Over Here

He slipped from her body and turned her so that they lay with her back against his chest, with his arms around her waist. He became aware that tears were falling down her face.

"Annette...did I hurt you?" He asked, as he tenderly brushed the tears from her face.

"No, Kevin, you didn't hurt me, you are an amazing lover, I am crying because this will never happen between us again."

"Why?" He couldn't comprehend what she was saying.

"Kevin, what just happened between us was truly wonderful, but you know nothing can come of this. You will return to England soon, and my husband will return home at the end of the war. We have to move on with our lives. But...I will never forget you... Mon amour"

Then they kissed passionately, as tears stung the backs of their eyes.

Chapter Eleven

Bob's leg was getting stronger. He still couldn't put his full weight on it, but the splint had been removed and he was getting around much easier, although he still needed a walking stick.

Kevin was impressed with Bob's determination to get fit enough to travel.

They had spent long hours hiding in the secret room in the attic, whenever there had been anyone visiting the farm. They had spent this time in whispered conversation. Telling each other about their homes and families. Kevin was surprised to find he actually liked Bob. He wasn't really any different from himself, with the same hopes and fears. It made him feel uncomfortable about the way he had treated Negroes in the past.

Their false identity papers had been made, and clothes found for them.

The plan was that they had to make their way north by train. This would be the most dangerous part of the journey because they could be stopped and identity checked at any time. Annette assured them that many other men had successfully made their way home by this route.

On their last night at the farm, Annette killed one of her chickens and roasted it for a farewell meal. She served it with vegetables fresh from her garden.

"You need a good meal to set you up for your journey." She explained.

During the meal, she once again went through all the details of the journey. At this point she gave them the name and address of their next contact. Who owned a plane, and who could fly them over the English Channel. They had to learn this off by heart, as it was too dangerous to have this kind of information written down in case it got into the wrong hands. The Resistance had to be very careful, because if their identity was discovered, punishment was severe.

Annette cleared away the plates and put them in the sink ready to wash.

Bob said his goodbyes and made his way up to bed. Annette hated goodbyes and had already told them that when they left, early in the morning, she would not be getting up and seeing them off. She wished Bob good luck for the journey as he went upstairs.

"His leg certainly looks a lot better now, do you think he will be strong enough for the journey?" Annette asked.

"I have been very impressed with his determination to get fit," Kevin told her. "He has been doing exercises for weeks now, to build up the injured leg. I'm sure he will be fine."

As Annette stood at the sink, washing up, Kevin walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.

"Thank you, for everything you have done for us." He said as he rested his chin on the top of her blonde head.

"No, thankyou." She said as she turned to face him. You have been a great help round here, as well as good company." Shyly she gave him a little kiss on the lips. Kevin kissed her back tenderly.

"I hope Pierre comes home safe and sound." He told her.

Wiping her hands on a tea towel, she touched one hand to the side of his face, and looked into those incredible green eyes.

"Be careful, Kevin, get home safely. I am going to miss you." Her eyes were brimming with tears.

Kevin took her hand in his and kissed her palm as he gazed into her eyes. "I am going to miss you too, Annette. I will never forget you."

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Early the next morning as the men set off on their dangerous journey, Kevin could sense something behind him. Looking round he saw Annette at the window.

"Bon voyage" She called quietly to him "Mon amour."

"Aur revoir Annette." Kevin raised his hand as he took one last look at her face. As he turned and walked up the road, he was aware of a dull ache in the region of his heart...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Village hall had been decorated with paper chains and bunting, and the table was almost overflowing with food.

As the children filed into the hall and they saw the food, their eyes were like saucers. They had never seen anything like this before!

They were sat at long trestle tables, and Katie, Colette and several other women from the village served the children their celebration tea. There were allsorts of cakes and biscuits that had been baked for them at the airbase, also fruit, some of which the children had never even seen before.

Once the tea was over there were organised games, musical chairs, blind mans buff, sleeping lions etc. The noise in the hall was deafening as the children laughed and played. Katie loved to watch the children enjoy themselves. Some of them had been evacuated to the country to escape the bombing in London; they missed their families.

