AN: Just a little one shot from me. I have no idea where this came form but, when do we ever need a reason to be creative?

This is one of those random moments for me where I have written and posted this all within an hour. Normally I sit on these one shots for a year and fret over if i should post or not! Anyways...

Enjoy, as always, Please review.


That Old Box of Junk

Elizabeth came up the stairs from the basement breathlessly as she struggled to carry a box labeled 'Henry's Junk' up into the kitchen. Her body swayed under the weight a little as she grimaced trying to steady herself. Henry chuckled as he walked over to her and took the box from her arms, placing it down on the table.

'You know, maybe you need to swap the yoga for strength training' he teased and she playfully swatted him across the head.

'It's your crap in there' she rolled her eyes. Her hand brushed the top of the cardboard, dust filtering into the air and settling on their surroundings as she pulled it open.

'It's not wet? I thought we were only going through the boxes that were ruined on the floor?' He questioned, peering inside at the box's contents. 'I don't even know what half of this is' he furrowed his brow.

'We were, but I thought we might as well go through them all, and well, with the kids out this weekend and Secretary Thompson stepping up for me, it seemed the perfect time.' She shrugged. Her hand dipped inside and pulled out various contents. 'These look like things from your marine days' she scrunched up her face, wrinkles lay upon her forehead as she tried to make sense of the items he decided to keep over the years.

'What is this? A Napkin?' She shook her head and parted her lips as she stood in disbelief.

'It was obviously sentimental at the time, not sure I know why' he chuckled, pulling it from her grasp and tossing it into the bin before sitting down at the table.

'There are some pictures of you and other marines in here' she spoke softly as she rooted through them, pulling them out in a bunch, her fingers tracing the edges as she flipped to another dusty picture. Henry held out his hand to take some from her, eager to look himself.

'Some of these men didn't come home' he whispered as he placed one photo to the back of the pile. Elizabeth pressed her lips together and glanced down at him.

'Is It selfish of me to say that I am glad you did?' She pondered

'I think any other wife would feel the same,' he sighed heavily. 'Still, these men kept me going out there, I only came home because some of them made the ultimate sacrifice.' He paused for a moment, the depth of the silence washing over them. 'Anyway, what else is in there?' he cleared his throat and gestured to her with a simple nod of the head to continue.

'Urm, things that I think you need to go through, some scraps of paper, a mug, some letters that you've received and a pen' she chuckled as she pulled it out, holding it up to him and shaking her head.

'Wait, that's my wooden pen, I thought I lost that' he explained as he reached forward, his fingers grabbing at the dark oak pen. He brushed it clean as he twisted it in his fingers, his mind whirling around as he remembered the last time he used this pen. Elizabeth had returned her attention back to the box, unaware of how distracted Henry had now become.

'Yep, these are all letters addressed to you, some are from me I recognise them, some maybe from your parents, or your brothers and sisters, and, oh wait, this one is addressed to me' Her brow furrowed as she placed all the others down. Her fingers delicately holding the crumpled up envelope, her eyes scanning the faint writing.

'Don't' he stood, placing a hand on top of the envelope stopping her from tearing it open, a pleading look in his eyes.

'Well, now I want to know even more' she half chuckled as she tried to laugh her way through her nervousness but Henry remained quiet. His hand was still gently placed on top of the envelope, his eyes fixed on hers. 'Henry, what is this letter?' She asked, her voice thick with a layer of emotion as she searched his face for a hint.

'It's nothing, I just don't think you should read it' he explained

'But why? It's addressed to me, and you clearly wrote it…' she screwed up her face, her brain working overtime, ruthlessly working through scenarios trying to understand what he was getting at. She turned them over and over until she reached her destination.

'Oh my, this is your last letter isn't it. The one I would have got had you not returned' she swallowed hard, the truth as gritty as sand as she forced it down, watching as Henry slowly nodded and pressed his lips together, his eyes closing for a split second as he tried to hide from the truth.

'I wrote it, with this pen. I don't even know where I got this from' he sighed as he let his hand slip off the envelope, leaning over the table and grabbed the pen, holding it in his hands, taking a moment to feel the weight of it within his palm. 'It was the first and last thing I ever wrote with it, it felt tainted somehow after it.' He shrugged as he attempted to explain himself. Elizabeth had not moved, her eyes fixed on the seal before her, slightly crumpled and torn, behind it a future that could have been hers.

