"Are you sure?" Mary knew that William was sure, he was always so sure of everything.
"I'm sure. I'd go anywhere with you, Mary." "Yes, but the army won't like it." "The army be damned, I think I've given enough to them for a lifetime." "Alright then." Mary was hesitant, but if William said he'd do it, then there was no reason not to.
"You won't back out on me will you?" Mary smiled, shaking her head. No, she'd never back out on William, never. "Then go get your best dress on, I'll get my best suit on and I'll meet you on your front stoop." Mary smiled, nodding, William placed his hands on Mary's face very gently, kissing her forehead. "I'll see you soon."
Mary watched as William left her home, running upstairs to grab the dress she had stored in her closet until after the war. They had planned for this event to be after, but Mary and William agreed that after that one night that they can't think that far in the future.
She looked at herself in her mirror after she put it on, barely recognizing herself. She barely wore nice dresses, and she never wore a new dress, especially now that London was hit more regularly. She dressed in plain dresses that she would mind if it was a bit torn and muddy. Today, however, she wanted to look her best. Mary powdered her nose and added color to her lips before slipping on her shoes and walking towards the door.
As Willian had said, he was at the bottom of her front steps, his best suit on. He was nervously pacing but stopped when he saw Mary standing in her doorway. Mary smiled as William looked her up and down, mouthing 'wow' as he took her in.
"Sorry if I kept you."
"I'd wait all day if this is what I get you looking like." Mary blushed, walking down her steps to meet William, whose hand was held out for her to take. "You're sure about this?"
"I've never been more sure of something." William smiled, chastely kissing Mary's lips before leading the way towards the courthouse.
~~
"If you'd just sign here, Ma'am." Mary nodded, signing on the line at the bottom of the page. As soon as she finished, she passed the pen to William who in turn signed on the line next to Mary's name. "Just one more place you have to sign, Sir, and then you'll be officially married." The man's words made Mary giddy. Married. She was going to be married. And not to just any man, but William, the man she had slowly fallen in love with while writing letters. Tommy would be proud of her.
"Are we finished," William asked, squeezing Mary's hand once as he looked at the court official.
"Yes, you both are officially married. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Schofield." Mary smiled looking at William, who turned, his hands finding their way to either side of Mary's face and gently pulling her in for a kiss.
"I love you."
"I love you too. Come, let's go, we've got the whole day ahead of us, yes?" William nodded, dropping his hands, only to grab Mary's hand with his own, pulling her out of the courthouse.
"Where to, Mrs. Schofield?" Mary smiled, looping her arm with William.
"I like that."
"What?"
"You calling me Mrs. Schofield."
"Then I won't stop calling you by Mrs. Schofield."
"You'll get tired of it, I'm sure."
"Maybe the name, but I'll never get tired of you." Mary smiled. "Where to, Mrs. Schofield?"
"I'd go anywhere with you, Mr. Schofield."
"Anywhere?" Mary nodded. "Alright, come on." William led the way down to the tube. Mary didn't question it, letting William lead the way to wherever they were going.
"You'll be okay?"
"I'll be alright, Mary, the crowds won't be that big at this time of day. Mary said nothing, she trusted him, she knew that he knew the limits he had with crowds and enclosed spaces. "Besides, I've got you by my side, how bad can it be?" He smiled at her, letting her board the train first before he got on after her. As they sat next to each other, Mary wove their fingers together, William bringing her hand up to his lips as he softly kissed the back of her hand.
"What if we ran away?"
"Where to?" Mary shrugged.
"The countryside. I could become a farmer." Mary smiled, unable to picture William as a farmer, it was a nice gesture, but she knew that William was a city boy through and through... "What's that look for?"
"I'm not going to ask you to move away from the city for me, I can be a nurse and you can finish getting your degree after the war."
"You're not happy here, I know that, and quite frankly, I'm not surviving well here at all. I might be better at hiding it, but every loud noise makes me jump. The bombs throw me back into France. I don't want to live like that for the rest of my life. The only place that really quieted my mind was your home. I may look like I belong in the city, but I don't. Not anymore. The War ruined that for me."
"Will, that'll change when it's over."
"I don't think we'll ever stop fighting, even if they say it's over, I don't believe it will be soon." Mary had never heard William talk about The War, not like that. It scared her, she didn't want to be in a constant war, she wanted to be safe. "The Germans shot to kill, I know that because I've faced a lot of them. They're headstrong, they're not going to give up. We're asking for too much."
"Have you told them this?"
"They won't listen to me, trust me. It's all about who's pleasing the generals and me deciding to just run off, they won't like to hear from me."
"You're healing, you need time away. We can go to the country, hell we can buy a farm and you can try it, I won't say no, but if you ever miss the city will you please tell me? I'll drop everything to make sure you're happy, William."
"Will that make you happy?" Mary nodded. "Then let's go to the countryside and I promise that if I'm ever upset, I will tell you."
