Disclaimer:
I do not own the show, Tony Grounds does.
Rating: T to be safe at the moment.
Huge thanks to Debbie and Steph for all their help in reading, editing and in general my panic attacks over this story!
This story is completely AU (alternate universe) to that of the TV show, the only similarity is some of the characters. Charles is in the Army, Molly is not. Elvis will be in it, Lane will not. This will be a CJ/Molly story so if you do not like this pairing then stop reading now.
After finishing my last story, I had an idea of the type of story I wanted to write and had it all planned but somehow it didn't feel right. After lots of months thinking and trying to write it, I gave up. Then one day on my lunch break I read a comment on Facebook and it gave me an idea and in the next few minutes I had an outline of the story you are about to read! The song that was playing on the radio during this brainwave was Miley Cyrus/Mark Ronson "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart." Hence the title.
I want to say enjoy, but be prepared you are in for a bumpy ride…
Chapter One
'Let's go to a spa resort for a girlie weekend, she said. It will be fun she said,' Molly muttered as she pulled up a stool at the bar in the luxury resort. She glanced over to where her best friend Jac was currently laughing and drinking with a group of men in the corner of the room.
"Stag party," the barman said as he walked over towards Molly.
"Great," Molly grimaced.
"All squaddies," the barman smiled back.
"Oh, she's going to be in her element then," Molly remarked "Relax, she's my best friend I'll keep an eye on her."
"That's what friends and a good barman are for," he smiled "What can I get you?"
"White wine please," Molly said as she sat down and groaned.
A couple of weeks ago Jac had won an overnight spa break for two in the luxury resort just outside Bath and after being dumped by her on-off boyfriend a few weeks earlier she asked Molly to come with her. After a day of massages and treatments Jac had promised them a nice meal and a few drinks at the bar and insisted they dress up for the occasion. Hence, why she was sitting dolled up to the nines in her classic but elegant little black dress wondering why she had bothered.
Jac had been ready first and had gone down to the bar ahead her, and no doubt, the second she heard stag party Jac decided she was going to have fun.
She didn't mind really. Truth be told she wanted some peace and quiet. Molly, too, was just out of a pretty intense and damaging relationship and while Jac wanted to party after a breakup it was the last thing she wanted to be doing.
She never noticed the man sitting a few stools down from her until she heard him ask, in what she classed as a fairly posh accent, if she was okay. She looked over and her eyes instantly landed on his with a look that felt as if he could see into the depths of her soul.
"Are you okay?" he asked again.
"Oh, yeah," Molly stammered feeling suddenly very out of place with her cockney accent "I thought massages were supposed to help and relax you not make you stiff and sore."
He smiled and smirked "Must have had a lot of tension on those shoulders."
"If only you knew," Molly said wistfully as she paid the barman for her drink and watched the man order another.
He continued to look at her, she was stunning. Her long dark hair was perfectly curled and with minimal make-up she was the classic natural beauty. Her eyes, which sparkled with flecks of green and which he felt sure he'd lose himself in if he looked at them for any length of time, held a mix of sadness and mischievousness. There was something about her that called out to him. He had sat at the bar because he wanted to be alone and drown his sorrows but now, he wanted to know everything about her.
"Penny for them?" he asked her as she took a mouthful of wine.
"Trust me mate you don't wanna know," Molly replied as she studied him "Tell you what, you tell me yours and then I'll tell you mine." Even though she had no intention of telling him the disaster that was her life.
"Tempting," he replied as he stood up and moved closer to her and sat down. "I'm Charles by the way," he said as he reached out his hand. She took it but the handshake only lasted a second until he pulled away quickly, as if he'd experienced a shock.
"Molly," she replied back smiling.
Their moment was broken by the noise coming from the other side of the bar where the stag party was in full swing.
"Someone's having a good time," Charles laughed as he looked over at the group.
"Yes, that would be my best friend in the middle of them," Molly blushed as she glanced towards Jac who was now attempting to do the splits. "She only came down ten minutes before me!"
"She's been on doubles since she arrived," the barman said as he too watched the scene enfold.
"Oh great, she's been on the booze all day and has had nothing to eat!" Molly sighed, as she stood up just as Jac fell flat on her face on the floor to the amusement of everyone else. "It was nice to meet you Charles, but I better go and save my friend from making a complete prannet of herself."
"It was nice to meet you too Molly," Charles sighed as he watched her walk over towards the group and helped Jac up off the floor. He watched her whisper a thank you to Elvis who had also assisted and then quickly headed to the door.
Their eyes met again and there was a brief nod of their heads and a small smile as she exited the room. A look that Elvis Harte did not miss as he approached the bar.
"Charlie, who was that?"
"You should know you were flirting with her," Charles bit back as he retreated back into his bad mood.
"I was dancing with the one in the red dress not the beauty in black."
"That was her friend, a very good friend," Charles replied with a small smile.
"Definitely," Elvis said as he looked at his friend.
"What?" Charles asked in an abrupt tone.
"That's the first time I have seen you smile in a long time Charlie boy," Elvis said in a sympathetic tone.
Charles didn't reply. He set his bottle of beer on the bar and nodded to his friend first and then the barman.
