite merry from the wine and their stomachs were full after the mixture of tinned meat and fruit, which had been surprisingly satisfying. They sat around an open fire, talking about life and what they were going to do if they ever got home, then much later on; they found shelter and crashed for the night.

End Notes:

Whoops, that chapter was short!  Hope you enjoyed anyway :)

Chapter 20 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 20

The following morning the men moved out of Neuville. With nothing and no one there, it was time to carry on to the next destination.

“What if we get to Ramelle and find the same thing?” Brian asked. “What do we do then?”

“Let’s not think like that Brian. Ramelle is quite a way off, we’re bound to find others on the way there” Kevin replied, although he’d been quite shocked by the sight that had greeted them at Neuville, and wondered if the civilians and armed forces had managed to flee before the Germans had destroyed the place.

They’d gathered together all the tinned food and bottles that they could find and had placed them all in their backpacks. At least they wouldn’t starve on the next stage of their journey to reunite with the rest of the division.

“How’s that shoulder James?” asked Kevin, looking the wounded man over as he did so.

“It’s fine, I’ll live” replied James as he slung his backpack over his good shoulder.

“Good, good” Kevin said. “Come on then men, let’s get moving. Eric, have you heard anything on the radio yet?”

“No sir” replied Eric as he tapped the receiver. The radio hadn’t worked properly since they’d come under fire and it had taken a bullet.

“Keep trying” Kevin advised, looking at him with his eyebrows narrowed. He didn’t like the lack of communication, it wasn’t a good sign. How was he supposed to lead his men if he didn’t know what was around the next corner? He could be leading them straight into the hands of the Germans. But there was nothing he could do to resolve it, at least not until they could get their hands on a fully functioning radio. He just had to hope that luck would be with them.

They’d plotted their journey out on the map and estimated that it would take them approximately three days on foot to get there, if they cut through a forest. Although the forest could potentially be a risky move on their part, it would at least provide them some much needed shelter and also keep them out of the path of any stray German vehicles, which was always a danger when walking along the roadside in broad daylight.

They walked for a full day, only stopping briefly when they had to, and felt they’d made good progress.

“Look, there’s a barn up there, maybe we could stay there for the night” Alex said pointing to the wooden building not too far in the distance.

The barn was empty, whatever livestock it had housed previously were now all gone. But it was warm and dry and reasonably clean, with enough bales of hay to make it comfortable enough to sleep. They took off their backpacks and set about making their makeshift beds out of the hay. Twenty minutes later they were sat eating tinned food, passing a wine bottle around and stretching out on their hay beds.

“Y’know, if this is how it’s going to be the whole time we’re here, then it aint so bad” said Alex as he took a long drag from his cigarette.

“If only Alex, if only” replied Nick.

“Do you think we’ll all stay in touch afterwards…y’know, when we get home?” Brian asked. In the time they’d spent together, the men had become close friends, almost as close as family, or in some cases, closer than family.

“Definitely” Howie replied. They may have come from different walks of life, but he couldn’t imagine going home after the war and never seeing them again.

The following morning, things took a turn for the worse.

“Shh” Kevin whispered and urged the men to keep quiet and take cover through various hand gestures, which luckily they understood.

Peeking through a gap in the wooden planks of the barn, Kevin saw that a car was approaching. Not just any car, but an armed vehicle with a machine gun attached to the back of it. It was too late to make a run for it and if they tried, they would certainly be seen and probably gunned down.

“How many men in the car?” Howie whispered as he quietly checked his gun was loaded and ready for action.

“Five” Kevin replied, hoping that no other vehicles were following. They could definitely take on five men, even if they did have a huge machine gun.

“We can take them if we catch them by surprise” Eric crept closer to get a look through the crack.

“As long as they’re away from that gun” Kevin agreed, as he looked at the large machine gun on the back of the approaching vehicle and frowned.

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t going to be on their side and shortly after spotting the first vehicle, another smaller one could soon be seen trailing a couple about a hundred feet behind.

