Letters from Nam

Prologue

A/N: Heya. OK this is my first AD fic… so don't kill me if it sucks!! I still haven't decided if I want to continue this… But let me know what you think and tell me if I should continue.

Meg watched him as he jumped the fence into her backyard with ease. He greeted her with a kiss. Pulling away, Meg noticed his grim expression.

"What's wrong?" Instead of answering, Chris pulled her into his arms and held her. He didn't want to let go. He never wanted to let go. He wanted to savour the moment and hold on to it for the rest of his life. Despite his protests, Meg pulled him away from her.

"Tell me." She whispered. He looked into her eyes. He knew that whatever happened, those would be the most beautiful thing he'd ever see. He'd seen them smile, he'd seen them glisten with fresh tears, he'd seen them turn dark in anger and he'd seen them soften with love. And he was about to make them fill with pain. He didn't want to be the reason for her hurting. Too many people had let Meg down and caused her pain, and he'd always promised himself that he wouldn't be one of those people. Until now.

"I got a draft notice today."

"You what?" She asked him, disbelievingly.

"They're sending me to Nam, Meg."

"But you're not going though, right? You can't. Not after everything we've fought so hard for!" Again, Chris didn't answer. He watched her eyes glaze over, and listened to her breaths become shallow. Chris tried to pull her into his arms again, but she pushed him away and slapped him, hard across the face. After the shock passed, Chris put his hand to the crimson hand print on his left cheek. He knew he deserved it. He couldn't expect to let her down like everyone else had, and not expect a reaction.

"I don't have a choice, Meg. If I don't go, I'll be arrested."

"And if you do go, you might not come back. I can't deal with that again. Not after JJ." She turned away from him momentarily. "This is so hypocritical of you. You've been protesting the war for the last year and now you're going to join it? You'll kill people and then, if you do come back… You'll be the shell of the person you used to be. And you'll have to live with those memories for the rest of your life."

"You're not listening to me. I don't have a choice. I have to go."

"You could go to Canada. That's where all the people go, that are trying to avoid being drafted."

"I've already been drafted. I can't avoid it! It's already happened." Please understand." He urged her gently. Meg considered for a second. She felt more for Chris, than she'd felt for anybody. He'd come into her life by coincidence and had never left. And she didn't want him to leave now. She didn't want to think what it would be like to lose her guy, as well as her brother to the war. She cleared her throat slightly, and tried to re-gain some composure before speaking.

"I don't think you should come over anymore."

"Wait… Are you breaking up with me?"

"Yes." Meg confirmed.

"This is crazy, you're talkin' crazy!"

"And you aren't? Going off to fight a war that you don't even know the reason for. That you've been fighting against. That's not crazy?"

"I…" Before Chris got to finish, Meg cut him off.

"I know! You don't have a choice. But I do. And I can't watch somebody I love, leave again and never come back."

"Love?"

"Please go Chris." He shortened the distance between them, and took her chin between his thumb and his finger, and kissed her lightly.

"I will come back. I promise." Meg looked away, encouraging him to do as she wished, and leave.

Watching him jump back over the fence to his house, Meg let the tears she'd been holding back, fall freely.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." She whispered to herself.