Hello GSE fans! I'm very very new to this so please be kind, it's my first attempt so any comments/concerns/criticism is welcome! This will be starting off slow but will hopefully be well worth it so bear with me.

Thank you & enjoy…

Prologue: Wrapped

"Now, please note on the schedule that the first group will be going through the Trench Experience whereas the second group will be going through the Blitz Experience. Mr. Dunham – you'll be taking your lads through the Trench first and Mr. O'Callaghan you'll be going through the Blitz first, any questions?"

Adele Reed glared down at the two young men through her glasses as each man nodded his acceptance.

"Now please go out, collect your classes and we'll meet you out front of the building with the buses." Pete Dunham and Padraig O'Callaghan stood to leave after listening to Headmaster Reed but were quickly stopped with a final warning.

"And boys? Keep them in line this year…and each other, I don't want any other "incidents" like last trip, got it?" Both of them bit back a smirk and nodded quickly in assent as they gathered their things to meet their classes.

"Yes Mr. Dunham, do try your best not to lose one of your kids then throw up on the tour guide on account of last night's drinking session," Paddy joked lightly, doing his best impression of Miss Reed while shoving his shoulder into Pete's who gave a harsh glare in his direction.

"Oi, like you were any better, ya Mick – you got caught touchin' a statue's bum and nearly thrown out of the gallery," Paddy turned red with embarrassment and Pete gave a loud laugh at the sight.

"I just wanted to compare it to me own, what's so strange about that?" He questioned Pete who simply laughed in response.

They reached Paddy's classroom and Pete smacked his back, "See ya in a few mate – good luck corrallin' your boys." Paddy waved in response and Pete strode a few feet down the hall to his own classroom. One of his boys had showed up early and was kicking a football around the room. He smiled at the sight. For the most part he loved teaching history, the only exception being field trips such as the one planned for today. He found himself wishing it was already the afternoon and the trip already over.

He had no idea that today would become one of the most momentous of his entire life.

"Oi, you push him again you'll be glued to my hip the rest of the trip, got it?" Pete glared down at the 10 year old in front of him and gently shoved him away from the other boys while quickly counting them to ensure he hadn't forgotten anyone at the school.

Completing his count he got the boys attention and shouted out directions, "Right, let's follow Mr. O'Callaghan's class, we'll be hitting the Trenches first now march – OI, get off that tank or you'll set it off!"

"Aw, Mr. Dunham, it aint work like that." The freckle-faced boy shouted down at him while dangling 7 feet above the ground on the gun of the large tank outside the Imperial War Museum.

"It aint work like that'? Who is teaching you English?? Now go before you miss the exhibit," he sighed and wiped sweaty palms down is trousers. Pete Dunham figured this was going to be one very long, day. Looking ahead for PCall he jogged towards the head of the group and up the stairs of the museum, having no idea what lay ahead of him.

Strolling through the front and pulling the tickets out of his pocket, he handed each boy a ticket (knowing half of them would lose it in the 10 steps to the ticket taker) when he stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes fell on a young woman speaking to Paddy. Honey brown hair fell in loose curls down her back and her eyes shined as she threw her head back in laughter. He stared in fascination, drinking in the pale skin and smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. His eyes dropped lower to take in the white dress shirt peeking out under a vest, the tight, black pinstripe skirt and the gray heels elevating her to just under Paddy's chin. He gazed at the tantalizing curves of her body, feeling his body fill with desire.

"Fuck me," he breathed out loud.

Suddenly a shout resounded from behind him, "MR. DUNHAM!" he cringed at the familiar voice and turned around to find Adele Reed glaring down at him, "How many times have I had to talk to you about your language?? You are in charge of dozens of boys and that's the type of example you choose to set for them? I am going to start handing down serious punishment if you don't shape up and another thing…"

As she continued to rant, Pete's eyes strayed to the girl that was still standing talking to Paddy – willing her to look towards him. Just as he was about to give up it seemed as though she felt his gaze and her eyes shifted towards him. He locked eyes with her and felt goosebumps explode on his skin as she gave him a slight smile

"Are you even hearing me, Dunham?" Ms. Reed snapped her fingers in his face and he broke eye contact with the girl to stare back at Ms. Reed.

"Erhm, sorry ma'am, I'll make sure to watch myself around the boys." Attempting to force his face into what he hoped was a penitent look she finally softened and gave a slight nod implying the conversation was over. Looking over to where Paddy had been standing he saw only PCall leading his boys into the large open exhibit floor towards the stairs to take them down to the Blitz. But where did the girl go? He thought desperately, searching the area around him to find her.

"Um, sir? Hello?" an American accent broke through his frantic searching. Turning around his gaze landed on her.

