December 2nd, 1942

It would be a lie to say that Eugene and Annie were not on edge with each other. Clashing eighteen year old hormones along with unspoken words could have come to a head with each other that evening, but Annie didn't want her anger at Eugene's desperation to enlist to stop her from seeing him one last time before he left, and possibly never come home.

They stood a foot apart from each other, a yard away from the entrance to Annie's home, which was across the street from the Sledge's household. The Sledge's and the Taylor's were comfortable by each other's standards, but by their friend's standards, they were absolutely filthy rich. Yet somehow, Eugene and Annie remained some of the nicest human beings in the town.

Eugene's best friend Sidney had already left for the war, volunteering for the Marines with his parents permission, while Eugene stayed behind until he turned eighteen so he could enlist himself. Annie and her dear friend Mary Huston had not been fond of the idea of two of their best friends enlisting as soon as they possibly could for the war, but they could not change either one of the stubborn boys minds.

The four of them somehow always became the talk of the town when it came to creating mischief and getting on the nerves of some of the older folk. It had always been that way for as long as any of them could remember. Annie, Mary, Eugene, and Sidney would not have it any other way. Most recently, Sidney and Mary bailed Eugene and Annie out of the debutante ball and took them to the Middle Bay lighthouse that one summer night in 1941. For at least a month, the four were the talk of the town, Annie becoming more and more disgraceful to the social circle of the upper class than Eugene. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were absolutely mortified by the act, while Dr. and Mrs. Sledge were merely impressed at the nerve.

Annie snapped back to reality when Eugene cleared his throat and she looked back up at him, his brown eyes glowing in the sunset that had begun to fall behind her. Eugene still had a hopeful gleam in his eyes, looking forward to becoming the man he had always wanted to grow up to be. He worried about Annie and Mary, especially since they had been visibly upset at Sid's departure. Annie had a special place in Eugene's heart, even if he said that he had a crush Mary Houston regularly to Sid out loud. He was worried about her the most.

He knew Annie was constantly anxious and antsy, and he was one of the few people who could truly quell one of her breakdowns when her parents wouldn't. The simplest touches and the simplest words were all she needed to calm down, but the Taylors refused to believe their "perfect" southern belle of a child would involuntarily "put on a hysteria" as her mother called it. Annie would tend to let the weight of the world crash over her as if she were at fault for it, and Eugene would be damned sure to make it home alive to her, if not for anyone else.

"It's not going to be how everyone says it is, Gene." Annie's hands fisted the hem of her jacket and she kicked the ground with her riding boots.

Eugene wanted to roll his eyes at the words that had come at him from multiple people in different sentence forms. But he couldn't. Annie and his parents were the only ones that could make him feel bad about it. "Even if it isn't, I feel like I have to go."

"God's will, ain't it? Ain't the most of us doing the war effort in the name of God?" Annie took a step forward to smooth down Eugene's collar.

"I don't think nobody could answer the question of why God put Nazi's and Japs on this earth but God Himself. I feel as if it's the braver thing to volunteer rather than to wait until I have my own orders come to me."

Annie raised an eyebrow. "I sure hope you don't say that to your parents."

"I wouldn't dare." Eugene sighed, admiring how Annie's hair shone in the remaining sunlight in the sky, and how the sun seemed to form a halo around her head. He studied her every feature one more time, etching it in his brain and keeping it where he knew he could see her even without a picture to remind him. Something told him he would need to. Annie was doing the same, but the act was beginning to work her up into a fit of emotions. They couldn't keep stalling their goodbye any longer than they already were. Annie was the first to initiate their goodbye hug.

"You better come home to me, Eugene Sledge." His name left Annie's lips as a sob as Eugene hugged her tightly against him, one hand cradling her head to his shoulder, the other wrapping tightly around her waist. It hurt him to see her cry, but it was inevitable either way.

"I don't plan on anything different happening, Sweet Annie."

And there you have it. The beginning to Amelia's angstiest story yet. Enjoy!