First of all I would like to apologise profusely for not updating this fic. I have been meaning to get to it, and have written many endings to this story, but none sat well with me. Even this one doesn't but I think it's the best it will get. Thankyou everyone for continuing to read this.

Quick flashback on what has happened: It began in 1940 England, Temperance is 15, Seeley is 19. WW2, he's a soldier and along with Jared has moved in with Tempe and her family after a bomb destroyed his house. You know the drill, they fall in love, they fight about stuff, he gets called back to duty and goes on a secret mission and is taken prisoner. She was pregnant and lost the baby after an air raid. Max and Christine leave because they used to be bank robbers. And Caroline was a badass spy woman too. Cam works at the hospital that Tempe got a job at. I think that's about everything you need to know.

1946

Temperance sighed and rolled her shoulders. It was 3am and she was far from identifying the set of remains in front of her.

'He's too tall' she thought to herself, examining a femur 'this one isn't Seeley either'.

She had to admit, it was a long shot doing this. Going through hundreds upon hundreds of the unidentified war dead in an effort to find Seeley. She was yet to find him – everybody had been too tall or too short, or missing the identifying healed fracture on the left tibia. At least she had returned some boys home. The war was long since over, and England was recovering. She was still on rations. Her parents hadn't returned. Jared was helping out where he could, doing odd jobs around town, but only until he was old enough to join the army.

As Jared grew, Temperance knew she couldn't keep his brother's fate a secret from him. He had to know.

She heard the clicking of heels before Cam turned around the corner and walked through the door. "You best be heading home Tempe" she said, standing behind her and rubbing her shoulders "you're shift starts at 0700 hours."

"I'll be ok" Temperance replied "I just want to finish this then I'll go."

"This man will be here when you come back tomorrow. Go home" Cam insisted.

With a defeated sigh, Temperance stood up and gathered her belongings. Cam was right. She was no use to her patients if she fell asleep by their bedside. Although the war was over and the country was recovering, those who returned home were not the same. She heard it called 'shell shock'. They jumped at loud noises and were always on edge. She was trying her best to understand and to treat them the best she could, but it was almost impossible to care for the mind in the same way you care for a broken leg. Most of the time she didn't know what to do, she just talked to the men until they calmed down.

The short walk from the hospital to her parent's old house was calming. It was when she could think of Seeley and all that he had left behind. Thousands of boys had the same fate she supposed. Died on foreign soil and never returned home. She opened the door and walked inside, setting her bag down behind the couch. She could smell food cooking, and had the sneaking suspicion that Jared was still awake.

"Jared" she called quietly, walking towards the kitchen "are you still awake?"

"Over here" he replied, poking his head out from behind the kitchen counter. At sixteen years old he stood tall and proud. He'd gone through school with excellent grades and worked everyday helping to rebuild.

"You should be in bed young man" Temperance playfully scolded "it's very late."

"Well. It's Seeley's birthday now so I thought I would stay up until you came home" he said, smiling sadly at her.

Temperance's eyes filled with tears and she silently pulled Jared into a hug.

"I know I say this every year, but he would be so proud of you if he could see you now."

Seeley cowered in the corner of his cell, his bare back scratching against the rough concrete. The door opened and a tray with food slid towards him. Slowly he outstretched and arm and picked up a mouldy apple. For six years he had been in the same cell. He hadn't seen daylight other than the small rays of light which crept through a crack in the roof at daybreak. After being on the run for three months, he had been taken prisoner and transported. He had no idea where he was, or who had taken him. Initially there were more prisoners, but over the years he had heard them die.

Sometimes he could hear the roaring of a plane overhead and had hoped desperately that they would drop a bomb on the compound. Today was one of those days. It came from the west and he smiled sadly to himself as the rumble became louder and louder. He prepared himself for the disappointment, for the plane to keep going and for the rumbling to get quieter as they carried along on their way. To his surprise he heard the engines cut off above him. Without a second thought Seeley covered his head with the metal food tray and took in a deep breath.

Everything happened all at once – the bomb dropped a distance from him towards the offices and guard's quarters. The reverberations shook the walls and collapsed the roof. He could smell smoke and dust and burning flesh. His ears were ringing and he didn't hear the convoy of trucks surround the compound. With shaking arms Seeley pulled himself through rubble. The wall which sealed him from the outside wall had fallen. The sun was blinding and the air bitter against his worn thin skin. With a hand shielding his face he staggered into the light. When a hand landed on his shoulder he didn't have the energy to defend himself. Turning around he saw a familiar uniform. Secure arms held him as he collapsed into the chest of the British soldier. He was loaded onto a stretcher and taken into the back of a vehicle. A young medic was looking over him when he felt someone grab his hand. He turned to see Caroline. The same woman from the cell, the same woman who he was sure died from stab wounds.