“Shit!” Kevin cussed in hushed tones. This was not good, not good at all. Although there were nine of them in the barn, they were evenly matched with approaching Germans; or at a disadvantage when their fire power was taken into consideration.

“They might just drive by” Nick said hopefully. But that was just wishful thinking. He knew they wouldn’t drive all the way out here for nothing.

“And pigs might fly!” Alex retorted.

“Keep your voices down” Kevin warned quietly. If they were about to be faced with the enemy, he wanted to have the surprise element in their favour. “Take your positions and be prepared” he advised them.

The vehicles stopped and the German soldiers got out, guns at the ready. They spoke amongst themselves and then split up. Kevin couldn’t see where they all went, but knew that they were scoping the place. It’s what he would do.

The barn door opened and somebody got a bit trigger happy. Bullets began to fly in all directions and within seconds, the barn was sprayed with blood.

“Fuck!” Alex shouted as he emptied his gun into a couple of Germans before they could do the same to him. It was the first time he’d actually killed a man and it made him feel sick. But he had to push that feeling to one side; he couldn’t start retching his guts up when he might have to kill more.

Kevin took down three of them with bullets accurately aimed to the head. Killing another man would never be something he could get used to, but he knew what had to be done.

“Eric?” Howie called as he spied him slumped on the floor in a small puddle of blood. There was no reply but Howie wasn’t able to get to him and check for a pulse.

“Where’d they go?” Nick asked as the remaining couple of Germans fled.

“Oh god…the fucking machine gun!” James called out at the same moment the others realised what was happening. He ran to the barn door and open fired on the soldiers before they had a chance to get their gun ready. But before he’d been able to shoot them all, a couple of them turned and shot multiple bullets into James’ body. He fell to the ground, dead before he even reached it.

“No!” Brian called out and shot the remaining couple of Germans. He then bent over and puked until there was nothing left.

End Notes:

I'm finally putting them into some action!! LOL

Thanks for reading :)

Chapter 21 by Carter-Orange
Author's Notes:

I know I've been slow on the updates recently, sorry!

Chapter 21

They may have won the latest battle against the Germans - or at least the ones who’d pulled up outside the barn with their mounted machine gun - but it had come at a terrible price.

Not only were there two of his men lying dead, but Eric was so severely injured that Kevin didn’t hold out much hope of him surviving the next few hours, unless they could somehow get away from the barn with him and find a doctor. It didn’t seem likely though. Where would they find a doctor out here in the sticks? They’d had no radio contact for a while, and felt a little bit abandoned.

“We have to move, we can’t stay here a minute longer. What if more Germans arrive?” Brian exclaimed, his stomach still a little queasy.

“He’s right y’know” Nick agreed as he double checked for a pulse and sighed when there wasn’t one. “How about we take their car?”

“What? Are you serious? We’d be better off staying on foot and keeping a low profile.” Kevin said, although after a few moments’ thought, Nick’s idea didn’t seem quite so bad. At least it would be easier to transport Eric.

“We could do it…even if for just a few miles” Howie agreed and Alex and Brian nodded their heads in agreement.

“We could wear their hats, no one would ever know” Nick grinned at his own cunningness. As long as they didn’t come across any other vehicles, then nothing could go wrong.

They dragged the bodies of the dead Germans inside the barn so that they were out of sight from any passers by, even going as far as to cover them with hay. Once they were happy that they were well concealed, the men grabbed the German hats and their possessions before climbing into the car.

“Why do you think they were all the way out here?” asked Nick curiously. “It’s not as if there is anything worth their while out this far, just derelict houses and a couple of scattered farms.”

“My guess is they were either looking for deserters after a tip off, or they were hoping to skive off duty for a day or two” Kevin surmised. “I don’t think they were expecting anyone to actually be there”

As they drove cautiously along the country road, the men talked quietly whilst keeping vigilant. Where they hoped to find a doctor, they did not know, but if they didn’t find medical attention soon, Eric would die.

