Without A Trace

Eight.

After changing into my bathing suit I climb into the hot tub taking a big relaxing sigh as my friends join me.

Ivy pours us each a drink and hands it to each of us which we blissfully take.

"So Anna," I ask taking a sip turning my attention towards her, "I want to hear how you and Lewis met," I say with a smile.

She blushes as she looks at her glass, swirling her drink around, "Thats a long fuckin story."

"Your five year anniversary is coming up and you've never told us how you met. Come on Ann," Ivy says grabbing a smoke from her gold cigarette holder with hers and Michaels initials etched into it.

"Alright alright, fuckin hell," she says smiling. "It was in Germany. I was a combat nurse stationed up under the red cross tent. Fuckin bonkers the shit you would see in there," she said taking a slight pause before sipping her drink. "It was the middle of the night and it was a full moon. I was absolutely knackered from the day and I was just trying to have a bloody smoke. My superior officer calls me and tells me I have one last soldier to sew up and then I would be free to go for the rest of the night. So I make my way back to my bay area and get my station all set up. I hear the footsteps and when I turn my head, I see the absolute most gorgeous man I've ever seen in my whole fuckin 20 years of life," she says with a giggle.

"So he sits in my chair and I'm like 'Alright, where the fuck is your wound?' And he takes his jacket off and rolls up the sleeve of one of his arms. And there was a pretty fuckin gnarly laceration that went from his wrist almost all the way up to his elbow. So I numb it up and I ask him what happened," she pauses looking outside at the rain.

I clench my jaw slightly, pretty sure of where the story is headed.

"He told me he tried to kill himself, he couldn't handle the pressure anymore. Not knowing if his brothers were dead or alive, the PTSD was really starting to fuck with his mind," she says taking a long drag off her cigarette. "So I tell him that theres always a reson to stay, that his brothers were alright, and that he was going to make it out. When he got out he was going to find him a beautiful woman and settle down with her and have a family," a smile grows on her face, "he let out the biggest fuckin laugh I've ever heard. He told me 'If only you knew my family business, nobody wants to settle down into that.' And here we fuckin are now eh?" She smiles looking at her big rock on her finger. "So I see his arm up and get it all bandaged up, and it felt like we sat and talked for hours, about absolutely everything. He asked if he'd see me again and I told him probably not because I was moving bases soon and he got so sad. It was written all over his bloody face how sad he was. So he asked my name after he pulled his sleeve down and I gave it to him asking his name," she giggles. "He told me I'd find out his name after I got my letter from him. He kissed my hand, and then he walked out. From then on out I received hundred of letters from that man, which I still have to this day." She says taking a drag from her cigarette.

"What about the day you saw him again? When you both came home?" Ivy asks.

"Oh fuckin hell," Anna laughs. "Well once I found out we both lived in Birmingham it was a no brainer to meet when we got home. So the first time I saw him again I walked right up to him and gave him the biggest kiss. It was funny because Aurthur was with him and looked fuckin gobsmacked," she says with a smile. "Then we went back to my flat and he fucked my brains out until the bloody sun came up. Literally," she says with a smile finishing her drink.

"How bad has the war affected your relationship now? I mean, you see first hand me and fuckin Thomas," I say rolling my eyes.

She takes a deep breath, "Not nearly as bad. But he's petrified to sleep. He begs me to keep him awake because he doesn't want to hear 'the screams' he says," she says. "But, our fighting has gotten more and more. His personality is so different too. He's not as outgoing and he doesnt hardly laugh anymore. Its like I hardly know him sometimes," she says looking out at the rain. "But I still dig deep and find him sometimes."

"Why don't we go on a holiday? After the meeting tomorrow, before the plan commenses we'll go on holiday to the cottage up north," Ivy suggests. "It will help loosen everyone up anyways and get the tension out of the air and get ready for the plan."

"Not a shab idea. Talk it over with Michael and then have him talk to Tommy about it," I say puffing my cigarette.

"Good idea, Michael can take the brunt of it before we do," Ivy says with a smile.

"What do we have to go into town for anyways?" Anna asks looking over at me.

I give her a smile, "Theres a girl at the market thats been catching Johns eye. I figured we pop in and let him get a break for an hour or so. We can sit at the bake shop while he takes care of his business," I say taking the cigarette out of my mouth.

"We're going into town just so John can fuck a whore?" Ivy says staring at me.

"The poor bastard deserves to blow off steam just as much as the rest of them do. Lord fuckin knows hes been getting the shit end of the stick lately. They've all been fucking awful to him because they're a bunch of assholes," I say sipping from my glass.

"At least we're going to the fuckin bake shop. I could use a blueberry scone right about now," Anna says.

"Ten pounds the bread baker drools over Ivy and gives us free shit," I say before climbing out of the hot tub, wrapping the towel around my waist.

"I'm not even going to bet on that because of how true that is," Anna says following me.

"Fuck off both of you. You're just jealous," Ivy says getting out and grabbing her smokes.

"Jealous of what? Your big ass forehead?" I ask with a smile.

Ivy picks up a pillow and chucks it at me before walking inside, "Shut the fuck up Cora. You stupid bitch."

Anna and I laugh with each other before following her.

"Come on Ivy its just a bit of fun," Anna says with a giggle followed by a death glare from Ivy.