"You're going home" she said earnestly "you're going to go home."

The benefit of working at one of the biggest military hospitals in London was that Temperance got firsthand information before the public did. She arrived for her 0700 shift ready to begin the day. Her dress was ironed and her hat secured firmly. She was providing a wounded soldier with a bed bath when Cam stood by her side.

"Temperance, some gentlemen will be coming through in a moment – they've just arrived from a recently liberated camp in France."

"Ok, I'll fetch Mr Peters his tea and I'll be with you" Temperance replied, collecting the basin of water she had placed by the bedside. As she was walking out of the large open ward, she heard the footsteps approaching. She moved to the side as four men were carried in on stretchers. They were no longer in uniform, but striped pyjamas, similar to those used in the hospital. The men were emaciated, their skin thin and tight against their bones. She could only imagine the terror they had gone through, but at least they were home. Just as she was about to continue on her way, her eyes caught those of one of the men. She recognised his eyes before anything.

"Seeley" she breathed out, suddenly overwhelmed by dizziness and a feeling of nausea. Without a thought she set the basin that was in her hands by the bedside of a comatose patient. Her feet followed on their own accord and within moments she was by his side. Gently he was taken from the stretcher and laid onto the bed, a blanket pulled up to his chin.

With tired eyes he turned to her and gave her a small smile.

"Hi" Temperance whispered, grasping his hand and bringing it to her lips.

"Hi" Seeley rasped.

She reached for a glass of water and held it as he took small sips. "Don't talk" she instructed, wiping tears from his eyes "rest please Seeley. You've been away for six years…I can wait another day to speak to you properly."

For the first time in years, Seeley fell asleep holding the hand of his beloved.

It was not until two weeks later that Seeley had the energy to speak properly. The fatigue had begun to ease now that he had been able to eat and drink. Jared had not left his brother's bedside, and had spoken endlessly of what had happened in the last six years. When Temperance got a moment alone with him, she was unsure what she should tell him.

"I never stopped thinking of you" Seeley said, breaking the silence. He rubbed a thumb over the engagement ring on her finger. "I feared that you might have moved on and found another love. Part of me…part of me hoped that you would be married and have a family of your own."

"There was only you" she replied, placing a hand over his chest "so long as my heart was beating there was only going to be you. I thought that when you came back, you would hate me and never want to see my face."

"What could ever drive me to dislike you?" He asked, perplexed he shuffled to sit up a bit and look directly into her eyes.

"A lot happened while you were gone" she began, now was a good a time as any. At least if he found out now he could make the decision to never see her again, and not feel obligated to stay with her just because she cared for him. "I was…injured in an air raid while you were away."

"Yes, I heard on the radio, I was able to pick up the signal from local stations. You are recovered though, aren't you?"

"Oh yes, I have recovered, I wasn't seriously injured. It's just that…do you remember the night we shared before you left?"

Smiling, Seeley nodded and urged her to continue, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.

"I was…." Temperance turned her face and squeezed her eyes shut "I didn't think it would be this hard to tell you."

"Whatever it is, I won't hate you for it. I promise you. Nothing could change how I feel about you."

"It's only that I fell pregnant on that night, and the air raid, I was buried under rubble and suffered extensive trauma and stress. I lost the baby Seeley." As soon as the sentence was out, tears started to stream down her cheeks. "I'm so ashamed."

She felt the bed move beneath her and was sure that Seeley was getting out to walk away from her. Then warm arms were around her pulling her into his chest.

"I'll always love you" Seeley murmured into her hair, slowly stroking her back "no matter what you say, I will always love you."

"I thought you would hate me." Temperance gripped onto his shirt and pulled him closer. "I missed you so much but I was overcome with the fear that you would hate me."

"I'm back now and that's all that matters. Right now I want nothing more than to leave this hospital and become your husband, if you'll still have me that is."

"You've been in my heart for years Seeley, nothing has changed that."

He held her for what felt like hours until his arms went heavy and his breathing slowed. Carefully Temperance slipped from his embrace and laid him down. She pulled a chair next to his bed and stroked his cheeks, a small smile on her face.

"My love, you're finally home."

Thankyou for following me a long on this crazy ride. Thankyou all for sticking by me and continuing to review this story which hasn't been updated in almost three years. I hope I could give some of you a little closure. Thankyou again 3 xoxox