Mary thanked God that her town hadn't been destroyed. Some of the homes that were further out had been struck and some barns as well, but no one had been killed and no one had been hurt. Her parents, since Mary and William were leaving later in the day, had offered their home for shelter for the families whose homes were struck by the Germans. She also knew just how lucky she and her family were to have a home that was still standing.
"Promise you'll write."
"I'll write, Mum. I'll write as much as I can. I won't be able to write every day, but as often as I can."
"I'll write as often as I can too. I promise your father and I will visit as soon as it's safe." Mary nodded, allowing her mother to pull her into one last final hug before letting Mary go. "I hope you get back safely. Take care of her, William, please."
"I will Ma'am. She's safe with me, I promise."
"I know." Mary's mother pulled William into a hug. "Let her take care of you too, Will, let someone in. It's a two-way street, understand?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Mary won't let me push her way, no matter how hard I try." Mary smiled at William over her mother's shoulder before turning to her father, giving William and her mother have a moment.
"Keep her safe. Mary's bravery terrifies me. I'm scared she'll do something without thinking and it'll be the death of her. Make sure that she knows that she doesn't have to always be thinking of everyone else before herself. She's allowed to be selfish sometimes."
"I will. We're all trying in London. Everyone's a family there. We help each other. No one around us will allow Mary to do something that would be the death of her, but I'll keep her safe, promise. You let your husband keep you safe too and don't let him do anything too reckless. The only reason I was alright with the idea of staying out of the cellar because we had each other. He won't have me next time and he won't want you out there. Houses can be rebuilt, people can't be."
"I will. Thank you, for staying even when I was horrible to-"
"You lost a son because I made a mistake, I'd be just as upset as you were. There's nothing to be said, it's over and you've forgiven me and I've forgiven you." Mary's mother nodded, allowing Wiliam to pull away.
The conductor called his final call and William had to pull Mary away from her family towards the train. He knew it was hard, he remembered how it was leaving his family for France.
"You'll see them again, Mary, I'm sure of it."
"We can't be sure of anything these days."
"They said they'd visit, so they will. Their home is far out, there's not much of anything worth bombing outside of the cities for the Germans."
"How do you know that?"
"I heard the generals talk, they said the only reason they hit the French countryside is there were British soldiers and sympathizers that were hiding out there. Then the war went there. It won't get to us, Churchill won't let it. The army won't let it."
"You sound so sure."
"One of us has to be. Besides, I was there, I know what they're doing to make sure that we're not going to lose."
"I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of losing people that deserve to still be alive, that still deserve to be with us."
"Me too, but there's nothing we can do for them. All we can do is live for them. That's what I'm going to be doing, you should do it for Tom, he'd want it."
"I'm just tired, William, of everything." William sighed, taking Mary's hand and trying to bring her a bit of comfort from his thumb gently over the top of her hand.
"We'll be okay."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
~~
They got into London just as the sun was falling. William led the way through the station, ignoring the anxiety and the feeling of needing to just get to the edge and wait out the crowd. He knew that if he and Mary were out after dark, the likelihood of them never making it back to their respective apartments was much greater than if they got home just as the first lanterns were being lit.
Tomorrow Mary would be back at the hospital and William would be going down to the army office and sitting behind a desk, doing whatever he was told to help the war efforts, but tonight was theirs. William knew that as soon as he was home, he'd sit by the window, watching for any planes that would be flying over. Mary, however, was tired from the journey and the previous night's events so she had the intention to climb into her bed and not wake up until the sun peeked through her window indicating a new day.
"William, you can leave me here, I know that you need to get home before-"
"No, I'm walking you home. I won't be able to rest if I don't see you safely home. Besides, I'm not tired yet, but you look dead on your feet."
"You won't make it home before they strike."
"I know. I'll be fine, Mary, I survived alone in France at night, London is nothing compared to that."
"Alright, but let's walk a bit faster, I'll be uneasy all night if I know that you're walking in the complete dark."
"It's never completely dark in this city, is it?" Mary smiled, shaking her head at William's question. He was correct, London was hardly ever completely dark, but since the Germans had started hitting the city, it had gotten quite darker than usual. "But we'll hurry if it comforts you to know that I'm walking home at dusk and not dark." William quickened his pace, Mary matching his pace again as they turned down the street that would lead them to her apartment.
"Sophia will be happy to see me back in one piece. She was convinced I'd never come back after I went home."
"You staying away from the city? I can't imagine that ever happening, at least not at the moment."
"No, not when there's a war, not when I can help, but after maybe. A countryside farm sounds nice, a place where we can have a garden and a dog."
"Let's make it through the war first, yes?" Mary smiled but nodded. "A farm sounds nice. I've no idea where to go after the army doesn't need me any longer. I've not got anything else."
"We'll figure it out." Mary started up her steps, only to be stopped by William, who held her hand still, as he stayed on the cobblestone sidewalk.
"Sleep well. I'll pick you up from the hospital tomorrow if that's alright." Mary smiled, nodding, stepping forward on the step.
"Tomorrow," she whispered, scared that if she was too loud, it would ruin the moment. "Sleep well, William Schofield." She leaned down, kissing his lips gently before smiling at him one last time before entering her home.
