I wasn't going to put this up until it was finished but the next chapter of Hetalia Tales 5:5 isn't ready and I wanted to put something out today so here we go! This is based on an old David Niven film called A Matter of Life and Death (It's called Stairway to Heaven in America). I just love the story and I hope you enjoy it too.

Characters

Squadron Leader Arthur Kirkland – England

Flight Engineer Kyle Kirkland – Australia

Amelia F Jones - America

I do not own Hetalia or A Matter of Life and Death!

Chapter 1 : I Love you! Goodbye!

World War II

Squadron Leader Arthur Kirkland was amazed his Lancaster bomber was still flying with holes in the fuselage and flames pouring from one engine and one failing, the two remaining engines did not sound too healthy either.. He could not see where he was as the entire bomber was surrounded by an impenetrable fog but he believed he was somewhere over the English Channel. He was the only person alive on the bomber, the rest having been ordered to bail out while Arthur attempted to keep the crippled plane in the air. He had not bailed out with them because he did not tell them that, when the fuselage was damaged, shrapnel had shredded his parachute.

The only other human being on board was the bomber's flight engineer, Kyle Kirkland, a cousin of Arthur's whose family had emigrated to Australia and he had returned, just before the war. He and Arthur joined the RAF together and Kyle was a wizard with machinery but he had fixed his last engine. He lay on the bomber's deck, the plaster that he always seemed to have, stuck across his nose and his eyes stared sightlessly at the top of the plane as Arthur struggled to keep flying.

He would have taken the time to grieve for Kyle later but he did not think he was going to live through this himself. Oh well! He would be seeing Kyle soon and he reached his radio microphone. He want to get a message out before he checked out for good.

"This is G for George!" He said into the mic, given the plane's call sign. "This is G-George! can anybody hear me? Over!"

Amelia F. Jones was two hours into a six hour night shift, manning the radios and monitoring incoming transmissions. So far the radio signals had been pretty routine and boring and she stretched and yawned. She had arrived in England as part of the US Air force shortly after her country entered the war. Her brother followed shortly after her as a doctor at the base to which she was assigned and she cuddled down into the bomber jacket that he had given her when she enlisted. She would have loved to be a pilot but the military did not allow women in planes.

She ran her hands through her shoulder-length blonde hair and rubbed her blue eyes as she settled down for another boring night when …..

"This is G for George! This is G-George! Can anybody hear me? Over!" The British accent came over the speaker with a hint of urgency, breaking the silence. Amelia immediately operated the microphone to answer the call.

"Hear you loud and clear, G-George!" she replied. "What is your position? Over!" He sounded cute!

"No idea!" came the reply. "Somewhere over the Channel, I think. Navigation's shot, my bird is on fire, my flight engineer is dead and it's only a matter of time before I start falling out of the sky. I ordered the rest of my crew bale out at 01.40am but my parachute was damaged when we were hit. What's your name? Over!" Amelia scribbled down what he told her about his crew bale out to report so a rescue could be sent.

Arthur was happy that his last conversation would be with, what sounded like, a pretty girl, American, by the sound of her voice. And nice.

He wanted to know the name of the last person he would ever speak to and she could get a message to his loved ones that came from him and not some impersonal, black-edged telegram. She sounded like the sort of person who would do something so kind.

"Calling G for George!" the girl's voice came over his speaker. "Calling G-George! Crew baled out at 1.40am! Got that! What about your flight engineer's parachute? Can't you use that? Over!" It was sweet that the girl was trying to think of ways to save him but he had already thought of that.

"Damaged too." he replied. "I have two choices! Stay put or bale out without one. What's your name? Over!" Amelia did not like it that there seemed to be no way to bring this man home. She wanted to be his Heroine and save him but, at the very least she could answer his question.

"I'm Amelia," she replied, ready to cry at her helplessness to save this man. "Amelia F. Jones. Over!"

Arthur smiled on his side on the radio at her reply. Amelia! Her name matched her sweet voice.

"Lovely to meet you, Amelia," he replied. "I'm Squadron Leader Arthur Kirkland. Where are you from? Over!"

"Boston, Over!" Amelia replied, thinking what a normal conversation this was to have in the middle of a crisis.

"A city with lots of history!" Arthur commented. "I'm from London myself. Are you pretty? Over!" Amelia almost laughed at the question.

"I think so," she replied. "At least, that's what I've been told. What about you? Are you handsome? Over!"

"I been told I have hideously big eyebrows," Arthur admitted. "Unfortunately for my brothers, they run in the family. What are you doing after your shift finishes? Over!" Amelia felt like she was getting 'chatted up' as the British would say.

"I'm on duty 'till six," she replied. "Then I'll go back to Hetalia House where I'm billeted. Over!"

"Old house? Over!"

"Quite old! Over!"

"Maybe I'll become a ghost and visit you," Arthur joked. "You're not afraid of ghosts, are you? Over!" Amelia gave a watery smile.

"I won't be afraid of you, Arthur. Over!" she replied. Arthur smiled at his end of the radio.

"Good!" he said. "I have a favour to ask. Over!" Amelia could not refuse Arthur anything at this point.

"Of course. Over!" she said with a lump in her throat.

"I want you to get a message to my brothers," Arthur told her. "24 St George's Street, London. Tell them I love them, even if they are gits half the time. I've never really told them that before, you'd have to know my family to understand! Tell them not to read the telegram when it comes. I don't want to be remembered by some mass produced piece of paper that the MoD will just add my name to. Tell Allistor and Rhys they're the biggest pillocks I've ever met but they're also the best big brothers and tell Patrick and Seamus not to emulated those two idiots but do listen to them sometimes, they occasionally say something sensible. Over!"

Amelia could not stand the idea that this man was going to die, leaving behind brothers that he bickered with but clearly loved. There had to be some way to save him!

"Arthur," she begged. "Let me report this! There might be some way we can help. Over!"

"No point!" Arthur replied as one engine spluttered and finally cut out,quickly followed by the other, the only sound now the roar of the wind outside. "No one can reach me in time, I've just lost my last two engines so I'll be losing height now. I'm sorry, I'll have to cut our conversation short, Amelia! I'm going to bail out now, I've decided I'd rather drown than burn and I'll probably be unconscious when I hit the water any way. You know, it's funny! I've never been in love but I think I could have loved you so I will anyway. I love you, Amelia! Goodbye! Over!"

The radio went dead. A cold hand of dread clutched at Amelia's heart as the line went silent and she operated the microphone.

"Calling G for George!" she cried. "Calling G-George! Over!" There was no reply from Arthur and Amelia wanted to break down and cry but she had something to do before she gave in to grief. She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen to write down the address Arthur had told her and everything he had asked her to tell his brothers then relayed the information about Arthur's bailed out crew which, in turn, was relayed to the Navy.

Then she broke down and cried.

Arthur dropped the mic and moved passed Kyle's body and prepared to throw himself from the plane. He gave his cousin's body a last look.

"Well, Kyle, old boy!" he said to the corpse. "I'll be seeing you in a minute. You'll know if we have wings when we get up there. I guess I'll soon find out!" Arthur stood at the edge of the opening in the deck of the bomber. He gave one last thought to the American girl on the other end of the radio.

And jumped.

I went with Nyo! America for this story, it just seemed to suit the time period better. What happens next will have repercussions so stay tuned!

Hasta la Pasta!