It was nearly 11pm when the doorbell rang. The kids were all in bed, hopefully asleep, and Fletch was watching a repeat of QI. The noise piercing through the quiet made him jump, and he hurriedly headed over to the door before the person on the other side of the door rang again. The slightest noise would wake Ella at the moment, and she was very skilled in staying up as long as possible.
Fletch wasn't sure who would be at the door at this time on a Friday night, but he was still surprised when he opened up, and saw a teary-eyed Jac on the doorstep.
"Jac? What's happened?" Fletch asked, ushering the woman inside and closing the door behind her.
Jac didn't say anything; instead she just stood in Fletch's hallway, arms wrapped around herself, her entire body shivering. Fletch guided her into the living room, seating her on the sofa, before glancing out the window.
"Did you walk here?" Fletch asked incredulously. When Jac nodded her head, he grabbed a jumper that he had thrown over a chair earlier, passing it to her. Jac didn't offer up any argument, instead just pulling the jumper over her head, and pushing her arms through the sleeves, which were long enough that her hands didn't appear out of the end of them.
Kneeling down in front of her, Fletch pushed the sleeves up slightly so that he could hold her hands in his.
"Talk to me, Jac. I'm worried."
The tears continued to fall, and Fletch was surprised when Jac pulled her hands out of his, instead falling forward into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck, and they sat on the floor, Fletch rocking them gently to and fro, like he would whenever one of the kids would have a nightmare. His hands ran up and down Jac's back, keeping an even pace to try and soothe her.
They sat there in silence for a while, until Jac's shuddering breaths began to even out. Fletch continued to rub her back, and Jac momentarily tightened her grip on him, before pulling back, running her hand through her hair, as she took a deep breath in, slowly letting it out through pursed lips.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I needed to get out, and suddenly I was here. I shouldn't have come."
"Hey," Fletch replied softly, "There's no need to apologise. You're welcome here anytime. You and Emma. I hope you know that."
Fletch was surprised when, at Emma's name, Jac started to cry again.
"What's happened?" Fletch asked, starting to panic. "Is Emma okay? Is she hurt?"
His heart rate slowed slightly when Jac shook her head, whispering that she was fine, but the fact that the simple mention of her daughter's name reduced Jac to tears was causing Fletch some distress.
Suddenly noticing their position, still sat on the floor, Fletch brushed Jac's hair away from her face, encouraging her to look at him.
"Hey, can you sit on the sofa? I don't know about you, but I'm far too old to be sat on the floor for any prolonged period of time."
Jac's watery smile was the only indication that she had heard him, but she didn't object when he grasped her gently by the elbows, helping her on to the seat behind them. Fletch went to sit at the other end of the sofa, but was surprised when she immediately shuffled over, resting her head on his chest, and moving one hand to clutch hold of his shirt. Fletch didn't hesitate in wrapping an arm around Jac's shoulders, pressing a kiss into her hairline.
The pair sat in silence for the next few minutes, while Fletch listened to Jac's breaths evening out. He was relieved that she was calming down. Eventually, Jac pulled away, turning to face Fletch and crossing her legs beneath her.
"So…" Fletch started, trailing off when he realised that he didn't know how he wanted that sentence to end.
"Yeah," Jac said, running her hand through her hair. "I guess I owe you an explanation."
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Fletch replied reassuringly. "I know you like your private life to be kept private, and I respect that. I'm always here though, whether you want to talk, or just need a shoulder to cry on."
Shaking her head, Jac let out a deep sigh as she started to explain.
"Jonny came to pick up Emma tonight, and he brought Clara with him. His fiancée," she clarified when she noticed Fletch's confused glance. "Anyway, they got engaged last week, and Jonny had let me know in advance, and had come round to tell Emma with me, which was all fine. But then, they pulled up in the car, and when Emma looked out the window, she said, 'Look! Daddy and mummy are here!'"
Fletch sighed as the tears began to fall down Jac's face again, and he didn't hesitate in pulling her into his chest again.
"It just feels like I'm being replaced," Jac sobbed. "I know I struggled to bond with her to start with, but she's my daughter, and when she suddenly called Clara 'mummy', it just hit me that maybe she wants a traditional family; a world where mummy and daddy live together. I can never give her that, and I'm just worried that I might lose her."
"Hey," Fletch said softly, waiting for Jac to look up at him. "Emma is your daughter, and she adores you. She's only young, and she's probably just started learning about families at pre-school. You know what books and TV are like, she's probably heard about how mummy, daddy and child live together, and now that Jonny and Clara are getting married, she thinks that this means that Clara is her new mummy as well as you. She isn't dismissing you at all; she just doesn't understand the whole 'step-parent' thing yet."
Nodding, Jac swallowed as she rested her head back against Fletch's chest. "What do I do?"
"Talk to Jonny," Fletch replied. "Chances are, Emma will refer to Clara as 'mummy' during this weekend, and Jonny will put her straight, but talk to him anyway when he brings Emma back, and you can talk to her together. Explain that although Clara is marrying her daddy, that doesn't make her Emma's mummy, simply her step-mummy, and maybe you can all think of something to call her together, or explain to her how step-families work."
Jac nodded, feeling foolish. "That makes sense," she admitted, "I don't know why I didn't think of that myself."
"You panicked," Fletch explained," And that's perfectly normal. Sometimes you need someone external to hear about the situation so that you can think of a solution."
Fletch felt Jac nod against his chest again, and he smiled gently when he realised that she had no intention of moving. Shifting slightly, he wrapped both arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest.
"You know," Fletch said after a few minutes, "Nobody at work would ever believe me if I said that Holby City's most formidable surgeon was cuddled up with me tonight." Hurriedly, he reassured her when he felt her tense up. "Sorry, I'm only kidding. This will stay entirely between you and me."