They drove approximately ten miles before Brian saw a glint of something in the distance.

“I saw something up ahead. I really think we need to get off the road now” he warned as he kept his eyes on the object he’d spotted.

Kevin pulled over into the grass and drove as far as he could, before the trees became too dense to pass.

“That was a close call!” Howie exclaimed as three German vehicles rumbled down the road, just moments after they’d sought shelter. Luckily they hadn’t seen the car they’d stolen, and had carried on driving.

“I think we’d better travel on foot and off the road” Kevin suggested and met no resistance from the others.

“What about Eric?” Nick queried as he got out of the car and joined Kevin as he leaned against the front bumper.

“We’ll have to make a makeshift stretcher and carry him” Kevin rummaged for materials which could be used. By now Eric had lost consciousness and was laying limp in the back of the car, he looked deathly pale.

“According to the map, if we travel through the forest we’ll reach Ramelle quicker than if we continued on the road” Howie traced his finger over the map, showing the others the route they needed to take.

“Then that’s what we’ll do” Kevin decided.

Once the makeshift stretcher was constructed, they carefully lifted Eric out of the car and placed him in it, but they’d been too late. Eric was dead and there’d been nothing any of them could’ve done to prevent that from happening.

Two days into their journey through the forest and the men were not only running short on food, but their water supply had gone. With no radio to the outside world the men felt alone in this foreign land.

“Would anyone really notice if we just disappeared?” Alex said the words which Nick and Howie were also thinking. “No one cares about us; we’re here in this fucking forest with no food or water…for what!”

“Where would we go? Unless you didn’t notice, we’re miles and miles from anywhere” Brian held out his arms and looked around at the trees as far as the eye could see.

“We’ll get to Ramelle, we will find the rest of them” Kevin said with confidence.

“I wish I shared your optimism” Alex shook his head.

~*~

 

“I miss him so much Elena” Juliet sobbed to her older sister, dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief.

“I know, but they’ll be home soon” Elena consoled her sister. She understood exactly how she felt as she was feeling the same way about Nick. Elena didn’t like to voice her real fears, but after the death of Jeremy and her brother, Elena couldn’t help worrying that Nick and the others would come to the same end. She hated to think of him in such a hostile environment and couldn’t bear to think of the atrocious things he would have to endure.

“I hope so” Juliet sniffed.

“So do I” Elena murmured.

Chapter 22 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 22

The men had prayed for water, and in answer to their prayers, they got it. It began to rain. Not just a bit of drizzle, but full on torrential rain which bounced off the ground in big fat blobs. The kind of rain that got everywhere, no matter how sheltered you thought you were. Before long, they were soaked through to the skin and shivering. But they had managed to fill up their drinking bottles and collect water in any other object fit to hold water.

“Man, it’s like one extreme to another!” Nick exclaimed as he wrung his sopping wet socks out which had been squelching in his boots. His boots which must be letting in water from somewhere.

“I guess luck isn’t on our side” Howie shook his head.

“When has it been since we got here?” Alex huffed. For the millionth time, he wished he was hiding out in England with his lovely new wife. Or better still, back home in sunny Florida with Juliet. They’d talked about it a lot, and Alex knew she was going to love it…if he made it back alive that is. He could just imagine introducing Juliet to his family and friends back home. He knew they’d love her just as much as he did.

“At least we aren’t going to die from dehydration, we’ve got to be thankful for that” Brian shrugged. There was no use complaining over things which were beyond their control. They were safe from harm for the time being, and that was what counted.

That night, they didn’t sleep very well. It was hard to get comfortable when they were wet and cold. They didn’t dare try to light a fire for fear of being seen from a distance, and they would probably have a hard time trying to find any branches or twigs dry enough to light. Not even the tree foliage could provide sufficient shelter and so they just had to deal with it.

“I’m so cold” Nick shivered, his teeth chattering so much he could barely get the words out.

