LEST WE FORGET

Please don't go.

Matthew is a woman in this, and it is au.

In honor of those who lost loved ones to a war.

Ps. listen to 'Open your eyes' by Snow Patrol while reading this if you can.

"Mattie." Gilbert whispered, his tone was rather sad.

Mattie's head hung as she sat on the couch. "Why?" the word was so quiet that Gilbert had to strain his ears to hear it. Gilbert silently made his way over to the couch before resting on his knees in front of Mattie.

Gilbert cradled Mattie's hands. As he began to speak he reached up and gently used his knuckle to brush away the tears running down her cheeks "Don't cry Mattie. It's un-awesome and you are the awesomest person I know." Gilberts had a sad smile on his face as he said these words.

"Why? Why are you going Gil?" Mattie's soft voice became angry. 'Why? You know I hate war! It took my brother from me…' The Tears streamed down her cheeks 'Alfred…'

"I won't die Mattie. I'll come back to you. I promise." Gilbert said lovingly to Mattie before leaning up to kiss Mattie's forehead. He held Mattie through the night as she cried. Gilbert had been drafted to fight in the war, the same war his brother had just died in. The next morning Gilbert silently left, not waking Mattie from her slumber that she had finally fallen in. He didn't say goodbye, and she didn't get to say goodbye.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"I'm coming!" Mattie shouted as she made her way to the front door of the apartment. As she opened the door she came face to face with two soldiers. They both stared at her bulging stomach. She absently rubbed at the bulge, they were silent for a minute and dread began to form in her mind.

"Ma'am is Gilbert Beilschmidt your husband?" The one on the left asked quietly, he had thick bushy eyebrows and blond hair, he spoke with a thick English accent.

"Yes." Mattie shakily replied as tears un-willingly began to pool at the corners of her eyes.

"We are sorry for your loss…" The man who spoke before trailed off as she raised a hand to her mouth and dropped down to her knees. The tears that had pooled at the corners of her eyes cascaded down her cheeks.

"No!" her anguished scream startled both of them. She clutched her stomach where their baby was growing. 'You left… You won't come back! You-'she thought before speaking "Promised" Mattie's one muttered word confused the two soldiers.

Two weeks later Mattie ran into the viewing strait too the coffin. She shakily brushed the hair from his face with tears running down her face. "Wake up Gil. Open your eyes we should go home. I'm going to be giving birth soon, you're a daddy, isn't that great?" Her voice was horse. "Please open your eyes" she whispered. "Open your eyes Gil." her voice was steadily getting louder as she repeated it over and over again.

Two men came up behind her. One had shoulder length blond hair and a slight beard growing. The other had short brown hair and green eyes, his skin was tanned. "Are you Mattie?" the blond questioned.

She turned to them tears still running down her face "Yes. Please help me wake him." The two men stared at her sadly before the tanned one reached out and pulled her into a hug. The other joined in and that's when it settled in. He was DEAD. He would not be coming back.

The blond one whispered in her ear that they were friend with Gilbert. They had heard all about her, she was his little Birdy. They stuck close to her during the funeral only leaving her side to carry his casket. After the funeral they went to a park and talked. They spoke of things they did with gilbert, the loved ones that they had back home and such. They asked her to stay with them but she had refused, she would stay here, she would raise this baby- her baby- and she would tell it all about him.

It was one month later she had her baby. It was a beautiful baby girl. Both Antonio and Francis had come to see her with their lovers, Lovina and Michelle. They had thrown a baby shower for her and had become good friends. Her baby girl was named Engel; after all she was their little angel.

That's it; I was near tears typing this. Oh and Michelle is Seychelles.