A/N: This is the first chapter of my new story, On The Home Front, and I hope that you will all enjoy it :) I do not own the first line of this chapter, that belongs to Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister in 1939, and it is part of his declaration of war speech.

If you are happy to just read this story, you can skip this, but I did want to put this here just in case some people had doubts:

This story is set during the Second World War, and I do know that wars in general can be a very difficult subject for some people, however, this is about the evacuees in Britain at the time, and will be set almost entirely in London or Kent. There will be references to the war, as this is unavoidable, but at no point will there be any scene of graphic violence (if there is any violence, like bombing, you will be warned at the start of the relevant chapter) nor will there be any scenes that describe actual fights between soldiers on the battlefield, but there will be references to soldiers in general (if this changes, I will notify you).

Thank you for understanding, I just thought I should explain this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee and I do not own Neville Chamberlain's speech.

"…no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently, this country is at war with Germany."

Nick Duval watched motionlessly as his mother put her head in her hands and sighed heavily, while his father just shook his head in defeat.

"Turn it off, son," he said, and so Nick reached over to switch the wireless off.

In just a few sentences, their lives had just been turned upside down.

War.

What did that even mean would happen? Nick hadn't been born when the Great War had occurred, but he knew that his father had been called up to fight when they were desperate for men fit enough for active duty. And he knew that neither of his parents ever explicitly said anything on the subject, but somehow the war had changed his father. In what way, he could not say, for he'd only ever known his father the way that he was now, but he'd heard his relatives talking about it when they thought no one was near.

"War's a terrible thing, Nicholas," his father always said, "You just remember that. Nothing good ever comes of war, you mark my words."

Nick had always done so, but now he didn't think that he'd have a choice; he couldn't just back out of this national issue, could he?

No, it wasn't possible to just turn his back on what was happening in his own country, for that made him feel even worse, as though he was almost betraying his fellow countrymen.

"What are we going to do, John?" Nick's mother asked, looking at her husband as though she was desperately hoping that everything could be resolved with just a simple plea.

"We have to carry out all the procedures that we had put in place earlier in the year," Nick's father replied, "I guess we all knew that this was inevitable really, we just didn't want to believe it."

"Oh, John, must you talk so easily of this war?"

"Celia, there's nothing else to be done, we simply must face the facts," Nick's father looked sympathetically across at his wife. "Now, about those arrangements?"

Nick's mother dried her eyes and nodded.

"Well, Nick will have to go away, of course," she said, "That's always been the plan."

Nick's head snapped up at the sound of his name.

"Mum!" he groaned, "You weren't serious about that, were you?"

"Of course your mother was serious, Nicholas," his father replied quickly, "You know that the agreement was that if war was declared, then you'd be sent away to the country."

"But, Dad, all my friends are still here!" Nick protested, "I can't just go to the country, where I won't know anyone, while all my friends are having fun back here in London without me!"

"Nick, dear, you know that Thad and Sebastian are also going away as well, and you'll all be going together," his mother said gently, "You don't have to worry about missing your friends."

"I have more than two friends, Mum," Nick said, "And anyway, there's a new film showing at the pictures this week, and we thought that we'd…"

"Nicholas, I don't know whether you're being deliberately insolent, or you are actually extremely naïve, but do you think that wanting to go to the pictures is more important than a war?" John Duval snapped suddenly.

Both Nick and his mother jumped.

"John, I think this has been a shock for all of us, Nick included," Celia said calmly, "I'm sure that he didn't mean anything by what he said, and he's just trying to hold onto some normality while he can."

"Well, maybe he should think before speaking," Nick's father muttered, but he didn't look like he was going to contest with his wife's defence of their son.

Nick sighed, and watched as his mother led his father from the room, murmuring something to him as they went.

It was times like this that he was sure that the war had done something to his father.

He didn't have a bad relationship with John Duval, but it was often a difficult one. His father had always been the one to help him with his homework when he got into difficulty with it, and he would patiently sit with him for hours until he understood. However, as soon as it came to sport or leisure activities with his friends, his father would become a different person; he didn't approve of Sebastian, that was obvious, and he barely tolerated Thad, which baffled Nick to no end, because who could dislike Thad? And then of course there were the activities that they participated in, which were never good enough, regardless of what they were, and all sport Nick did was a waste of time because it wasn't the right sort of sport.

