'Yes…thank you, Mrs Wilson…I'll let them know. Goodbye.' Slightly dazed, Mainwaring put the receiver down and sat back.

So…a girl. That boy had a daughter. It was hard to believe…still, there it was.

He stood up, and crossed the small office, striding out into the hall.

'Morning Sir!' Jones saluted. 'Get up, now, boys!' he continued, turning to the rest of them. 'Come on, the Officer wants paying attention to!'

As he did so, Pike looked up at Wilson anxiously, and he put a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

Coming to stand in front of them, Mainwaring took a quick breath and began.

'In the time that we've been together, I have had many things to announce to you all – some good, some not so good. However, in all that time, I have not had cause to announce something as profound, or life changing, as this…'

'Ach, come on now, man!' interrupted Frazer. 'Come on, an' tell yon laddie!'

Mainwaring continued. 'I have just been informed by Mrs Wilson, that at eight forty five this morning, Mrs Sylvia Pike gave birth to a baby girl…'

Cheers and an excited buzz spread through the hall.

'…Mother and baby are doing well.'

'A girl?' Pike's eyes were wide in wonder. 'A little girl! We've got a little girl, everyone!' He couldn't quite believe it himself, or make much sense of all the emotions jostling for attention inside him just now – relief, pride, love – they were all mixing together into one.

'Congratulations Frank,' Wilson reached out to shake his hand, and Mainwaring and the rest of the men followed, all keen to offer their best wishes to the new family and the boy they'd seen grow up.

Moments later, Pike turned to Mainwaring. 'Mr Mainwaring? Please can I go home now, and see them?'

'Yes, of course. My congratulations to your wife.' Mainwaring nodded, watching him go. 'You go too, Wilson – I'm sure your wife would like to see you, too.'

Mavis was still flustered and fussing when Wilson and Pike arrived at Ada's, excitedly hugging one, then the other.

'Oh Frank, Arthur, she's beautiful! Lovely little curls she's got! Come on, come up and see her!'

'Wait, Mavis…' Wilson laid one hand on her arm. 'Don't you think Frank ought to go first?'

'Oh, yes, of course…'

Climbing the stairs to Sylvia's old room felt like climbing a mountain and suddenly reaching the summit at the same time. As he stepped on to the landing, Pike could hear a small baby's cries already, and he rushed over to knock at the door.

'Hello? Sylvia? Can I come in?'

'Hello!' Sylvia called back, sounding tired but happy. 'Yes, come in!'

The sight that met his eyes was everything he had hoped for. Sylvia, propped up by many pillows in her pretty pink nightie, covers pulled up, was cradling a bundle of soft white blankets. She looked up at him adoringly, then back to her daughter, cuddling her close.

'Oh she's tiny!' Pike sat down heavily on the chair next to the bed, just gazing at her. 'Beautiful...oh, Sylvia, she's lovely!'

'Here,' Sylvia said gently. 'Would you like to hold her?'

'What if I drop her?' Pike asked anxiously.

'You won't. Go on,' she assured him, handing her over.

Feeling the warm bundle in his arms was a feeling like no other – a sudden shot of love and protectiveness, mixed with excitement and shock. Looking into his daughter's eyes for the first time, Pike had to tell himself that men didn't cry, they couldn't cry, but just now it was hard not to. She kicked her little legs, and as he tentatively stroked her hand with his thumb, grabbed on to it tightly.

'Hello.' He didn't really have words. 'I'm your Daddy…are you Vivien?'

Pike looked up at Sylvia for confirmation.

'Yeah. Vivien,' she agreed, turning on to her side, looking at them both in wonder.

'She's so lovely…did it hurt, you know…?'

'Yeah, it did, sometimes…. doesn't matter now.'

Impulsively, still holding Vivien close, Pike leaned over and kissed her. 'I love you,' he declared, in absolute awe of what she'd done.

'And I love you, too,' he continued, gazing down at Vivien. 'And I can't wait for you to meet everyone…they'll love you…'

'Course they will,' Sylvia smiled, reaching out to stroke Vivien's back. 'She's us…does that feel strange?'

