She was running terribly late. Her sister needed her now, had even booked her a flight and everything, and she was likely to miss it. Her power had gone out during the night and her alarm hadn't gone off, and now she was trying to get through the Fitton International Airport and to her flight in under twenty minutes. She'd already practically knocked over two businessmen, though they were both rather good-natured and had merely laughed when she shouted frantic apologies at them. She arrived at her gate slightly out of breath and set her suitcase down, waiting for them to call for boarding.
"3.1415926535897932384626433832 795028841971693993751." Martin recited the numbers he had memorized by heart. "I told you I knew the first 50 digits of Pi by heart." He stuck his tongue out at his first officer.
"Ah, brilliant Skip! Just brilliant!" Arthur clapped his hands together.
"Now, if you are all done with your silly bets, we have a job to do. 10 people are about to board ol' GERTI and expects us to fly them to Vancouver." Caroline interrupted them.
A monotone female voice announced her flight (which was a name rather than a number, oddly enough) and a group of other passengers stood up with her and headed toward the boarding tunnel. She followed at the back, duffel bag clutched close to her chest and purse slung over her shoulder; she'd only ever flown once and it had turned out a rather awful experience.
"Welcome aboard ladies and gentlemen. I am your pilot, Captain Martin Crieff and I will be the one in charge of getting you to Vancouver safely. Relax and enjoy your flight. Fly the friendly skies with MJN Air."
"Are you alright, Martin? With your break-up with the Princess and all." Douglas asked him, actually sounding concerned.
"I'm fine. Just feel a bit lonely."
"Well, why don't I cheer you up?"
"Oh, no that's fine. You do not need to cheer me up." Martin shook his head.
"Nonsense. Of course I do. Now, you know what helps me? I sing famous love duets."
"That's ridiculous. If anything, that will make it worse. Singing and then no one being there to finish your song with you." Martin whined.
Douglas ignored him. "What's your favourite love duet, Martin?"
"Fine. It's A Heart Full Of Love."
Takeoff was miserable, she'd spent a majority of it with her head shoved in a pillow and the teenaged girl next to her occasionally patting her back. Once they were stable, however, she managed to sit up properly and relax, listening to the muffled sound of the pilots talking from her front seat, though she could bet she would have heard it from the last row, as well. Something about a breakup, she didn't care enough to think to hard on it. The teenager and the girl's parents across the row made a small effort to chat with her, asking why she was flying among other things, and she answered politely, though not in-depth. Her sister was set to have a baby within the next few days and she needed to be well rested before hand.
"No, Douglas. I'm not going to do it." Martin shook his head.
"Oh, why not? It will help!" Douglas patted his back.
"How on Earth will it help?"
"Just sing it!"
Martin gave in. "Fine. If it will shut you up." He cleared his throat and started to sing very quietly. "A heart full of love."
"No, no, no! Louder, Martin. You must sing louder."
Martin rolled his eyes. He began to sing louder. "A heart full of song. I'm doing everything all wrong. Oh god for shame, I do not even know your name. Dear mademoiselle, won't you say? Will you tell?"
Still listening in on the pilots, she couldn't help but giggle when one very clearly began to sing. She'd seen the musical it was from several times, rather enjoyed it, and knew the song. Why not, if it would clear her boredom? "A heart full of love. No fear, no regret," she chimed in, not so loud as to disturb the other passengers but loud enough to get odd looks from her neighbors. She pointed toward the door to the cabin and shrugged.
Martin heard it, a woman clearly singing the other half of his favorite duet. "Douglas, do you hear that?" He asked his so called friend just to make sure he wasn't going crazy.
"Why, yes Martin. I do. You better respond."
Martin gulped before singing out the next line, a little bit louder this time. "My name is Marius Pontmercy."
Another snigger from the girl next to her as Molly replied with the next line: "And mine's Cosette." A deep red blush had risen to her face and she couldn't believe she'd even responded, but how was she supposed to resist it?
"Cosette, I don't know what to say." Martin was really shocked with what was happening. He felt like it was a dream. He whispered to Douglas. "Is this a dream?"
"I don't know, is it?" Douglas quickly pinched Martin's arm.