Nick never thought that he would understand his father completely.

He spent the rest of the day in his room, packing for his inevitable departure the next morning. His mother had informed him that he would only be allowed to take one small suitcase, since they didn't have enough room on the trains for each evacuee to take a large amount of personal belongings.

He also had to take his gas mask with him.

He hated that object with a passion, and it had been sitting in its box since the day that he'd received it; he hadn't wanted to even look at it, let alone get it out and try it on. Of course, his father had chided him on the fact that he hadn't attended any of the instruction sessions that they'd been holding in the local primary school, but he was pretty confident that if the time came that he had to use it, he could get the stupid thing over his head quite simply.

He looked around at his room, and surveyed every object that was in his eye line; what exactly to take with him? It would have to be something that he could keep with him for a few months, or however long that he was going to be away; he wasn't sure, but he didn't think that it would be years. Anyway, he'd be eighteen in less than a year and then he could move back to London to begin working, since he wouldn't be a child anymore.

He picked up a few pair of trousers, before folding them neatly and placing them into the bottom of the suitcase. He added a pile of shirts as well, and some socks and underwear too.

The only thing was that now there was no room for anything else; surely that was wrong? He couldn't be expected just to take clothes, could he?

"Mum!" he called from the top of the stairs, "I haven't got enough room in my suitcase for my books!"

His mother's voice drifted out of the kitchen, where she had obviously spent the majority of her afternoon calming down his father.

"Have you folded all your clothes properly?"

Nick sighed.

"Yes, Mum!" he called back, "But what about my books?"

"Oh, darling, you can't take everything with you," his mother replied, "Take one book, and your father and I will post you another one later if you need it."

"But, Mum, will my books be safe here?" Nick protested, only to have his father yell back at him.

"Of course your books will be safe! They aren't going to get up and leave, Nicholas!"

"Yes, Dad," Nick said dutifully, before retiring back into his bedroom.

His father never had approved of his love of reading, for he believed that excessive reading was bad for a person's health. Nick didn't think it had been detrimental; in fact, it was the reason that he got high marks in his English lessons.

After almost an hour of deliberation, he chose a book to take with him, and in a moment of weakness he threw in an old teddy bear as well. He wanted something to remind him of home, and his favourite bear would do perfectly; especially since he'd had him since he was born. He just had to make sure that Sebastian didn't find it; otherwise the merciless teasing would be never ending.

"Nick, darling, it's time for tea!"

Nick sat down heavily on his bed at the sound of his mother's voice. He hadn't realised that it had gotten so late in the day; it seemed as though it was barely any time at all since they'd all been crowding around the wireless downstairs.

England had been at war with Germany for over seven hours and nothing had changed or been out of the ordinary, apart from a distraught elderly neighbour who had knocked on their door and sobbed on his mother for a few minutes.

Nick knew that things couldn't stay the same forever, but how much would they change?

He didn't know, but he hoped that it wouldn't be too dramatic.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

"You scrub up smart, Duval!" Sebastian's loud voice echoed across the platform of London Bridge station, which caused everyone in the vicinity to look around themselves in surprise.

Nick groaned, and tried to remind himself why he was friends with Sebastian Smythe in the first place.

"Thanks," he muttered awkwardly, "Mum made me put on my Sunday best and wear my new winter coat."

As soon as it left his mouth he regretted it.

Sebastian chuckled.

"Did Mummy dress you then this morning, little Nicky?" he mocked.

Nick swatted at him in annoyance.

"Leave me alone," he said, "And don't call me that, just because you're taller than me, I'm still older than you."

Sebastian just smirked at him.

"Nicky, darling!" Nick's mother came rushing over to where the two boys were standing. "I have your tickets for you."

Sebastian badly stifled another chuckle, while Nick blushed in embarrassment.

"Thanks, Mum," he said, taking the piece of paper out of his mother's hand.

"Hello, Sebastian," Celia Duval continued, "Where are your parents?"