Unfortunately several of the children, not used to such rich food or so much of it, got sick and needed looking after. It seemed such a shame when a couple of them had to go home early.

At the end of the party, their parents or guardians duly picked up the children, and the women cleaned up the hall. The G.I.'s cleared away the rest of the food and made their way back to the base. Nick walked Colette and Katie home.

Katie let them into the house, and then she took herself off to bed, to give them some privacy.

"Those kids were having a great time today." Nick said to Colette. "Do you like kids?"

"Yes, I love 'em"

"So how many kids do you want when we are married?"

Colette hesitated, had he really meant that or was he joking? She looked into his eyes to try and work out if he was serious.

"I would like at least two children..." She started.

Nick grinned at her uncertainty.

"Nick, are you making fun of me?"

Nick took her hand in his, and dropped to one knee in front of her.

"Colette," he looked into her now astonished face. "You know I love you...and I don't know what the future will bring, what with this war 'n all, but, would you marry me?"

Colette gave a shriek and Katie came running down the stairs to see what was wrong. She stopped dead at the scene in front of her.

"Oh, yes Nick yes!" Colette said, and Nick carefully slipped a little ring on her finger.

"It is not a very special ring, I'll get you something better later."

"No you will not! This ring is perfect." She held her hand out to Katie as she came forward to congratulate them. Katie kissed them both.

"Congratulations you two, I hope you will both be very happy." Colette hugged her friend and they shed a few tears.

"You will be my bridesmaid, won't you Katie?"

"Of course I will, lovey, I would be honoured."

"Hey Nick," Colette turned to her new fiancé "Can you get your hands on a parachute?"

"What on earth for?" Nick was incredulous.

"For the wedding dress." Colette and Katie said together, and then laughed.

"All that white satin is perfect for the dress." I know just what I want..."

"I'll see what I can do..." Nick shook his head. "I had better get back to the base, I'll see you tomorrow."

Nick kissed Colette goodnight and let himself out of the house. As he set off down the path he could hear the girls shrieking and laughing as they started to make plans. He grinned to himself.

He hoped that Kevin would be back in time to be his best man...

Chapter Twelve

Kevin and Bob sat on the train as it trundled through the French countryside. As Annette had told them, the journey was straightforward. The station staff were members of the Resistance, and had led them to their compartment.

Here they stayed throughout the journey, watching the countryside as it rolled passed their window. They were both nervous of the journey, as well as excited to be going home, or at least back to the base. A part of Kevin was sad to be leaving Annette, although he was well aware that they could have no future together.

This was a rural railway line. Therefore, thankfully there were no military checkpoints to go through.

When they arrived at their destination and stepped off the train, they nervously approached the ticket collector. They handed over their tickets. The man looked them up and down, especially Bob; it was unusual to see a black man around here. With a nod he waved them through. They set off walking up the road, north, as they had been told to do, when they heard a shout behind them.

Kevin slowly turned, expecting the worst.

"Excusez-moi monsieur."

The ticket collector continued speaking in French, and pointing in the opposite direction. Neither Bob nor Kevin could understand what he was saying, but it was clear that he was telling them to go the other way.

"Merci monsieur" Kevin called back, as they turned around and headed in the direction indicated.

Once they were out of site, Kevin got out the map.

"How does he know which direction we should be going?" He asked Bob as he checked their route.

They looked at the map and saw that the direction they had been sent in was to the town, whereas the direction they needed to go was the opposite way. With a sigh of relief they realised the man had only been trying to be helpful sending them to the town.

They found an alternative route back, avoiding the railway station, and then they set off to their next destination.

They had to walk several miles, so they set off at a determined pace. Whenever they heard vehicles on the road, they would hide in the hedgerows, until the coast was clear. They couldn't risk being stopped by the occupying forces.

By the time they reached their destination, it was getting dark. They walked up towards the house. Kevin grabbed Bob and pulled him behind a nearby tree.