"Ow!"
"Then make no sound," Molly replied after a moment's delay, the mother of the teenager having to nudge her forward. They all found it rather funny while she was feeling firmly embarrassed.
"I am lost." Martin sang out, feeling truly lost in this woman's voice.
"I am found!" Neither of them were actually hiding it now; the pilot's voice came through the door easily and her's was readily audible in the cabin. A few people muttered something about 'in flight entertainment'.
"Do, do I keep singing?" He asked Douglas, worried.
"If you feel the need to. I'm actually quite enjoying this. I'm a sucker for nice love songs."
Martin shook his head and focused back to his job. It was probably some teenagers teasing him. He just ignored it and kept staring out into the sky, ignoring the confused looks from Douglas.
Molly and the family seated near her waited for his reply, but it didn't come. Most of the passengers who hadn't heard the song before assumed it was the end of the duet and clapped, but Molly felt a bit hurt. Not that she should have, she was just goofing around with her pilot which was actually a bit dangerous. She still couldn't keep from humming the rest of it.
"Martin. Aren't you going to reply? That girl is probably waiting for you." Douglas voiced his opinion, sounding genuinely concerned.
Martin bit his lip. "Wha-, what if it's just a joke, Douglas? I can't get hurt again. It just, it seems too good to be true. Real Cosettes don't just pop out of nowhere. There is no such thing as love at first sight. Or first song."
"Aww, too bad," the teenager said, shrugging. "Dunno which guy it was, though probably that ginger one. Anyway, you two sounded cute. That's from Les Mis, isn't it?"
Molly nodded awkwardly, returning to her pillow before the girl's father leaned over and whispered, "What's the next line?" Molly whispered it back and he continued: "A heart full of light."
"A night bright as day." She grinned at the man and the wife and daughter sniggered.
"You hear that? You waited too long, Martin. She's already found another Marius." Douglas gestured to the closed door of the flight deck.
Martin looked over at Douglas then quickly turned on the intercom. "And you must never go away! Cosette, Cosette!" He sang with all his heart into the intercom, hoping he gets a second chance.
The rest of the passengers could hardly control their laughter, though it was less making-fun-of and more they're-so-cute. Molly blushed a furious red and replied with an only slightly shaking voice: "This is a chain we'll never break!"
"Do I dream?" He sang, truly asking this woman if he actually was dreaming.
"I'm awake!" she replied, and she could hear her heart beating in her ears. This was surely all good natured fun and she was merely overreacting.
"A heart full of love." Martin was determined to finish this song with her.
"A heart full of you." Her face was hot with embarrassment.
"A single look and then I knew." He smiled, still singing into the intercom.
"I knew it, too." A quick swallow and a deep breath.
"From today." He gestured to the control, signalling Douglas to take over. He got up from his seat and headed for the door.
"E-every day," she stumbled over her last solo lyric, "For it isn't a dream-"
"Not a dream," He opened the door and looked for his Cosette.
Lisa, the teenager, had been right, it was the ginger one. Molly felt her face was on fire and she desperately tried to hide it. Her neighbours were having none of it, Lisa going so far as to grab Molly's wrist and pull her forward into the aisle.
"After all." He sang quietly, realizing the whole plane had been listening to their intimate singing session. He stared at the woman who sang the last line with him. She was beautiful. Her long, brown hair cascading down her shoulders. Her beautiful smile that lit up the entire cabin. Where had she come from?
She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt shyly, wishing they weren't standing in front of almost a dozen other people who had just witnessed everything. Her Marius, a dashing ginger, freckled with eyes like the ocean. He'd announced his name at the beginning of the flight, but she'd been so concerned with not getting sick that she hadn't been listening. She wracked her brains for a moment before it came to her. "C-captain... Martin Crieff?"
He went to say yes but he couldn't form the simple word. Instead, he just nodded his head like an idiot. "Uhh, Cosette?" It was a stupid question, not one he meant to ask but it slipped out. He just hoped she didn't think he was stupid or foolish.
"Huh? Oh!" If it was possible for her to blush deeper, she did. "I'm Molly. Hooper. Molly Hooper."