'I want to read it' she replied, her words dry as her mouth attempted to search for saliva. 'Please' she requested. Henry inhaled deeply, his chest puffing out as he held his breath and tongue. A slow exhale through the nose allowed him to relax his shoulders as he twisted his head; he didn't want her to read It, but knew she had every right to. If the roles were reversed he would want to read it. With a reluctant sigh he signaled for her to open the letter, as he took a seat back at the table.

Elizabeth watched him intently as she peeled it back, pulling the letter from inside and opening it to reveal its contents;

My Dearest Elizabeth,

We're advised to write these letters from the moment we sign up, I never believed it to be true but here I am, pen to paper. Give me any other letter and I can write you an infinite number of words telling you how much I love you, how happy you make me and how I cannot wait to see you again. Yet I struggle with this one.

I guess it's because I know if you ever read this then that means I won't get to see you again, and it doesn't matter how many times I write that I love you, or describe just how beautiful I think you are, you'll never hear me say those words again. I don't think I can cope with the amount of pain that brings me, to never see your smile again…

I'm sorry. I don't know how it happened, all I know is that I am sorry it did. I am sorry to leave you all alone, you don't deserve to lose another important person in your life but, I am more sorry that I will never get to see you again, I wanted a hundred years with you, I wanted to retire and be the man beside the woman, my heart breaks knowing I have not achieved my dreams with you.

I've struggled to find the words to comfort you, so I've found a poem that I wish to share, in the hope it will offer a moment of peace for your grieving heart.

If Tomorrow Starts Without Me…

If tomorrow starts without me, and I'm not there to see,
If the sun should rise you find your eyes all filled with tears for me;
I wish, so much you wouldn't cry the way you did today,
While thinking of the many things we didn't get to say.
I know how much you love me, as much as I love you,
And each time that you think of me, I know you'll miss me too.

But when tomorrow starts without me please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name and took me by the hand.
He said my place was ready, in heaven far above
And that I'd have to leave behind all those I dearly love.
But as I turned and walked away a tear fell from my eye.
For all my life I'd always thought, I didn't want to die.

I had so much to live for, so much left yet to do.
It seemed almost impossible that I was leaving you.
I thought of all the yesterdays the good ones and the bad.
I thought of all the love we shared, and all the fun we had.
If I could relive yesterday, just even for a while,
I'd say goodbye and kiss you and maybe see you smile.
But then I fully realized that this could never be,
For emptiness and memories would take the place of me.

When I thought of worldly things I might miss come tomorrow,
I thought of you and when I did, my heart was filled with sorrow.
So when tomorrow starts without me don't think we're far apart,
For every time you think of me, I'm right here in your heart.

Elizabeth's hands trembled as she swallowed her sobs and squeezed her eyes shut. Silent tears cascading down her face as she drew the letter close to her chest. Her bottom lip quivered, unable to contain her sorrow. A whimper escaped her as her torso shook, the weight forcing her to bend slightly. Henry rose to his feet and engulfed her in his arms. A strong protective arm around her, whilst he wiped his own stay tears away.

'Shhh' he soothed as he hugged her close. Her muffled cries tangled in his clothing as she drenched his shoulder with tears. 'I told you not to read it' he chuckled through his own emotions. Elizabeth laughed into his shoulder softly, pulling back and looking at him intently.

'Henry' she whimpered, her breath labored as she struggled to find the air in her lungs to speak.

'I know' he whispered, leaning forward, placing his hands either side of her face and planting a soft kiss on her forehead. 'I know,' he repeated in a delicate tone. She sniffled and caught his gaze within hers.

'I'm so glad you came home' her tone hushed as she forced her cries down to speak. He nodded slowly and smiled at her, the tears glistening perfectly against her baby blue eyes.

'Me too' he kissed her cautiously, his love amplified in his actions as he stood before her. 'That should teach you not to go through boxes on your weekend off' he teased and she laughed aloud

'That should teach you not to throw something that important in an old junk box!' She shrieked in disbelief, her shock falling into a small giggle as she collapsed back into his arms, needing to hold him close whilst she could.


AN: Poem written by David Romano.

As stated in text, Henry 'Found it' I am not claiming it as my own work.