“We should huddle together for warmth” Kevin suggested and was met with strange looks from the others. “Believe me, it’ll help”

After a couple of hours of sound sleep, the men woke to clear blue skies and birds chirping. They sipped at the rain water they’d collected and eat some of the remaining food, which they were rationing into tiny portions.

“Let’s get going, I feel today is going to be a better day” Kevin said with confidence. By his calculation, they should reach Ramelle by nightfall if they were lucky, or by tomorrow if the going got tough. The thought of finally reaching others spurred him on.

“I wish I shared your optimism” Alex replied. He couldn’t help his pessimism; nothing about this place gave him hope.

“Always looking at the negative” Kevin shook his head. He couldn’t blame him; he often had his doubts, but needed to keep them hidden. A leader wasn’t a very good leader if he exuded fear and lacked confidence they would succeed.

They’d only been walking about an hour when Kevin warned everyone to stop. He’d heard branches cracking and movement in the trees. With hand and eye signals, he urged his men to get down, fearing that this was some kind of ambush. If he had to die here, he didn’t want it to be from a sniper’s bullet. He wanted to at least have the chance to defend himself and put up a fight for survival.

The men stayed down, their breathing getter faster as their hearts pumped wildly. And then Howie spotted out of the corner of his eye the cause of the noise. It was a deer. They gave a collective sigh of relief and got to their feet, the sudden movement making the deer scamper off back into the depths of the forest.

“Thank god for that” Alex exclaimed as his heart rate slowly went back to normal.

They all agreed.

~*~

“I’m not sure I can sit here doing nothing when there are injured and dying men needing assistance” Louise told Elena over a cup of tea.

“But you are doing something” Elena told her friend. “You work for the Red Cross, and don’t forget you’re pregnant! You do enough already. You should be taking it easy”

“I know, but I still feel so useless. I can’t help thinking of them, lying there injured and alone with no one to keep them company in hospital” she sighed. She was missing Daniel so much and wondered when he’d be home next. Would he be there to witness the birth of his child? Did he even know she was pregnant? She hadn’t heard from him in a while and couldn’t possibly know whether he’d received her letters. She placed her hand over her non-existent baby bump and rubbed gently. She would love their baby enough for the both of them until Daniel returned.

“If any of us should be doing something, it should be me!” Elena admitted. It had crossed her mind on more than one occasion that she should become a nurse and help where needed. But she was needed in the shop. Her parents depended on her and she didn’t want to let them down.

“I don’t think I could cope with the blood” Juliet pulled a face, not liking the idea one little bit. “But you’d make a wonderful nurse” she told her sister.

“Why don’t you do it?” Louise asked.

“I could manage the shop on my own…”

“Our parents would have a fit!” Elena stopped her sister from saying another word.

“It’s something to consider though” Louise told her friend.

Later that night, as Elena lay in bed reading over the single letter she’d received from Nick since he’d left, she seriously gave some thought to becoming a nurse. She wasn’t married like her sister or Louise, so could take up a nursing job easily.

But would she be able to do it?

Chapter 23 by Carter-Orange

Chapter 23

Over the next few days, Elena found out as much as she could about becoming a nurse. She was determined that she had to do something to help, and hated feeling so useless in the shop every day.

It wasn’t just a matter of strolling in to the local hospital and offering her services, which would’ve been a lot simpler in her opinion. The hospital administrator Elena spoke to suggested she do some volunteer work for the First Aid and Rescue before committing herself to the nurse training course, which would likely take a couple of years to complete. So many girls started the course full of good intentions, but the reality was that only half of them actually finished. Nursing wasn’t an easy job to do, and certainly wasn’t as glamorous as the big screen made it out to be. In fact, it wasn’t glamorous at all. Elena didn’t expect it to be though; she wasn’t naïve enough to believe everything she saw on screen. She knew that plenty of men and women had died or suffered horrific injuries whilst serving their country. Given the chance, she wanted to do something for those brave people.