Martin shook his hand and instantly heard people snicker. He shook his head embarrassment. Who shakes hands nowadays? "Lovely name." He managed to spit out, his face turning as red as hers.
She wanted nothing more than to disappear. "Th-thanks," she said, staring at her shoes. She'd never been more embarrassed. "M-maybe you should...should fly the plane?" Oh, no, that had come off terribly rude. She squeaked and covered her mouth as if in apology.
"Oh, um, my first officer is handling it." He scratched the back of his head. "Would you, um, would you, you like to, um, come see the..." He pointed to the flight deck with his thumb, unable to finish the sentence.
She nodded and stepped closer to him; anything to be out of the eye of all these people, even if it meant stepping into the eye of the smarmy-faced first officer she'd seen him, but not caught his name.
"Well, well, well. Hello there, Cosette. I see you've met your Marius. Slightly disappointed, are you?" Douglas teased her.
"Not at all," Molly said, quick to turn her embarrassment into wit. "See, we knew it was one of you two."
Douglas nodded his head in approval. "Alright, I get it. No need to be snippy."
She blushed again, nearly apologizing for her gibe. "I-so...er...you...um..." She couldn't even form a coherent sentence.
"Ah, looks like you two are perfect for each other!" Douglas clapped his hands.
"Shut up, Douglas." Martin rolled his eyes at his idiotic first officer. Martin pointed to his seat, signaling Molly to sit down. "Have you ever been on a plane before?"
She smiled and nodded. "Once. But it was a horrible experience."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry about that. However, I can assure you that you are perfectly fine with us. We'll make it the safest flight you will ever experience." Martin smiled. He was quite proud he delivered that quite clearly; no stutters whatsoever.
Molly smiled back. "That's very good to hear."
"This will be a very long flight." Douglas muttered to himself as he watched the two love birds stare at each other with bright pink permanently stained on their cheeks.
They arrived in Vancouver fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. Molly had stayed in the flight deck for most of the flight, giggling at everything Martin said. He was quite a different man than she was used to. Certainly the complete opposite of the consulting detective she thought she once loved. Martin was saddened by the end of their trip. She had told him she had to leave right away to meet up with her sister. They had exchanged numbers before she had to be seated for landing but she said he couldn't call her for at least a week because she couldn't afford the extra it cost to get the proper calling plan in a different country. He didn't know if he could wait that long just to hear her voice again.
Douglas looked over at Martin as they sat in the flight deck waiting for the passengers to leave. He rolled his eyes at his captain's miserable expression. "I'm sure you can wait a week for your Cosette, Martin. God knows you have waited for way longer than that."
"She's, she's something special, Douglas. Really something special. Incredibly special. I mean, the princess, well, she's a princess. But Molly, she's, well—"
"Special?" Douglas rolled his eyes again. "Then go find her."
"I can't! She's staying with her sister and won't be back to England for a week."
"Yes, Martin, I know. I was here for your entire conversation. I was the one flying the plane while you pointed out to her every single button and switch and what it does; which is the perfect first impression by the way. Women rather enjoy it when you bore them to death with buttons." Sarcasm dropped from his voice like it usually does.
"Well, what do you suppose I do? Chase after her like a sappy, romantic movie?" Martin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
Douglas shrugged. "You do whatever you feel is best, Martin. I can't tell you how to win her heart."
"Oh, but you must!" Martin begged. "You helped me get her by demanding I sing a song! Work your magic, Douglas, and help me get this girl!"
"Alright. Here's what you should do."
"Molly!" Her sister flagged her down at the arrival section at YVR.
Molly sighed and smiled as she headed towards her sister. "Hello Victoria." Molly was not at all a fan of her younger sister. Everything Molly did was outshined by Vicky. Their mother always favored Icky Vicky over Molly. Of course, Victoria was never aware of Molly's hate for her. She was just that innocent little girl that looked up to her big sister.
"I missed you big sister!" She wrapped her arms around Molly's neck. "Can you believe I'm having a baby soon?"
Molly kept her fake smile as she managed to wrap her arms around and behind her back. Victoria was what they call a basketball mom. "I know, it's quite incredible."
"Okay, let's go. You're driving."
