I Promise (Wattys 2016)

Epilogue

The picture above is to show what James and Victoria look like twenty-one years later. 

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September 3, 1939

It had been twenty-one years since the Great War had ended. James's PTSD had only gotten worse. His strangling of Victoria in her sleep had stopped...only after he had moved to the guest room. That had been their biggest fight. James had said that he didn't want to hurt her anymore, and Victoria had said that she refused to sleep without him. The fight had ended with James storming out, going to the guest room, and slamming the door shut. He hadn't been in their- now Victoria's- bedroom since. They had never apologized to each other, and they weren't the same around one another anymore.

Victoria came downstairs first, along with an old and slow Bailey. She let him out and then picked up the paper. Once Bailey came back inside, Victoria sat down at the kitchen table and looked at the headline of the paper. She gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

Britain Declares War Against Germany Over Poland

Victoria scanned over the article. France and New Zealand had also declared war on Germany. Victoria sighed. It looked like there was going to be another war. And so soon after the Great War had ended, too. How long would this one last, and what would the cost be? She decided that she didn't want to think about it anymore and set the paper down on James's armchair. She began to make breakfast for herself and James.

A little while later, James came down the stairs. Bailey, with difficultly, stood up and walked over to Victoria. He stood in front of her protectively. Victoria put a hand on Bailey's back to steady him. He did this every morning when James got up. Ever since he had started strangling Victoria in his sleep, Bailey hadn't trusted him.

"Good morning, James," Victoria said, glancing at him sideways from her cooking.

"Good morning, Victoria," James said. He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Take a look at the front page of the paper," Victoria said.

"Why? What's so- Oohhh..." James said, understanding as he read the headline. "How can we go back to war so soon?"

"I don't know," Victoria said.

"Maybe I should sign up..." James said thoughtfully.

"No," Victoria said firmly. "I refuse to let you go off to war again."

"But, darling-"

"Don't 'But, darling' me. I don't care if the bloody king and queen come to our doorstep and threaten to kill me, you are not going off to fight the Germans again," Victoria said.

"Alright, love. Alright," James sighed.

Victoria gave an agitated huff and turned back to her cooking. She had nearly burned the eggs she had been cooking, but found that she didn't care. It wasn't like she was going to eat them anyways. She had eaten a bowl of fruit earlier. When James's breakfast was finished, Victoria set it down in front of him.

"They're burnt," James said.

"Then make your own damn eggs," Victoria said.

"You know, that's not what an apology sounds like," James said.

"Bite me," Victoria's head snapped to James, her eyes fiery. James sighed.

"What happened to us?" he asked.

"A war happened, James," Victoria stated the fact as if it was plain as day.

"I thought that a war would have brought us closer together," James said.