Anya nodded. "Yes, actually, I was. It was really hard to deal with...I was a vengeance demon, but then there was too much vengeance around for me."

"What was it like?"

"Well..."

You see, back then, people in the US were really reluctant to get involved. I don't blame them: war is messy, and there's no money to be made in it. You spend money to do so much stuff, to fight all these people, and then you don't make anything from it.

I mean, look at Germany afterward. Or any other European country.

I'm getting sidetracked, aren't I?

Anyway, I was what you'd call a pinup girl. Don't laugh, Dawn, or I'll stop talking right this minute.

That's better.

I was with the USO. There were so many men that had wives that had affairs and so many women that had husbands that had affairs that I was constantly busy. But only once did I actually see battle.

There was a USO stop in London, right before they started dropping the bombs. We had a few guys of ours in the British Army, young guys who joined up so they could actually fight in the war. And these guys...I mean, they were cute and all. But they were bloodthirsty little animals.

So we were there, entertaining the troops. I was also there looking for an English woman who'd had sex with an American soldier and when she found out she was pregnant, he bailed.

I found her, one day, sitting on a bench. She was a little distrustful, considering I was American, but she warmed up to me quickly. And, to be honest, I really liked her. She was content to be a mother, and she just wanted the war to end.

We all did, really.

I was surprised; she didn't really *want* vengeance against the guy. She just wanted a friend, she wanted the war to end. Her wish? That her child grew up to be a good man or woman, and not make the mistakes she had.

She was such a selfless woman...

And that's when the cruel irony of life struck. She was on her way home from the hospital when a bomb dropped. She had her daughter in her arms. She got hit by shrapnel.

But her baby lived, because of her selfless wish.

That's the injustice of the war, Dawn. Men and women lost more than they should have, more than money.

But at least life survived, even under those conditions.

Anya wiped a tear away. "The woman lives in England. She was adopted by a very caring family, and she's very happy now. Doesn't even remember her mother."

"But you do?" Dawn asked quietly.

Anya nodded. "Yeah. Funny, I was just a pinup girl, but I made a difference." She stood up. "I want to go hug Xander for a bit now."

Dawn looked at her class. "I talked to someone who was there. Amidst all the destruction, all the chaos, this woman knows that life was still precious." She smiled as the teacher and her class clapped.