A few weeks passed, and the winter weather had turned in to warmer spring. On one particular sunny spring morning at the end of April, lizzie was sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen eating toast, when her dad walked in and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
"Morning, sweetheart." he said
"Morning, do you want some tea and toast?" she asked getting up and walking over to the kettle and flicking the switch on.
"please, and is the any of the lime marmalade left?" he asked knowing that she was the only other person in the house that ate the stuff.
"it's on the bar," she said putting the bread in to the toaster.
"ah, so it is. So, what's your plan for today?" he asked her as she passed him the tea, she had just made him.
"Well, I am going shopping and then going to visit grandpa, and then the is the committee meeting for the base VE day celebrations next week," she said as she passed over the toast to him.
"ah, yes, what time is the meeting again," he asked as he topped his toast with the green marmalade.
"Dad," she said half laughing "as one of the committee members you should know, I'm only there as the repesation for the families. It's at one," she continued, wiping her hands on a tea-towel. "right, I'm off to see grandpa,"
"ok, I will see you at one," her dad said as she walked out of the kitchen.

Lizzie walked around the supermarket, picking up the items she knew her grandfather would need. Ever since her grandmother died, two years previously lizzie always tried to visit her grandfather. He was a proud old sailor and her father's own father, lizzie never saw her mother's family, so was quite close to him. Stopping at the cream cakes, lizzie chose cream doughnuts, for a treat for herself and her grandpa. Paying for the shopping, lizzie put the bags in to her car and drove to her grandpa's house.

Lizzie pulled up outside her grandpa's bungalow and got the shopping out, and knocked on his door. Her grandpa, slowly walked to the door, and smiled when he saw it was lizzie.
"lizzie, what a surprise, come in," he said
leaning down to place a kiss on his cheek, lizzie followed him in to the house.
"hello grandpa, I've done a bit of shopping for you," she said "and I have got us a treat," she added pulling out the box of cream cakes.
"you know me well, sweetheart," her grandpa grinned "I will put the kettle on," he added.
"sit, I will do it," lizzie said placing her hand on top of her grandpa's before walking around his kitchen making the tea and a couple of sandwiches and plaiting up the cakes. Carrying the tea, sandwiches and cakes through on a tray, lizzie placed it on the small table and passed her grandpa his cup.
"so, my sweet, how's the world with you?" he asked taking a sip of the tea.
"ok." she said before adding "can I ask you something?"
"anything" he said
"will you be my date for the VE day dance?" she said
"haven't you got some chap to go with, you don't want me," he said
"sort of, and he will be there, but I want to go with you. You were there in 1945, with grandma and I really want to go with you," she said Smiling at him.

Her grandpa, suddenly got up and started to walk towards the door.
"in that case, follow me," he said walking in to the spare room, lizzie followed, and saw him pull a dress that once belonged to her grandmother out of the wardrobe.
"your grandmother wore this on VE day, she would want you to have it." he said passing lizzie the dress.
carefully running her hands over the dress, lizzie could feel the soft satin material.
"grandpa, I couldn't. I am nowhere as near as stylish as gran was," she said putting the dress on the bed.
"nonsense, and you are the image of her," he said as he pulled out two photographs and a long narrow box. Passing the two to his granddaughter, he said wiping a tear away from his eye "see, every time I see you, I see her,"
looking down at the photo, she saw her grandmother and grandpa, on their wedding day, in 1944. Although the photo was faded, she could see the resemblance.

Placing the wedding photo next to the dress, lizzie looked at the second. Again, it was of her grandparents, this time on VE Day. Smiling out at the world to see, lizzie could see the dress in its heyday. Putting that photo with the other lizzie opened the box, although she knew what it contained. A simple string of pearls that her grandmother was wearing in both photos.
"take them, and wear them, they are only sitting here, and when I am gone, your mother will only through them away, "Izzie smiled, the was no love lost between her mother and grandfather.
"ok," lizzie said. Looking at the other clothes, lizzie pulled out a dress bag, containing a WRNS uniform.
"is that how you met her, gran?" she asked.
her grandfather pulled out another photo, this time it was a head shot of her grandmother, with her hat for the navy on. Looking closely at this one, she could see what her grandpa was going on about. The photo may have been nearly 75 years old, but it could have been a mirror.
"she was the most beautiful girl on the base, I fall for her straight away. She on the other hand, had her sights set on an officer, but I won her round eventually," he said.
Placing a kiss on to his cheek, lizzie helped him carry some other items of vintage clothing and jewellery from the room that he said she have.
"grandpa, I have to go," lizzie said picking up the last bag and carrying it out to her car.
"it was good to see you," her grandpa said kissing her on her cheek. "take this," he said pressing a twenty-pound note in to her hand. "Get yourself something nice," he added.
"grandpa, you have already given me several of grandma's old dresses, I don't need the money," she said trying to pass the note back.
"i know but you deserve it, you are a good girl," he said taking his hand away quickly so she couldn't pass the money back.
"ok, I will use it to get the tickets for us, for the dance," she said. Smiling at him.

Lizzie drove the short distance to the base, and spoke to the guard on duty.
"Elizabeth James, I'm here for the VE day committee meeting," she said Checking the list, he waved her through. She drove the short distance to the main building and parked her car. Getting out the car, she walked to the main doors and straight in to dutchy.
"Lizzie," he said placing a kiss onto her cheek. "what are you doing here?" he asked
"hey Dylan, I'm here, for a committee meeting for the VE day celebrations," she said
"ah, that. I was going to ask you. Would you accompany me to the dance?"
"sorry no can do. I already have a date," she said smiling sweetly at him. Seeing his face look all crestfallen she added "he is also nearly ninety, and my grandpa, He was a petty officer by the end of the war," standing up on the tips of her toes she placed a kiss on to Dylan's cheek before saying "got to go, I am going to be late for the meeting,"
"I'll escort you, to the room," he said offering her his arm. and opening the door to the building.
"thank you, petty officer," she said.