So with her newfound knowledge, Elena became a volunteer up at the Army base where there was a first aid station, offering her help a couple of evenings a week after a full day at the shop.

Her first evening consisted of being shown around, and also being issued with a steel helmet and an arm band with the words ‘First Aid’ printed on it. But after that first night, Elena learned all sorts of useful skills, and even how to drive an ambulance.

The long days in the shop, and then the evenings at the First Aid and Rescue could be both physically and mentally draining, but Elena was almost glad of the distraction. Whilst she was busy, she was less likely to wonder how Nick and the rest of the men she knew were getting on. With hardly any correspondence from the man she loved, every unoccupied hour meant extra time to worry.

“I pray he’s safe” Elena often caught herself saying out loud.

~*~

The sun had just disappeared from the horizon and the temperature was beginning to fall as the group of men approached the outskirts of Ramelle.

“I think this is it” Kevin announced, he could only just make out movement in the distance but felt confident that they were where they were supposed to be.

“I sure hope so” Brian said. He was still cold from the previous day, when they’d got soaked to their skin in the torrential rain. He desperately wanted to get warm by a fire, and fill his stomach with more than just water and measly rations.

Everyone else echoed Brian’s words.

They walked a short distance and then were stopped by a couple of men with guns. Luckily they turned out to be American soldiers and soon the men were cleared to pass and join what was left of the 1st Infantry.

The men were welcomed like old friends and were soon enjoying hot food and drink, as well as clean clothes. Keeping clean whilst being on the road had been a huge problem, none of them could remember the last time they’d had a proper wash, but it hadn‘t really occurred to them much whilst they were just trying to survive. Had it really been when they were still in England? Or had they managed here in France? So much had happened that things like that slipped their minds.

That night, they slept easy, feeling safe at last in the knowledge that there was safety in numbers.

The following day, the men sought out the mail. None of them had received anything since the boat ride over due to being cut off from the rest of the group after the events on the beach when they landed. The letters they’d received before arriving in France had become cherished possessions, their only link to the real world. So everyone was keen to see what was waiting for them.

Before the war, if anyone had told them they’d tear up over a letter, they wouldn’t have believed them. But now as each of them sat reading letters from home, there wasn’t a dry eye in sight.

Nick smiled between tears as he began to read the first in the bundle of letters from Elena.

My Dearest Nick,

I know you’ve only just left, but I’m going to write to you as often as I can and hope that my letters will bring you some joy in an otherwise joyless environment…

That had been part of the first letter, and there were many more.

Nick gasped with shock when he got to the letter where Elena told him that Jeremy was dead.

“Jeremy’s dead!” he said out loud.

Alex looked up from his own letter “Elena’s Jeremy?”

“Yeah”

“Fuck”

“Yeah” was all Nick could say and Alex went back to reading his letters.

Obviously Nick wanted Elena, but not at the cost of another man’s life. He was deeply saddened to hear the news. It brought back to him just how fragile life was and that every moment of happiness should be grabbed with both hands.

But the smile was soon back on Nick’s face when he got to the letter which contained a photo of himself with Elena. He gazed at it, wanting to memorise every tiny detail of it. She was just as pretty as he remembered, if not prettier.

Before long he reached the last letter.

Mr Dearest Nick,

I hope wherever you are, you are safe and will eventually get my letters and have a chance to scribble a quick letter back to me to let me know you are alright. Louise told me how she sometimes has to wait weeks to hear from Daniel, and that it can take months sometimes for him to receive her letters, so I know I’m not going to receive letters regularly.

I just pray you haven’t forgotten about me because I love and miss you so much. Here’s another photo, just so you don’t forgot me.

My volunteer work at the First Aid and Rescue centre is going well, they let me drive the ambulance today and I was told I’m a very good driver. Perhaps that’s what I could do rather than become a nurse. I’m still not sure what will happen with that as the training is so long and I would have to go away to do it. I don’t think I could leave my sister to run the shop on her own as mother hasn’t been too well recently.