But Jac quickly stood up, heading towards his front door, obviously spooked.
"Jac, wait," Fletch said as he hurried after her. "I'm sorry; I was only making a joke. Mistimed, I know. Look, I don't feel comfortable with you walking home on your own in the middle of the night, and I can't leave the kids. Please, just stay here tonight. You can have my room, and I can take the sofa."
"I can take care of myself," Jac said firmly.
"I don't doubt that for a second," Fletch chuckled, "But it would just put my mind at rest."
"Why are you so bothered?" Jac snapped, putting her hands on her hips.
Stepping forward, Fletch place is hands over hers on her hips, as he whispered softly, "Because I care about you. You're important to me. I hope that you know that."
Biting her lip, Jac nodded, hesitantly looking up to hold Fletch's gaze. She pulled her hands out from under his as she placed them on his arms.
"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.
Fletch didn't answer verbally; instead he pulled her towards him, and ducked down slightly to press a gentle kiss on Jac's lips. Their lips moved slowly against each other, as if they were testing the water, until they realised that Fletch had been subconsciously moving them until Jac was pressed against the wall. As Jac's back connected with the hard surface, she gasped slightly, giving Fletch the opportunity to slip his tongue into Jac's mouth. He smiled when she immediately responded, clasping both hands at the base of his neck to keep him close.
Eventually, they pulled apart, both panting from the lack of oxygen, and the intensity of the kiss.
They looked at each other, before Fletch leant in to kiss her again, and when he pulled away again, she buried her face in his neck. Fletch wrapped his arms around her, committing this moment to memory. She was holding him tightly, placing the occasional kiss into his neck. He had only ever seen her this vulnerable once before; when she had the panic attack in her office, and Fletch felt honoured that it was him that Jac came to.
"Let me show you to my room," he whispered, "And then I'll come down and sleep on the sofa."
Jac nodded, but when they reached his room, and he grabbed a change of clothes for her to sleep in, Fletch was surprised when she grabbed his wrist.
"Stay," she requested quietly. "Not like that, I just…" Jac trailed off.
Fletch nodded, gently kissing her forehead before heading off to the bathroom to get changed. He was only in there for a few minutes, and when he got back into the bedroom, Jac was stood at the foot of his bed, looking nervous.
"I, erm, I don't know which side you sleep on," she said, shrugging her shoulders.
Smiling, Fletch got into the right hand side, before pulling the covers back for Jac to climb in. Once she did so, he immediately pulled her close, kissing her passionately, before pulling away, still holding her close, as they fell asleep.
The next morning, Fletch woke up to find himself curled up against Jac, her back flush against his chest. He could tell she was awake by the way that she was playing with the fingers of his hand that was splayed over her waist. Pressing a kiss into the back of her neck, he smiled when she turned over, instantly meeting his lips with a passionate kiss, pressing her whole body as close to his as possible.
"Mmm, morning," Fletch sighed happily.
"Good morning," Jac replied, relishing the feeling of their bodies aligned like they had been doing so for years.
Satisfied when he didn't hear any movement from the kids rooms, Fletch rolled over, pulling Jac underneath him and peppering kisses all over her face.
Jac indulged him momentarily, before hooking one leg over his hips, spinning them deftly so she was straddling him. Fletch started to object to the sudden movement, but immediately stopped when Jac leant forward, kissing him deeply and rocking her hips against his, satisfied when she felt him hardening against her. She rocked against him, feeling her arousal start to grow, and she had just hooked her fingers into his jogging bottoms when a shout came from downstairs.
Both groaning, Jac rolled off him, listening as his panting breaths matched hers.
"Damnit Ella," Fletch muttered under his breath, causing Jac to let out a laugh. They paused, listening to the quiet of the house, and when nothing was said for thirty seconds, Fletch pulled Jac close again, rocking his hips against her covered centre. "I think we're safe."
Despite the heat pooling between her legs, Jac shook her head. "You need to see to her," she muttered, just as Ella called for her father again.
"Okay," he admitted, but made no effort to move. Just then, they heard Mikey telling Ella to shut up, and that he'd get her breakfast if she was so desperate.
"Thank God," Fletch muttered, immediately attaching his lips to Jac's again. They kissed passionately, hands roaming as clothes were quickly removed.
Jac moved to straddle Fletch's hips, and held his gaze as she slowly slid down on to his erection, both of them letting out a low moan at the contact as she enveloped him within her warm heat. Jac immediately started to move her hips, whilst leaning forward to kiss Fletch, disguising the noises they were making. Fletch let Jac move at her own pace for a few thrusts, before he wrapped her in his arms, spinning her around so she was lying under him.
Normally, Jac would complain when someone tried to take control away from her, but when Fletch sped up his thrusts, nibbling on her breast as his hand rubbed fast, hard circles over her clit, it was all she could do to hold on for the ride.
She could feel herself tensing as her orgasm bubbled up from inside her, and when she started to clench around Fletch, she was surprised when he stopped moving.
"What are you doing?" she snapped breathlessly. But she stopped talking when she felt his thrusts resuming, and the hand on her clit press harder as his lips met hers again. The pause had allowed her climax to simmer, and as he thrusted into her with a renewed vigour, the orgasm racing through her caused her the arch her back, her internal muscles clutching Fletch like a vice, triggering his own orgasm.
As Fletch collapsed on top of Jac, both panting, he couldn't help but press a surprisingly innocent kiss against her lips.
"Okay?" he asked.
Nodding, Jac replied, "Just trying to work out how I can get out of here without having to face a thousand questions from each of your kids."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this; it went off in a completely different direction to what I was planning!