'Yeah…nice though…beautiful. You're both beautiful.' A warm glow enveloped Sylvia at his words, and she closed her eyes and smiled.

'Yeah…' It wouldn't be long, before this small room was crowded again with those all eager to see the new arrival, but for now, she'd enjoy the peace that came from being with her baby, and the young man she'd had a crush on, nearly two and a half years ago…

They stayed at Ada's for some weeks after the birth. Even Hodges had to admit to a certain amount of pride in Stan's youngest grandchild; even if he wouldn't have chosen the circumstances that she was born under. Not long after, the tide of the War turned so convincingly in the Allies favour that Mainwaring's prediction came true, and the final Parade of the Walmington on Sea Platoon took place on a dark December evening just before Sylvia's 23rd birthday. Not, however, before she'd taken Vivien down to visit. She looked out at the men around her from her mother's shoulder, small bright eyes shining and dark curls, just touched with red, peeking out from a pink bonnet.

'Look everyone!' Pike had called out as Sylvia pushed the pram through the doors. 'This is Vivien! Isn't she lovely?'

Any kind of military discipline was instantly forgotten, as the Platoon gathered round, many with little presents made by their ladies, making an absolute fuss of the baby girl in their midst. It wasn't until later that evening that Mainwaring set the date of the last Parade, looking down the ranks and over to the young family in the corner.

'…and so, following a conversation with GHQ this morning, I can confirm that all Home Guard units will be stood down with effect from 3 December, 1944. I would like to thank you all for your efforts and commitment over the past four and half years. I know that every one of us would have defended this town, this country, to the last. As it is, this country, and many others, have proved just what happens when anyone tries to take their homes and freedom away from them.'

'They fight, and they aim to win, and in doing so, will surely create a world in which this family's child,' Here he indicated Pike and Sylvia, 'and countless others, can grow up in peace.'

Later that evening, Sylvia was curled up on the settee. Pike looked over at her, beautiful as ever in sleep, and remembered that first night they'd ever spent together, in the stranded car. They hadn't been able to push it all night, and so had eventually fallen into an uncomfortable sleep, on each side of the back seat. He'd woken up, and glanced over at her asleep in the dim moonlight, and felt quite unsettled that he still liked her, even though they apparently weren't speaking to each other, and well, stared a bit more than he should. He'd never told her that, and she'd never told him she'd done it either. Both had hoped the other wouldn't notice, and that night, they never did.

He picked up the latest blanket his mother had made, and draped it over her, before going to look in on Vivien, tucked up in her cot in the small box room next to their own. A thin sliver of light shone across the floor from the hallway, and Vivien was sleeping with her arms thrown out behind her. It seemed a strange position to sleep in, and Pike resolved to ask his mother if that was normal tomorrow. For now though, it was nice just to watch over her, and there was something he'd been meaning to do, he remembered, fetching it from the back of the wardrobe in their room.

Gingerly, so as not to wake her, Pike placed the much loved bear into Vivien's cot.

'Vivien?' he whispered. 'I got you a present…this is Mr Snuggly, an' when me your Nan came here first, I didn't have many toys, but I had him, and when I was little and got scared at night, I'd give him a cuddle and be all right again…' Not just when he was little, although he'd never tell Sylvia that, Pike admitted to himself, then continued.

'So…I suppose… he's yours now. Look after him – love you lots. Night night,' he finished, looking down at them both, before gently closing the door behind him and wandering back down the hall.

Five months later, the news broke of the Allied Victory in Europe, and Sylvia would never know quite how it was that a little brother or sister didn't come along for Vivien that night. They'd made it, all of them – even her brothers were coming home, to meet the little niece they'd only heard about, and their own children that they hadn't seen in so long. Amidst all the elation and relief though, there was some trepidation – what happened now? Was this it? A few months later, as news of the most devastating bombs in history filtered back from the Far East, it seemed rather less certain.