Have I already mentioned how much I love and miss you? I dream of the day when we‘ll be together again.

All my love

Elena

X

Nick folded the last letter up and placed it back in the envelope, but kept the photo of Elena smiling into the camera (which he knew was a smile just for him) in his hand. He couldn’t help grinning at the thought of Elena dreaming of him. He knew from the moment he met her that she wasn’t like Emily - who’d run off with the first available man after Nick had left - and see it in writing, time after time, that she loved him and missed him made his heart swell. He just hoped that he made it back to her in one piece.

End Notes:

Sorry for the huge delay in updating, but I hope you're still enjoying the story!

Chapter 24 by Carter-Orange
Author's Notes:

Wow, sorry it's been such a long time since I last updated this story!  I don't know if anyone will still be reading, but I haven't forgotten the story, just been in a writing slump for the past few months.

 

Chapter 24

The men had a couple of days in which to rest up, but also get up to speed on the latest events occurring in the war in the region they were in. It appeared that good progress was being made, although they couldn’t see it for themselves and only had radio communication to go by and reports from other areas.

Kevin attended many meetings with other senior officers regarding which direction they were to take. There were many villages and towns under German occupancy which needed to be liberated, and that’s exactly what they were there to do; rid France of the enemy which had taken hold and crippled them. Once the Germans had been pushed out of France, they could take them on their own turf and hopefully put an end to the war. Well, that was what they hoped would happen.

Of course there were many other units throughout Europe tackling the enemy in order to bring this war to an end, but the men of the 1st were assigned to northern France. Many men had already been sent on their way to complete their various missions, but there was always someone at the camp, which had been set up in Ramelle. They needed a reasonably safe place to recuperate after days, sometimes weeks of gruelling conditions.

“Are we ready?” Kevin asked his men.

Alex was tempted to say that he was ready to go home (with a detour to England to collect Juliet along the way), but realised that was being cowardly. After seeing some of the lesser injured men at the base they’d established in Ramelle who were waiting to be flown back to England, and hearing their stories, he knew he’d had an easy time of it. The only action they’d seen had been that very first day on Omaha Beach, and the barn incident a few days after. Although horrendous, he hadn’t had to endure the atrocities that others had. “Ready as I’m gonna be!” he replied instead.

After a couple of days of rest, the men were going on their first mission, a mission they all hoped they’d get through unscathed.

Undercover intelligence had discovered that more Germans were headed to the coast to try and fend off English and American soldiers, and their job was to put a stop to that by any means necessary.

Some men were already in place; disguised as French locals to fool any German lookouts who were travelling ahead to make sure their path was clear. The Germans wouldn’t bother themselves with one or two stray Frenchmen; they were only concerned with taking over their towns and cities.

“Good luck men, and may god be with all of us!” Brian said shakily. He’d been praying everyday since leaving his home in Kentucky, but now he feared his faith was slipping away. What kind of god sat back and let men destroy each other like this? Certainly not the god he’d believed in all of his life.

 

~*~

 

“So you’re really going to do it?” Juliet asked her sister excitedly.

“Yes. Do you think I’m doing the right thing though? What if I get there and hate it? What if you can‘t cope in the shop?”

“Of course you‘re doing the right thing! You won’t hate it, you love volunteering at the base, and this will be even more rewarding. Don’t worry about the shop or mother, she’ll be fine with it when she realises how much good you’re going to be doing. I can’t believe my sister is moving away to work at a military hospital!” she said proudly, finally coming up for air.

“It’s not that far away” Elena laughed, “and I’ll just be a driver, hardly anything to be proud of”

“But you’ll be driving an ambulance, helping transport the wounded, of course it’s something to be proud of” Juliet disagreed with her sister.

“I’m going to miss you” Elena admitted. They’d shared a bedroom their whole lives, and would’ve continued to do so until Alex came home and whisked Juliet away to America. But now it was Elena who was going. It was going to be a huge adjustment.