"Look..." Kevin pointed towards the house, where there were several jeeps and army vehicles. "Looks like trouble."

"I think we should stay out of sight and see what happens." Bob told him and they crept away out of sight of the house.

After a while, they heard raised voices and the vehicles all left at speed. Once they were sure that the Germans were gone, they made their way up to the house. The front door was open. The men slowly and carefully walked inside.

"Pascal?" Kevin called as they went from room to room. There were signs of a struggle and they eventually found Pascal slumped on the floor of the kitchen.

"Pascal, are you alright?" Kevin turned the man onto his back. He had been badly beaten, his face was bruised, and one eye was so badly swollen that he couldn't open it.

They managed to get him into a chair.

"What happened?" Bob asked him.

"The Germans...they thought they had information to link me with the Resistance. But they can't prove it." He gave a scornful laugh "So they thought they could beat it out of me."

Kevin brought a wet cloth and began cleaning the wounds on Pascal's face.

"It isn't safe for you here..." Kevin said as he wiped away the blood. Pascal winced and took the cloth from him.

"They can't prove anything, otherwise they would not have left me here. Anyway, the Resistance need me. The problem is, I think they broke my hand." He held up one bloody hand. "I can't fly you back to England like this."

"I am a pilot, I can fly us back." Kevin informed him.

"But I need the plane back here, so that when my hand is better I can continue my work for the Resistance." Pascal insisted.

"It is too dangerous for you at the moment. If you come with us to England, then when your hand is better you can return with your plane."

Pascal considered this for a moment. He couldn't keep these men here while his hand healed; the Germans were already suspicious of him.

"Oui," he agreed "You fly us out just before dawn, now I suggest you get some rest."

He told them where they could go and sleep. Kevin and Bob settled down to try and rest, but their anxiety from today's events meant that they were unable to get more than an hour or so of sleep.

Pascal woke them in the early hours. They helped him to pack a few essentials, and made a breakfast of bread and coffee.

They locked up the house; Pascal wondered what would happen when the Germans discovered him gone. He was sure that they would return. He wondered if he would have a home to return to.

He led them on a long walk thought the countryside. Kevin was beginning to wonder where they were going when Pascal stopped and pointed towards some bushes.

At first Kevin could not see what he was pointing at. Then he realised that the plane had been covered in a net with branches and leaves over it to hide it from view, should someone pass bye or fly over it. Kevin and Bob helped to uncover the plane.

Kevin climbed inside and checked over the controls; it was not so very different from what he was used to. He beckoned for the other two to get in, and then he started the plane.

He taxied into the adjacent field. After a perfect take off, they were on their way. Kevin was thrilled to be in the air again. He loved to fly and considered himself very lucky to have been accepted as a pilot.

"England here we come!" He grinned at Bob, who also looked relieved to be out of occupied France.

The flight back was uncomplicated. Kevin headed directly for Leiston.

As they approached, he contacted the tower by radio. When he announced who he was, he could hear a huge cheer in the background. The message swiftly went round the base... Kevin and Bob were back!

On landing they were immediately surrounded by their friends.

Kevin reported to his senior officer, and handed over the dog tags that he had removed from the bodies of his dead comrades. A time and place was arranged for a debriefing and then Kevin left to go back to his quarters to rest and change.

Having rested, Kevin went along to the infirmary to check on Pascal. His hand was bandaged, but no serious damage had been done, it was expected he would be free to return home within a week or two. It was important to get home as soon as possible, so as not to arouse the suspicions of the Germans.

It was imperative that the Resistance networks stay intact, so that they could continue to help their allies to return to England.

"KEVIN!!" Kevin turned to find Nick running towards him and grabbing him in a bear hug. "Man it's good to see you, what happened?"

Over a meal, Kevin explained what had been happening to him over the last couple of months, he omitted to tell him about Annette though.

"Katie is going to be so pleased to see you." Nick told him. "She has been so upset since you went missing."