The World did not fall back into conflict though, and soon after, Pike passed the Bank's promotion exams. Pleased to be able to look after his little family better, he took on his new role enthusiastically, leaving his former Manager and Commanding Officer with a sense of pride that he would never have imagined concerning this young man a few years ago. Vivien was attempting her first steps now, attentively watched by her father, mother and grandmothers, and as they had all hoped, would indeed grow up in peace.

October 2003

Even now, Sylvia Pike made a regular appointment to have her hair coloured and set. It had never been as important as it was today – it wouldn't do, to say goodbye looking anything less than her best. She could hear Vivien, nearly sixty herself now, moving around in the kitchen, making them tea. Funny, how people tended to do that when they were upset.

They had a little while yet, before meeting Vivien's brother and sister at the Church, and even though she knew it might be a mistake, Sylvia couldn't help but look through an old suitcase of her husband's that they'd turned out with all the other things, after…she didn't finish that thought.

Opening it, it was evident that in his way, he'd shoved it to a distant corner of the attic and forgotten about it, by the looks of it for almost sixty years. There were things he'd brought from home when they'd first been married, including a small book. It appeared to be something official, distributed to members of the Home Guard when they'd started to become somewhat more organised. She started to leaf through it, and smiled then as she read the various comments her husband had scribbled in the margins, clearly not taking things seriously, and not in the least surprised to notice the yellowing pictures of ladies she remembered as Joan Blondell and Rita Hayworth stuck in the back. Tears pricked at her eyes then, when she noticed something else in one corner: 'FP and SH – 10.04.42'. That was the day they'd met. These days, Sylvia found she had trouble remembering where she'd put her glasses sometimes, but she'd never forget that date. Neither had he, even up to this year, and he hadn't wanted to, writing it down all those years ago.

'I love you, you know that?' she murmured to herself, fingers running over the old scarf that had been stuffed in there as well, although he had worn that for many years after they'd married.

'Here you are, Mum,' Vivien said then, coming into the room with the tea. 'Are you all right?'

'Yeah. I'm all right, love,' Sylvia smiled, albeit sadly, and closed the book.

'Not long 'til the Service now,' Vivien said, staring down at her cup. 'Dave'll be along soon,' she continued, referring to her husband. 'Just gone to pick up Sharon and Michael and the kids.'

'Glad they could come down,' Sylvia replied, thinking of her granddaughter and family. 'How's Gemma getting on? Sharon said she had exams coming up?'

'Oh yes, her Dance exams – she passed!' Vivien smiled. 'She's a bit upset over some young lad though – they went out the other day apparently, and things didn't go too well…she's sure he doesn't like her now.'

Sylvia ran a finger over the small book on her lap. 'I'll have a chat to her. She shouldn't give up just yet – if it's the right boy, it'll work.'

There was another elderly lady expected there today, Sylvia remembered then. When she'd last seen Clara, she'd been walking with the assistance of a grandchild, her once blonde hair now white. Frank had always thought of her as his stepsister…some kind of sister, Sylvia had thought, from the very first time they'd met, but had always felt it best to keep those observations to herself…he'd been happy, with a stepsister.

The two women chatted a little more, trying not to contemplate that they were sitting among the remnants of a life, before the doorbell rang.

'Well,' Vivien set her cup down, and reached out to help her mother up. 'I suppose we'd better go then.'

'Yeah,' Sylvia caught her eye. 'Do I look all right?'

Vivien nodded. 'Dad would be proud.'

With that, they made their way out to the car, ready to make the journey to the Church, mere yards, Sylvia thought, from where it all began, to give thanks for the life and family they'd shared, and say the most final of goodbyes.

Not that he wouldn't always be there, Sylvia vowed, in their hearts, and head held high, this elderly lady with bright red curls sat alongside her daughter and granddaughter, proud of them all, and the man who had made it all happen, all those years ago.

The End

So, that's the tale of what should have happened after that car came back! I truly believe that these two were right for each other, and I wish we could have seen it. Many thanks to all those who have believed in this story and rather obscure relationship – your support and encouragement were invaluable, and I hope you've enjoyed it.

Sylvia and Pikey forever!