“As you said, you won’t be far away, and you’ll be home at weekends”

“Yes, I will” Elena agreed.

It had been a huge decision, but the more she volunteered, the more Elena realised that she could be doing more. With so many men overseas, jobs which were usually done by men were now having to be filled by women. Those heroic men needed people who could help get them to hospital safely, just as they needed doctors and nurses to treat them for their varying injuries. So when she was asked how she felt about taking up a position at a large hospital in Leeds, transporting patients from airfield to hospital, Elena decided to go for it. It carried risk, as any job connected to the military did, but Elena didn’t concern herself with those risks. She knew that it was the right thing to do.

“And it’s only for six months?” Juliet queried.

“Yes, or sooner if the war ends”

“Let’s hope it’s sooner” Juliet exclaimed.

“Agreed!” Elena nodded her head.

 

~*~

 

“At least we know we’re not all alone out here, and we‘re not gonna have to walk for days again” Nick said as they climbed into one of the many vehicles the base housed.

Now that they were reunited with the rest of their group, they felt a newfound confidence. In amongst the awfulness, there were moments of joy and happiness. They had to have those moments to enable them to keep their sanity.

“Unless the truck breaks down!” Howie laughed.

“That’s where I come in handy” Brian grinned. He was a farmer, but also a pretty good mechanic when he needed to be. Farm equipment needed regular maintenance and so he’d learned his way around an engine from a young age.

“How would milking cows help with a broken down engine?” Nick asked, slightly confused.

“You city boys have had it too easy!” Brian found himself laughing at Nick’s naivety as he shook his head.

City boy or country boy, there was nothing easy about the mission they were about to go on.

Chapter 25 by Carter-Orange

 

Chapter 25

 

Three months later and the situation in France had gone from bad to worse. The death and destruction all around them was something they just couldn’t get used to. They saw sights that no one should ever see. Like the mutilated bodies of civilians in some of the little French villages they had finally cleared of Germans. Like the loss of men who’d become more than just colleagues, but good friends in such a short space of time.

Even though Nick and Alex had started off their military career as cooks, the combat training they had received in England meant that they weren’t exempt from joining others on missions. The makeshift base already had an established catering staff when they’d arrived there, but what they soon found out was that they rotated so that every so often they’d go out with the troops. Just like with the medical staff who were either treating injuries on the base, or out in the field, Nick and Alex were either cooking half decent meals for the men at the base, or trying to scrape together something to eat whilst out on duty in the middle of nowhere. No one got off easy over there.

It was hard to see an end to it all, and also hard to stay positive at times.

The only things that kept the men going and remaining positive were the letters from home and the strong friendships they’d made along the way. There was a lot to be said for laughter, and sometimes it truly was the best tonic.

“How’re things back home?” Alex asked Brian after he’d finished reading his own letter from home. They were back at the base in Ramelle for a much needed couple of days of rest and recuperation and as was usual after time away, they had mail upon their return to look forward to.

“Fine” Brian shrugged. Alex knew exactly how his friend was feeling. It was great to hear from loved ones, but would be even better to actually be with them. “I miss them and can’t wait to see them again. Look, my wife sent a new photo” Brian showed the photo around proudly, a grin on his face.

“You have a beautiful family” Howie handed the photo back. He didn’t have a special someone waiting for him back home. Just an empty house. He’d had girlfriends in the past, but hadn’t felt ready to make the commitment needed for marriage and starting a family. There was a teacher who taught in the same school back home who he kind of liked, but they hadn’t had the chance to get past the innocent flirting stage before he’d been called up to serve his country. If she was still single when, or if, he got home, then he decided he was going to ask her out on a date. He had nothing to lose.

“What about you Carter? Is my sister-in-law still writing to you, or has she seen sense?” Alex laughed and dodged a flying boot which Nick had thrown at him.

Nick shook his head at their teasing and carried on reading his letter.

My dearest Nick,

I hope you are well, or as well as can be expected at least.