Molly frowned. "Did you drive here?"
Victoria nodded. "I wanted to pick you up and Brian was working."
"Victoria! What if you were to go into labour on the highway?" Molly shouted, worried about her sister and future niece's safety.
She shook her head and waved her hand. "It's fine. Look!" She pointed to herself. "I'm here and safe, aren't I?" Victoria smiled and hugged her sister again. "Thank you for caring though."
The two of them headed to the car and Molly got in the driver's seat. She had driven in America before but it's been a while. Driving on the opposite side was a strange feeling. The two of them started to talk about things. Victoria talked about her and Brian and how they were incredibly happy together. It made Molly nearly puke. She hated how her little sister got everything before her. An amazingly successful husband, the big house, the baby. The only thing Molly had that Victoria didn't was a career of her own. Victoria didn't work because she didn't need to with Brian getting all the money for them. But, Molly was happy with her success. She was the most respected Pathologist in London, possibly all of England.
"Brian has been so amazing with the pregnancy. He even reads stories to the—" Victoria shrieked.
"What? What is it?" Molly looked over at her sister but quickly looked back to the road, not wanting to get them in a car accident.
"My water just broke!" Victoria shouted while looking down between her legs. "Drive to the hospital!"
"I don't know where it is!"
"I'll direct you!" Victoria screamed before pointed Molly in the right direction.
"Are you sure, Douglas?"
"Yes, Martin. She said her sister is having a baby. All you have to do is call the hospital every so often and ask if a Victoria has checked in."
Martin started biting his nails. "But the receptionist might get annoyed."
"Martin, you contact ATC every 5 minutes for weather reports and every other thing that only needs checking once and you're worried about annoying a woman who's job it is to answer questions like yours?"
"I suppose you're right." Martin took Douglas' phone and searched for the number of the Vancouver hospital online. He dialed and heard a nice sounding woman greet him on the other line. "Yes, hello. I'm just wondering if my, um," he looked to Douglas for reassurance. "wife, Victoria, had checked in. She's not um, answering her mobile."
"Oh, yes, Victoria Smith? Yes. She just checked in. Are you on your way?" The young woman asked, curious to know about the father.
Martin coughed and cleared his throat. "Yes. Thank you." He quickly hung up before the woman could reply.
"Well?" Douglas raised an eyebrow.
"I need to get to the hospital right now."
"Vicky, dear, you have to breathe." Brian had arrived and was at Victoria's side, holding her hand tightly.
Molly was sitting in the waiting room. Victoria had invited her to join them in the room but she decided against it once Brian had arrived. She stood up and paced back and forth, worried but relieved at the same time. Perhaps her stay could be a little shorter than she originally planned and she could get back to England. She had forgotten about Martin for a brief moment while her sister was screaming at her to drive faster. She hadn't mentioned anything about her romantic musical moment on the plane to Victoria. One, she never gave her the opportunity because she was mainly talking about herself. And two, because Molly didn't want to, she thought she might jinx it.
Molly felt her phone buzz. Despite her lack of money to buy a decent roaming plan, she left her phone on just in case her boss needed her back right away. Molly would easily jump at any chance to leave her perfect little sister and her perfect little life. She looked at the screen and saw the picture she had taken of Martin on the plane. She smiled at the man's cute little grin with tiny dimples on either side. She opened the text and read the message.
I know you didn't want me to contact you until you returned to London but, I just couldn't wait. Look up.
Moly raised her eyebrow at the last two words. She looked up to find Martin still clad in his Captain's uniform and his hat donned on his head. "Martin?" She smiled.
"I did not live until today!" Martin started to sing, gathering an audience all the while. "How can I live when we are parted?" He walked a couple steps towards her and took her hands in his.
Her smile grew wider as she started to sing so they were in unison. "Tomorrow you'll be worlds away, and yet with you my world has started."
Martin embraced her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. "Cosette?" He whispered as he pulled away.
She giggled. "Yes, Marius?"
"Would you please be the Molly of my dreams?"
She giggled again. "Are you sure you have that right?"
"Of course." He smiled as he placed a kiss on her lips again.
When they pulled apart, she looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. "As long as you make my life less miserable."