"They trusted me to make my own way down here and sort myself out," the boy replied, "I said goodbye to them at home; no need to make fools of ourselves down here in front of people."

Nick wanted nothing more than to wipe the arrogant smirk of his friend's face at that moment, but fortunately his mother was oblivious to Sebastian's remark.

"Well, I'm planning to wait around until the train leaves," Celia said. "Now, does either of you want a hot drink or something? Apparently, they're giving out cups of tea somewhere."

Both Nick and Sebastian declined, and Nick's mother hastily disappeared to find herself a hot beverage.

"Ah, here comes Thad now," Nick said, pointing in the direction of their friend, who was hurrying towards them.

"His shoelaces are undone," Sebastian observed, and Nick shot him a confused look.

"What?"

"I said, his shoelaces are undone," Sebastian repeated, "And his suitcase is coming open. If he trips on his laces, all of his belongings will go everywhere."

Nick was still frowning.

"Come on, slowpoke," Sebastian said, "We'd better go help it before he embarrasses himself. Dear me, he needs his mother to dress him, I think."

Nick finally understood and he ran after Seb to reach Thad.

"Sorry I'm late," Thad said, as his two friends stopped in front of him, "I couldn't find my gas mask."

Nick rolled his eyes; this was typical of Thad.

"Sebastian, what are you doing?" Thad suddenly exclaimed as the other boy knelt down on the floor in front of him.

"He's tying your shoelaces," Nick said, looking down at Seb, who had a concentrated look on his face as he deftly fixed Thad's laces.

"Oh, thank you, I didn't even know that they'd come undone."

"Right, I think we're ready to go," Sebastian interrupted, before standing up and helping Thad to fasten his suitcase.

"I don't what I'd do without you two," Thad mused as he walked in between his two friends towards the train.

Nick laughed.

"We have no idea what you'd do either!" he said, "We've saved you from disaster too many times to count."

"There's probably so much more for me to endanger myself with in the country," Thad remarked, almost gloomily.

"Ugh, don't remind me of where we're going," Sebastian grimaced, "I'm dreading it already."

"I can't see why we can't stay here for a bit," Nick added, "There's nothing happening, is there?"

Thad opened his mouth to agree but was drowned out by the sharp whistle of the train.

"Well, we'd better get on," Sebastian said, herding the other two towards the carriages, while Nick looked around wildly for his mother; as embarrassing as she was, he was going to miss her and he didn't want to leave without saying goodbye.

"Nick!" Celia Duval's voice reached his ears just as Sebastian was about to push him into the carriage after Thad and all of their luggage.

Nick ducked under his friend's arm and ran to hug his mother tightly.

"I'm going to miss you, darling," Celia said, "But remember that you'll be safe in the country."

"Yes, Mum," Nick replied, "I love you."

"I love you too," his mother said in return.

"Oi, Duval! Hurry up, the train's about to leave!" Sebastian yelled from somewhere behind them.

"Go on, Nicky," Celia said, releasing her son and watching him as he turned and ran towards the train that was slowly beginning to pull out of the station.

As Nick reached the door, Sebastian swung it open and pulled him in by his arm.

"You always leave it the last minute, don't you, Duval?" Seb said, as he collapsed back into his seat.

Nick ignored his friend, and instead leaned out of the window to wave at his mother as she disappeared into the distance.

"Have fun in Kent!" Celia Duval called, as she waved frantically as the train rounded the corner out of the station.

"Bye, Mum!" Nick shouted back.

"Have fun in Kent, she says!" Sebastian snorted in disbelief, "What sort of fun could anybody have in the country?"

A/N: Okay, so if you're wondering where Jeff is, he'll be appearing next chapter (if I don't get too carried away)! I hope everyone has enjoyed this first chapter, and now for the return of those historical notes :)

Historical Notes:

1. This story is actually highly unrealistic, evacuation was only really for children aged up to 16 years old, and most of the characters in this will be 17 or older! I will also be placing all of the characters in schools, yet in the 1930s and 40s, most children left school at 14 and only few would remain in education until there were 16 or 18.

2. I feel like I've missed something here, but maybe not - if there's any unclear historical aspect, please ask :)

Thank you for reading, and please leave a review to tell me what you thought or to ask a question :)