Walking down the corridor, lizzie stopped at the door she needed, just as her father walked towards them. Dylan, let her arm go, stood to attention, and saluted.
"sir," he said.
"Ah, Petty officer Mullholland, I see you found my daughter." her father said leaning over and kissed lizzie on her cheek. "lizzie," he added
"hi, dad, Dylan was just making sure I did not get lost," she said.
"Sir, Lizzie," Dylan said before turning and walking away.

The Meeting lasted a couple of hours, and by the end of its lizzie had started to get annoyed with the chairman. He was the second in command at the base and was a real jobsworth. Walking out of the room, she rolled her neck, stretching out the muscles. She followed her father to his office, and sat down on one of the chairs. On the desk a number of photos stood, mostly of her and her sister growing up. One in particular caught her eye, the first, was of her at about four years old, presenting the Queen a posy, when she visited the base. Her dad passed her a cup of tea.
"thanks dad," she said taking a sip.
"How was your grandpa," her dad asked.
"ok, I invited him to come to the Celebrations, which he is, he also gave me lodes of grandma clothes and Jewellery, Including the dress she wore on VE day and her WRNS uniform," she said placing the mug on to his desk.
"Ah,"
"I best let you continue," she said before adding "oh before I forget, is the any chance you could get me in on some of the training exercises? The Paper wants me to do an article on for younger readers,"
"I will see what I can do, I am not promising," he said standing up and giving her a kiss. "I will walk you out,"

Pulling up outside her house, lizzie steered herself for a lecture from her mom about the bags of clothes that she had. Walking in lizzie tried to make a beeline to her room, but her mom caught her.
"Ah, Elizabeth, your home, What do you have there," she said
"Just some old bits of grandmas that grandpa wanted me to have. Vintage Clothes and that," lizzie said before running up the stairs to her room. Closing the door, lizzie headed up to her bedroom, opened the bags and pulled out the dress that her grandma had worn, removing the clothes she had been wearing all day lizzie gently opened the zip that ran down the back of the dress and stepped in to it. Holding her breath, she pulled it up and put her arms in to the sleeves. With one hand, she gently pinched the fabric together whilst with the other she pulled the zip up. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, lizzie could see the dress was a perfect fit. Pulling the shoes out of one of the other bags, lizzie slipped them on to her feet, like the dress they fitted her to a tee.
taking the dress and the shoes off, lizzie hung the dress up in her wardrobe, at the back, and put the shoes behind the rest of her other shoes.

A knock on her door distracted her from sorting through the rest of the clothes.
"just a second," she said grabbing her dressing gown from the end of her bed and slipping it on. Opening the door, she saw Dylan standing there.
"come in," she said allowing him to step in to the room. "just excuse the mess, I am sorting through these vintage clothes my grandpa gave me. They were all once my grandma's," she added. Moving the bags to one side.
"it ok, I just came to ask you how the meeting went," he said
"ok-ish. I mean we have everything ready, but some of the small details need ironing out,"
placing a kiss on to her cheek, he said "I am sure you can sort it," reaching up lizzie kissed him on the lips, resting her hand on his cheek. He turned around and walked out of the door.

The week passed with a blur. On the day of the VE day dance, lizzie sat at her dressing table, putting her hair in to pin curls. Spritzing each section with water, she carefully rolled the hair towards her head before using a hair grip or two to hold it in place. Once she had finished, she put a cotton scarf over to protect them for the day. Walking down stairs, she walked in to the kitchen, and poured herself a coffee. Taking a sip, she felt the caffeine cause through her veins, closing her eyes she let out a sigh. Taking the coffee back to her room, Lizzie set about checking her emails, and add touches the latest article she had been writing. Lost in her writing, she failed to notice that Dylan was standing in her doorway.
"ahgm,"
Turning, lizzie said "how long you been standing there?"
"not long," he said holding a plate of sandwiches. "thought you may want this, it's gone past two" he added passing the plate to her.
"Thanks," she said taking the plate. "um what's on the sandwiches?" she asked, looking at them.
"ham and cheese," he said. Watching her take a bite, he smiled at her before leaving her to her work.

lizzie worked solidly for the next three hours and by five in the afternoon, lizzie closed her laptop down and stowed it in her desk draw, running up the stairs to her bedroom, lizzie closed the door and sat at her dressing table. Removing the scarf, lizzie slowly removed all the grips that had held her hair in the curls. Grabbing her brush, she gently brushed out the curls, so her hair fell in waves. picking up her hair spray, she sprayed a ton on to the back of her head, setting the style in to place, before taking the string of pearls and putting them around her neck. Picking up her makeup bag, lizzie took out all the products that she needed. Applying her eye shadow first, she used browns, for a natural look, putting her pallet away, she picked up her powder foundation and applied it to her forehead, cheeks, chin, and the bridge of her nose, before adding a cheek stain lightly to give her cheeks that light blush colour. Finally, she put a bright red lipstick on, blotting off the heavy colour, before adding a second coat and blotting that. Checking that her appearance was ok, lizzie opened her wardrobe, pulled out her grandmother's dress and slipped it on. Slipping the shoes on to her feet, lizzie picked up her bag and walked downstairs to the living room.
"what do you think?" she asked her dad who was stood in his mess uniform.
"beautiful, your grandpa was right you look incredibly like your grandmother," he said placing a kiss on to lizzie cheek.
"I'm off to pick up grandpa, so I will see you there," lizzie said picking up her keys and walking out to her car.