Author Note: This is a first draft of The Girl Who Fell Out of The Ocean and is still a bit raw it will be going through the editing process when I have posted all the parts. I hope you enjoy!

There are many different kinds of love; romantic love is just the kind we talk about the most. As Charlie looked across from the sleeping Lavinia curled on his sofa he thought of all the people in his life he had loved and lost. 

His mother, his oldest sister June and now his wife, Lavinia had brought him back to life, she was part of him now and he never wanted to be without her. Sometimes when he slept, the soundest deepest sleeps her words would wake him, his heart pounding and a shake in his hands that he couldn't subside. 

"I'm dead Charlie," her voice would say. 

As Lavinia slept she looked so peaceful, so relaxed, but Charlie couldn't sleep, he couldn't relax, he kept revisiting the moment from yesterday, the moment when her body became consumed by a great body of water and she was taken by it, taken somewhere that he could never find her.

Charlie let out a sharp breath and Lavinia opened her eyes.

"Charlie stop staring at me you freak," she said sleepily sitting up on the sofa.

"Sorry," he said hanging his head slightly.

"Look do you want to just tell me what the problem is?" She said. 

Lavinia was already thinking about breakfast.

Charlie pushed his face into a smile "nothing, no problem, I was just thinking about breakfast," he said.

"Good," she said. Standing and Walking slowly towards him now you're starting to talk sense.

Charlie laughed big hearty laugh, his insides warmed when he saw how Lavinia's eyes glistened when he spoke about food.

Charlie wasn't much of a cook when he'd lived at home with all his siblings and his mother and her varying husbands, she'd been married six times, it had never him who did the cooking. His cooking skills were always on the very basic side of things, his sister May she was the one with the real skills. 

As he broke some eggs and put some toast under the grill his thoughts drifted again to May and her cooking, her face and all his family, the loudness, the chaos of being one of twelve he missed it. He'd run away from them, from his mother and June dying and he ran again when Alice died but that time he ran straight into a bottle. It was Lavinia who had brought him back into the land of the living, it was Lavinia who had made him smile again, it was Lavinia.

Lavinia.

Lavinia.

Lavinia.

As he placed the eggs in front of her and sat down smothering his own plate in ketchup, she poked her eggs briefly with a fork and said, "I want to go home."

"Oh right, sure, let me eat this and then I'll drive you," he said.

"No Charlie, I want to go home, back to Marxby Manor, will you come with me?"

Charlie put down his fork, his eggs never did make it to his mouth.

~

September 1915

I got out of bed with a start from the moment I opened my eyes, I immediately remembered what was happening that morning. The obituaries of the fallen soldiers were being published in our local paper, every time they were published I would run into town to get the paper. 

Papa would never let me have the car he said I was tempting fate but he didn't stop being leaving the Manor either. That morning Niall tried to stop me, as soon as I was awake I sensed he was awake too, his glassy grey eyes had been watching me as I slept. As I went to throw myself out of bed Niall grabbed my arm.

"Don't," he said.

That was it, don't.

I snatched my arm back and ignored him, my Ladies maid came into my bedroom to help me dress, instead, I dismissed her telling her to inform Lady Fay that if she wasn't ready in five minutes I would be leaving without her.

Fay wasn't ready, Fay was never on time, Fay got left behind.

I ran all the way to town, I remember the cold September air hitting the back of my throat with a sting. When I reached the town and the newspaper man I tossed my money at him and snatched the paper, I was sorry for my behaviour later but I just had to see the list.

 My eyes ran up and down the names, again and again and again looking for my brother's name, looking for Will's, they weren't there and when I broke down on the floor and cried the men selling the newspapers handed me his hankie- chief. "There, there miss, alright is he, your boy?"

I smiled at him through the tears.

"Stand up then and go home," and so I did.

When I walked back through the doors of the manor my mother was waiting, she sat in her chair rocking back and forth just waiting for the expression on my face. I just nodded at her, she didn't move, didn't cry or say a word she just continued to rock. Maybe if I'd had a rocking chair everything would have been alright, I doubt it, though. 

Percy was waiting for me at the top of the stairs, I was shrugging off my coat when I saw her still in her nightdress pacing up and down like a furious bull, steam practically puffing from her tiny ears.

"What?" I said angrily as I shrugged out of my coat.

Percy's eyes went huge, almost bulbous.

"What do you mean what, you stormed away from Niall, he's distressed and from the Manor, how could you be so selfish Dolphina?" Percy spat.

I chucked my coat at her and walked into my room where I knew Niall was waiting and left her and her bulbous eyes gaping at me like an unblinking fish slamming the door as I went. 

"I can't do this anymore Niall," I said before I had even looked at him. He was sitting on the bed reading his newspaper. 

"I can't stay here just doing nothing while Jimmy 

and Will,Will,Will...

Is fighting for his life, for his country, no, I have to do something, I'm going to volunteer to be a nurse they are calling out for volunteers, it's as close to him as I can get."

Niall stood up off the bed putting down his newspaper slowly. 

"No," he said. 

"No! What do you mean no? I'm going I'm going to be with my brother, I'll be behind the lines, where I can really help,". 

Niall stepped closer and smiled, reaching out and holding my hand. 

"If you want to help make jam with the Women's Institute but you're not training to be a nurse or volunteering or whatever the hell you call it, your place is with me." 

I snatched my hand away from him sharply. 

"And where the hell is your place Niall?"

Niall stood back looking a little affronted.

"While my brother, Neville and every man we know are out there fighting you are what exactly? Waiting till they call your name? Well it's not bloody good enough, telling me what I can and can't do you're a coward Niall, a coward and a snake, I want to help in every and anyway I can and I'm going and so are you," I started scratching around in my handbag for the envelope with the white feather. 

I handed it to Niall, as he opened it he went pale, ghostly even, he couldn't look at me, for him, it was as if I had betrayed him in every way possible. 

"Are you really so ashamed of me?" He said. 

"More," I said. So much hate filled my voice, my eyes, I wasn't ashamed of Niall I just wanted to volunteer, I just wanted to get as close to Jimmy and Will that was humanly possibly. 

Handing my husband that white feather, that was an act I would never be able to take back, we were going to war now, the both of us. 

Thanks for continuing to read and support The Girl Who Fell Out of  The Ocean, if you are enjoying this please vote and comment!! 

I have just reached the mid-way point in the story (whoop, whoop!!) And everything is about to heat up in every sense of the word (exciting!)

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Chloe x

The posting schedule for The Girl That Fell Out of The Ocean is Wednesday and Sundays!