I long for the day we meet again. I remember the hours of talking up on the hill, just the two of us. So full of dreams and hopes for the future. I can’t wait until we can make those dreams a reality.

I’m beginning to understand just how awful it must be over there for you. Some of the sights I see whilst working are truly awful, but it’s my job and I have to put on a brave face and get on with it. It’s not all bad though, and us girls do manage to have a laugh. You have to, don’t you? But when I’m on my own, that’s when I can let it all out. When I’m lying in my bed at night, that’s when it hits me that this nightmare is real. When will it all be over?

I mustn’t complain though. I have no right to moan about life over here when it must be a thousand times worse where you are. I only hope that wherever you are, you are safe from harm. Say hello to everyone for me…

“Elena says hello” Nick looked up and grinned at his friends, then carried on reading.

 

~*~

 

“Elena!” Juliet ran to her sister and enveloped her in a big hug, “so good to have you home”

“It’s good to be back” Elena hugged her sister back. She meant it too. Although she loved her job, even though it could be extremely tough at times, it was always great to come home and see her family and friends. “How’s it going in the shop?”

“Oh, you know, we manage” Juliet replied, “but what about you? My sister the hero”

“I just drive the ambulance” Elena downplayed her job. She didn’t feel as if she did anything particularly heroic. She helped get the injured out of planes from wherever they’d come from, and settled them into the ambulance for their drive to the hospital where they’d be treated. Sometimes she faced danger, but more often than not, she was just faced with the poor mutilated men who were just glad to be alive and back in their home country. Every time, she wondered whether Nick would be amongst the injured, and every time, she sighed with relief when he wasn’t.

“Whatever you say”

“Enough work talk, what shall we do this weekend?” Elena asked.

“We could always go to the dance…or see what’s playing at the cinema this weekend?”

Going to the weekly dance had been somewhat of a tradition before Nick had arrived in England and whilst he was there, but Elena hadn’t been since he’d left. She recalled the last time she went. Dancing with Nick, laughing as he twirled her around the floor, it just wouldn’t feel the same without him there. “Cinema?” she suggested.

“If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do. Now tell me all about life in Leeds”

 

~*~

 

 

“If we could just stay here, it wouldn’t be so bad” Alex mused as he chopped onions and added them to the huge pan. He thought of escape all the time, had done since the day they‘d been shipped out of England, but of course he wouldn‘t go through with it. But he could dream.

“You’re right there mate” one of the other kitchen staff agreed with him.

Even though they’d seen many horrific sights since arriving, they’d been lucky enough to escape any real injury so far. Kevin, or Captain Richardson as he was usually referred to, was an excellent leader and steered his men in the right direction every time.

“It would be even better if we could go home!” Nick added, “With a quick stop over in England to pick up Elena”

“Do you think she’d leave everything and go with you?” Alex asked. He’d talked about it briefly with Juliet, but they hadn’t had the chance to make any solid plans as within days of getting married, they’d had to leave. He wondered whether she’d like life on the road with a musician. Would he be able to carry on with that nomadic life with a wife in tow? What about when they had children? The life he’d lived before was not the life he’d like for a family. But what else could he do for a living?

“I hope so” Nick replied. He knew that Elena wanted to see more of the world, especially America, but whether she’d be happy to make a permanent move across the pond, he didn’t know for sure. They’d talked about the future, but he knew all too well that plans could change. For a fleeting moment, Emily popped into his head. “What about Juliet? Do you think she’d like the life of a touring musician’s wife?”

“We’ll just have to wait and see!”

Later that evening, once duties were over and the men had a bit of ‘free’ time, Nick pulled out his notebook and pen and began scribbling a poem. He’d not had much of an opportunity for poetry writing recently, but from time to time, an idea popped into his head which had to be written.

You're my secret place where I can be myself
You connect with me like nobody else
Even though our circumstances changed
Our love still remains

He stopped writing and smiled, then pulled out some writing paper and began writing a letter to Elena, the poem included.

 

End Notes:

Thanks for reading :)

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