"Hi!" she said nervously, holding her hand out for him to shake, "I'm Josephine Murphy…I'll be leading you as well as your boys around the museum today. Now I understand your boys are the ten year old group? Yes? Great. Please go easy on me, this is my first tour and I'm a bit nervous. And when I'm nervous I tend to ramble and speak quickly but I swear I know my stuff and there are always these horror stories about how awful the first time is: the groups are rough and mean and argue with the information given. And I'm an American, that's even worse I'm just so freaked, Christ I already probably sound like a moron." This last bit came more as a murmur to herself, rather than to him as she trailed off awkwardly.

"MS! Ms. Murphy! Stop," smirking slightly as he gazed down at her he watched as she seemed to realize how crazy she'd sounded, "Relax, even if you bottle it they'll have no idea and I swear I won't let on if you royally fuck up by saying that Hitler invented trench war or some shit like that." Hand over heart and a smirk on his face he waited for her reply his hand still tingling from her touch. To his slight shock she let out the same hearty laugh he'd seen her give Paddy, brown eyes sparkling, making his heart soar.

"Please, call me Josie, Josephine makes me sound like an 80 year old woman. And this is going to be hard enough, I don't need you making me more nervous," he held her gaze thrilled that she seemed to imply he made her nervous. He continued to stare at her face, examining her up close and grinning stupidly at her. He felt like he'd just been hit by a bus. Pete turned around when he felt eyes burning into his back to see his entire class staring at the two of them.

"Right then…now boys – this is Ms. Murphy…a Yank but please don't hold that against her." Smiling and nodding in her direction to ensure she knew he was kidding he turned back to them, "She'll be taking us through the museum today and I expect you to give her your full undivided attention."

"Heh, I'd like to give'r somethin' else too." Pete heard one of the boys mumble to another and he flicked him in the arm, resisting the urge to smack him. He reminded himself that after all, this was a ten year old boy he was dealing with and they tended to be at the stage of just noticing the opposite sex. But still, he felt strangely over-protective of Josie and he didn't even know her.

"Lead the way Miss," Pete said and his eyes followed her greedily as she turned on her gray-clad high heeled foot and began to the lead the group. He smirked to himself as he watched the tantalizing way her hips swayed in the pinstriped skirt…maybe this day wouldn't be quite as awful as he'd thought it would be.

"Mate, she is fit as fuck and she was definitely making eyes at me," Paddy mumbled to Pete as they attempted to have a quiet conversation as Josie led the boys through the museum, occasionally making the collected crowd around her laugh at some anecdote while holding their undivided attention. Pete could barely tear his eyes away from her to give a gobsmacked look in Paddy's direction.

"Bollocks! She chose to spend the day with my group, only allowing you to join when that blonde coworker couldn't hack it after Benjy spit on her new shoes. You'd think they'd screen it better so they'd know if you can bloody well hack it leadin' hoards of little ones around," Pete rolled his blue eyes at the thought of the uppity blonde that had sprinted off the floor screaming when the glob of spit landed on her shoe.

"Eh," Paddy waved a dismissive hand in his direction, "You 'eard her, last name o' Murphy she'd love to get her mitts into an Irish stallion such as meself."

Pete rolled his eyes, a biting retort on his lips when the crowd stopped abruptly and he heard the object of their conversation cut loudly through their soft chat, shaking off another round of goose-bumps he looked up at her.

"Now, unfortunately, you must leave me and head back to whatever little hooligan home bred you. My hopes are you enjoyed the tour, learned a little about World War II and think a bit higher of Americans than you did before," she gave a cheeky grin in Pete's direction then turned to lead the group out of the museum to their waiting buses.

Laughing along with the rest of the group he broke away from Paddy, intent on having a private chat with Josie before they left. I'm fallin' arse over tit for this bird and I just met her, Pete thought to himself as the group of boys and men followed her out. This Josie was nothing short of gorgeous and smart and funny, but how to get her away from the group so he could ask her out? Walking blindly as he searched around for her in the crowd he felt a warm barrier blocking his path.

"Ow shit," he heard a soft cry as he knocked roughly into whoever it was in front of him. He tried to catch himself from knocking whoever it was down but instead he ended up grasping at the sleeves of someone and felt himself falling to the ground, bringing her with him.

And just like that Pete Dunham had literally fallen head over heels taking Josephine Murphy down with him.

So, that's the start! Any help would be appreciated and if you think it's terrible, please tell me, I'm a big girl and can take it. Also, if you think something sounds familiar from another story – let me know, I feel like I've tried to read everything that I might inadvertently use something of someone's and I do NOT want that happening.