Sarah Jane Elliot awoke long after the sun had risen above the horizon. With a groan, she rolled over and glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It was already nearly eleven in the morning, but she had no intention of getting up just yet.

After spending last night in the company of Alfred Jones, Sarah Jane had snuck into her house a little past one in the morning. Her parents could sleep through a hurricane and be none the wiser, so she had never been caught before. Her parents probably have no idea that she goes out so late and often. What would they do if they ever found out?

Frankly, she had no clue, and she honestly didn't care.

A tap on her window caught her attention, and a quick succession of tap-tap-taps drew her out from under the covers. Not bothering to throw on the bathrobe that hung on her door, Sarah Jane pulled up the neckline of her silk nightgown with a quick tug and pulled back the curtains that covered her window. Bright morning light streamed in, bathing her and everything in the room in a warm and golden glow.

Sarah Jane smiled at the young man that stood outside of her window. He was dressed in sailor whites, and in his hand were a bunch of daisies that he had picked himself. His grin was as wide as the Kansas sky.

Sarah Jane opened her window and leaned out. "I thought I told you not to come here!" she teased. The sailor glanced down at the ground, suddenly feeling a bit dejected. "Sorry Sarah Jane, but I just had to see you again… I hope you don't mind… I'm crazy about you!" He then handed her the flowers, which she took with a smile.

Sarah Jane smelled the flowers and smiled softly. She then set them carefully on her bedside table before turning back to the sailor outside the window. For a moment, she just stood there, leaning out of the window, studying the sailor. She then reached out her hand and caressed his cheek with a slender finger, her nails painted a deep shade of crimson. Her hands then wandered up to his hair, which she started to twist between her fingertips. "Answer me this," she said as her hands traveled over his chin and down to the buttons on his dress shirt.

Whilst playing with his collar with one hand, Sarah Jane whispered, "Just how crazy, Matt?"
The sailor looked up at her, and his smile spread from one ear to the other. "More crazy than I know how to say!"

Sarah Jane drew the sailor close and began to kiss him passionately. After a moment, she drew back. "Then show me."

-x-x-x-

Alfred sat in the back compartment of the train car, quite alone. He didn't mind though. His mind was pleasantly full, thanks to last night. After the train had been going for what he guessed was about a half hour, he got up and decided to walk around. It would be good for him to stretch his legs a bit, after all, this was going to be a long trip.

The door slid open easy enough, and he shut it quietly behind him as he slowly walked toward the front of the car. He remembered seeing some sort of refreshment area two or three cars ahead, so he decided to make for there. He was starting to get a little hungry anyway.

Other people in the car would hear him walk from inside the compartments. Old men would glance up from their newspapers and give him a nod, Women would smile pleasantly at him. Children would wave. One kid, a boy about seven years old or so, ran up to him from a compartment that he had just passed. He yanked on his trousers leg and said excitedly, "Hey mister!"

Alfred glanced down, slightly startled. "Yes?"

"Sorry to bug ya, mister, but are you goin' off to the War?"

Alfred smiled and nodded. "Europe, if you want to know any specifics."

The kid grinned widely, two small white teeth missing. With wonder and enthusiasm in his bright eyes, he asked, "You gonna kill Nazis?"

Alfred's smile began to fade. His eyes darkened, and he clenched his jaw. "You shouldn't ask questions like that." The words came out low and menacingly, each word sharp and angry. With this said, Alfred turned and rushed away. He yanked open the train car door roughly, then slammed it shut loudly behind him.

The kid's smile was replaced with a confused frown. "I don't understand…" he whispered to himself. "Why would you not want to kill Nazis?"

-x-x-x-

Alfred spotted a bathroom on his immediate right, and he seized his chance to have some privacy.

The second he was locked in the tiny room, which was about the size of a broom closet, he ran his fingers through his hair, exasperated and at war with himself. He didn't know what made him say that to that little kid, or where the anger came from, but at the same time, he did know.

You're no killer. Why'd you even sign up? You know that you couldn't bring yourself to kill anyone… What do you think you're doing?

Alfred's eyes welled up with hot, angry tears, which fell silently down his cheeks. This train was going to take him to a ship, which was going to take him to some place in Europe, which was where the Nazis were, and he was expected to send as many of them to meet their Maker as he could, or die trying.

But Alfred was no killer.

What am I going to do?

-x-x-x-

Alfred tried to steer clear of anyone else for the rest of the trip, especially the little boy. He even went so far as to change out of his uniform for a while so as to attract less attention. There really was no point to that though, since he just stayed in his compartment for the rest of the way, until the train was nearing the station a few hours later. Only then did he put his uniform back on.

Alfred was the first one off of the train, and he didn't look back. He walked as fast as he could, his bags in his hand, to buy the ticket for the next leg of his journey. This went on for two days. By the time he had stepped off of his last train, Alfred was exhausted. He had only one thing on his mind then, and that was sleep.

He hailed the first cab he saw, which took him to the nearest hotel, where he snatched up the first available room. When he closed the door behind him, Alfred dropped his bags on the floor, stripped off his uniform, and fell down on the bed without bothering to pull back the covers. He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow. No dreams entered his mind that night, neither good nor bad, and he was perfectly alright with that. The last thing he wanted right now was to dream.

-x-x-x-

Another day and a half later, Alfred breathed in deeply the salty air in the harbor. Seagulls called to each other overhead, and men called to each other all around him. The shrill cries of the gulls and the loud yells of the men became jumbled together, and with the two together in his ears, he could hardly think. So he pushed his way through the crowds pressing in on every side. He tried to mumble an "excuse me" every so often, but he gave up after the first twenty times. Let these squids think I'm a jerk, I don't care. I've got a ship to England I need to catch, and they are NOT going to make me late.

Reviews are lovely, but not as lovely as you, dear reader! Thanks for reading!

Until next time!