Dalek week, Day 5: WWII

They said it might be a good idea to write/draw your stuff out before Dalek week. I didn't and inspiration keeps biting me in the ass everyday ay the last minute. Go figure.

I found this one to be a bit tricky to write but it turned out alright in the end.

I know the 'war' related stuff is a bit hazy because I don't really know much about WW II and the political things that started it. And I didn't have time to read over the Leviathan books for any pointers on revisionist history wars either so I just did my own thing.

Better than a thousand hollow words,
is one word that brings peace.
- Siddhartha Buddha

We've got to hold on ready or not
You live for the fight when it's all that you've got
Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear
Livin' on a prayer
- Livin on a Prayer, Bon Jovi

The office was dimly lit by two identical desk lamps. It hadn't been used very much in the past few months. This was a rare occasion that found them both in London.

Deryn and Alek were diplomats like Dr. Barlow and often spent months at a time travelling on assignments. Those assignments had become more and more frequent in the past year. Trouble was brewing in Europe and had been for a while. And though some countries wanted to avoid another war others were spoiling for a fight. War seemed inevitable no matter how thin the world's diplomats were spread.

Only a few months before, Alek had been sent to Istanbul in an attempt to sort things out. At the same time, Deryn had been sent to America. It had been several months before either of them saw each other again.

Deryn had been back in London a week now. Alek had arrived two days before.

Already they were elbow deep in paper work and official looking documents.

It never seemed to end.

Trying to orchestrate world peace was dead exhausting and there were hundreds of others in the same situation spread out across the city.

Every one of them kept late hours at their offices, got little sleep, travelled endlessly, and drank large amounts of coffee in order to work those late night hours.

Alek rubbed his eyes tiredly and glanced at the clock on his desk. It was two-thirty in the morning. He'd felt fatigue set in hours before and knew Deryn was feeling the same.

He saw her eyelids droop and she jerked awake when the pencil she had been using to make notes fell from her hand onto the desk.

Alek stood and switched off his desk lamp. Deryn's desk faced his and was only a few feet away.

He walked around and stood behind her.

"Liebe,"He said, his hands massaging her shoulders. "Why don't we stop for the night?"

She turned her chair to face him; the dark circles beneath her eyes matching his.

"That sounds barking grand but I really need to finish these." She gestured to the stack of papers that had been pushed to one side of the desk.

Alek pulled her to her feet.

"It will do no good if you make a mistake because you fell asleep while writing."

Deryn nodded, feeling the stress of the last few months catch up with her all at once. Before she realized it, her arms were wrapped around Alek tightly and her face was buried in his shoulder. He felt her shaking and thought it was from exhaustion but as he felt the shoulder of his shirt dampen he realized she was crying.

"What is it, Deryn?" He asked, concern filling his voice. "What's wrong?"

She took a shuddery breath before answering.

"I'm scared, Alek." She whispered.

He held her tightly and felt his own eyes begin to prickle.

"I know, liebe. So am I."

He could feel her shaking her head.

"The whole world's going barking mad again. And there's nothing we can do to stop it."

He stroked her hair comfortingly.

"The future is not set in stone, Deryn. This war may not happen."

"But what if it does," She choked. "I don't know if I could handle another one."

Alek sighed, resting his cheek against her hair.

"Then we face it just as we have faced everything else; together."

Deryn swallowed hard, her fists clenched tightly in Alek's shirt.

"What happens while we're waiting?" She asked.

"We hope."