Kevin was surprised to hear this. Katie had always kept him at a distance. He felt a bit uncomfortable because he was no longer sure of his feelings for her.

"Oh...I've got some news too. Colette and I...we are getting married."

"Is she pregnant?" Kevin asked in all seriousness, he had never considered Nick to be the marrying kind, at least not yet.

"No, man, I love her!" Nick looked offended. "Now you are back we can set a date, you will be my best man won't you?"

"Of course I will Nick, and I'm sorry I didn't mean anything by that, I was just surprised that's all."

"I'm seeing Colette tonight, are you going to come and see Katie?"

"Um...not tonight, Nick I'm kind of tired you know, these last few days...I have been really stressed. I need to get some sleep."

"What shall I tell her?"

"Um...tell her I'll see her at the weekend."

"The weekend? But that's three days away! I thought you'd be desperate to see her again."

"It has been a difficult time for me, Nick, I... I don't know what I feel anymore..."

"But how do I explain this to her? She is going to want to see you."

"Tell her I have to go through debriefing first. I will see her at the weekend."

Chapter Thirteen

Katie's elation that Kevin was back, safe and sound, soon turned to incomprehension when she was told he wasn't coming to see her until the weekend.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked Nick. "Is he hurt or something?"

Nick felt uncomfortable. "No, he has to go through debriefing first, he wants to concentrate on that without any distractions."

"It's just I thought..." Katie sighed and turned away.

All this time she had waited and worried about him, and now he seemed in no rush to see her. Well she wasn't going to make a fool of herself. She would just wait until he decided to come to her.

Nick and Colette went out to the pub. They asked Katie to go along too, but she refused.

"What's with Kevin?" Colette asked as they were walking down the road.

"I don't know, he seems...different, since he got back. I can't put my finger on it, but he says he doesn't know how he feels about Katie anymore."

"Did he meet someone else while he was in France?"

"Well, if he did, he hasn't told me anything." They arrived at the pub and stepped in side. "He is even friends with a Negro, Bob was shot down with him, it was because of his broken leg that they had to stay away so long. They are buddies now. I tell ya' he has really changed."

They sat down with their drinks and began making plans for their wedding.

"I hope they work this out." Colette told Nick, "After all if Kevin is your best man, and Katie is my maid of honour, it could be a bit awkward."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kevin had just been to see Bob; the doctor was quite pleased with the way the leg was healing, but he had been ordered to rest. The stress of their journey home had made the leg swell again. He needed to keep it elevated to help drain away the fluid. Arrangements were being made for Bob to go home and convalesce.

"I'm going home Kevin!" He couldn't contain his excitement. "It is going to be so good to see my wife again."

"I am pleased for you, I know how much you miss her. When do you leave?"

"They are making arrangements for me to go as soon as possible...I can't wait." Bob fell serious for a moment. "You know Kevin, I never did thank you for what you did for me in France. I would never have been able to get to the farm without your help. If I had stayed in those woods...I'd have been dead meat."

"You don't need to thank me, anyone else would have done the same."

"No Kevin, a lot of other white men would have just left me there to die, you didn't."

"Well, lets just say, I've learned a lot from you these last couple of months, and a lot of other people round here could learn a lot too."

Kevin left Bob, promising to see him again before he went home. He dropped in on Pascal to see how he was, before taking a stroll around the airbase.

It seemed really strange to be back again, it seemed like he had been gone for much longer than two months.

Through the fence he saw a little black dog, chasing rabbits. He stopped in his tracks. It was Hamish, which meant Katie was nearby. He stepped back between two buildings and continued to watch the little Scottie. In due course, Katie appeared, she stood at the perimeter fence looking into the base. Kevin got the impression she had done that a lot lately.

Part of him wanted to go and talk to her; the other half didn't know what to say. He stood watching her. Her blonde hair had been cut shorter; it gently framed her face. She looked so sad. He felt a sensation in his heart. What was that, sympathy?

She tucked her hair behind her ear and began walking along the fence towards him.