"Is anyone sitting here, ma'am?" a male's voice asked me.

I looked up and the smile I had planned on giving died on my lips. Staring down at me with the most beautiful blue eyes was a soldier dressed in uniform, his dark hair gleaming from the sunlight. My throat felt constricted and I swallowed nervously before answering.

"No" was all I managed to said as I scooted over to the other side of the bench. I adjusted my sun hat trying to keep me from getting sunburn and adjusted the skirt of my long frock. My ankles were nearly showing and I quickly pulled my dress down a bit as my Momma always told me no respectable man would marry a woman who bared her legs to the world.

We were silent for a while; two strangers sitting side to side in broad daylight; me in my long afternoon dress and him covered with medals and badges of all sorts. I tried not to look at him though I wanted to but it wasn't appropriate.

"The bus seems to be late today," he said suddenly.

"Hmm" I agreed, folding my long gloved hands in my lap.

"Have you been waiting long ma'am?" he asked politely.

"No too long. But traveling is always hard in these places ever since the war especially", I added.

"Traveling is by far the least of our worries during this war" he said with a wry smile as he briefly touched his right arm with his left.

I sucked in my breath, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Didn't mean nothing by my comment, ma'am. It was merely just that – me commenting"

I nodded slowly as I turned to face the road in front of us. People walked pass us and cars drove as we sat there in silence. Eventually I gathered up my courage and spoke.

"Do you ever get scared?" I asked slowly as I turned to face him. "In the war, I mean?"

"Yes" he said simply.

"Then why do you…"

"Because if it wasn't me, it would be someone else. And I would rather be the one to risk my life than someone's father or son"

I only understood that sentence a few moments after he said it. I think he must have been a loner with no one to love. It made sense then for him to risk his life… because he had nothing to lose.

"I'm sorry", I said.

"It's worse for you though"

"I beg your pardon sir?"

"I've got no one to watch out for. No one to light the porch lights for in hopes that they'll see it when they return from war. No one to pray for, no one to worry about, no one to lose"

"No one to love" I blurted out. Then I quickly said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

He grinned slowly. "I'm sure you didn't mean nothing by it, ma'am" he said, tilting his cap.

"I don't by the way", I said. "Have someone to pray for or worry about in this war seeing as it's only me, my Momma and my Aunt Lily"

He hesitated than biting his lip, he asked "Well, seeing as I don't have anyone to come home to and you've got no one to worry about, would you…Would you pray for me?"

I smiled then turned to look at him through his beautiful blue eyes. "But I don't even know your name, mister" I said innocently.

"It's Nathan. Nathan Scott" he said as he held out his hand to me. I took it in my white-gloved hand and even through the material, his touch sent sharp electric waved up my arm. I gasped as I was hit with shudders and my heart started pounding uncontrollably. I looked up at Nathan and he met my eyes with a confused look. Something had just happened that we weren't aware of we stood there gawking at each other confused as we continued to hold hands.

I finally recovered and let go of his hand quickly. My breath was coming out in shorts gasps but eventually I managed to calm myself down. I held my breath and soon my breathing became regular. Then I smiled nervously at Nathan who was staring at me with those eyes seemingly experiencing the same thing I had just gone through.

I sat up straight and bowed my head down.

"Dear God, please watch over Nathan Scott and let no harm come to him. Dear God, please…."