"Another round of drinks for the stag party please," as he handed over his credit card.
"We're not staying," Elvis said as he caught the barman's eye. "Taxis will be here soon and we're hitting a club in town."
"Since when?" Charles sighed, as he rolled his eyes. This really was not the evening he had wanted.
"No offence mate," Elvis said to the barman before looking back at his best friend "but the guys want to hit somewhere a bit more lively than here."
"I'm staying here."
"Charlie." He cautioned.
"You wanted the stag party Elvis, so go ahead and have it. I don't. I just want some peace and quiet," he sighed as he finished his beer, stood up and quickly left the room.
"But you're the groom," Elvis said but only the barman heard him.
"He's the groom?" the barman questioned
"Yeah," Elvis replied.
"Isn't he supposed to be happy?"
"You haven't met his fiancée," Elvis replied as he turned and joined the rest of the stag party.
OGOGOGOGOGOGOG
Molly sighed as she took in the site of her best friend lying face down across the bed fast asleep. From previous experience she knew that would be Jac out for the count for the rest of the night. So much for a girlie night out Molly thought, as she leaned against the wall. Her night now consisted of either trying to watch TV with the volume down low and then holding Jac's hair when the hangover kicked in, or leaving Jac alone while she went back down to the bar to get something and maybe even a few drinks before having to face her friends hangover. Either way she was in for a messy night and morning. The only small blessing being that as they were both nurses in a busy accident and emergency department it meant that they were used to dealing with drunks on a daily basis.
At that moment her stomach rumbled and she knew she needed food. She quickly lifted her small bag and room key before checking on a sleeping Jacs before leaving the room.
As she approached the lobby she could see the stag party from earlier being herded into a taxi and smiled, maybe she would get some peace and quiet after all.
She turned and walked into the bar and back to the seat she'd left a short while ago and smiled as the barman came over and greeted her.
"How's your friend?" he asked.
"Sleeping it off," Molly smiled "Tomorrow morning is not going to be pretty."
"What can I get you?"
"A menu please, I'm hank Marvin'"
The barman frowned and gave her a quizzical look
Molly let out a laugh - "Hank Marvin - starvin', don't you people speak English down here?"
He let out a laugh "Yeah we do but not sure what that was" he smiled "Coming right up."
Charles was washing his hands when he heard his mobile phone beep indicating a message. He quickly glanced at the message from Elvis:
'Can't believe you're bailing out on your own stag night Old man.'
Despite his foul form he couldn't help but grin at Elvis' nickname for him. Old man.
Elvis was the carefree ladies' man who loved to party hard while Charles was not. Elvis was from London, he was born and raised in the family home in Royal Terrace, Bath. Elvis was the trendy fashionable t-shirt and jeans type of guy when he was more of a shirt and chinos. They were complete opposites who had met at Sandhurst, training to be officers in the British Army and despite everything they became the strongest of friends. They were both Captains – Charles of Two Section, Elvis in Special Forces. Their chosen occupations perfectly matched their temperaments and lifestyles. Elvis had a woman in every city. Charles was engaged to be married to an army boss's daughter and seemingly had his whole future already planned ahead of him.
He splashed some water across his face and took a deep breath. He hid in the men's room until he knew that everyone in the stag party, mainly all Elvis' friends had left the building before lifting his phone and putting it inside his jacket pocket.
Walking back into the lobby he was deciding on whether to go back to the bar or go back to his room and order room service, when he saw her. Molly, the woman who he'd been talking too earlier and before he even knew what he was doing, he found himself walking into the bar a few steps behind her and heard her ask the barman for a menu.
"Molly," he asked quietly as he came and stood beside her at the bar. He watched her turn round and look at him and saw the look of recognition cross her face.
"Ahh, Charles was it?"
"Correct. Is your friend okay?"
"She's sleeping it off," Molly grimaced.
"Can I… no forget it you probably want some peace and quiet," Charles muttered as he looked all round him
"Can you what?" Molly asked puzzled.
"I was going to ask if I could sit beside you, but I'm in a shitty bad mood and not great company at the moment," Charles explained with a small smile.
It took Molly a few seconds to register what he'd said. Did this tall and really attractive man dressed casually in a white shirt and smart trousers really want to spend time with her?
"Ah go ahead," she replied stuttering a bit "I was just going to get something to eat but I suppose we can be in a bad mood together."
Charles smiled as he pulled out the bar stool and sat down. They shared a menu and ordered something to eat and over the course of the next hour he knew that she was 24 and had just qualified as a nurse six months ago. He also knew that she and Jacs were best friends and shared a flat. Likewise, Molly knew that he was 26 and an officer in the army, much to her amusement, and was an only child. Charles did not miss the brief look of hurt that quickly washed across her face as she took a mouthful of wine.
The meal was soon finished and several bottles of wine later they were walking out of the bar and into the grounds of the resort.
"Oh, Secret Garden? Wonder what that's about?" Molly asked as she pointed to the sign with one hand and a freshly opened bottle of wine in the other.
"I think it's a garden," Charles smirked before he burst out laughing.
"Obviously," Molly laughed as she hit him on the arm. The sudden touch jolted through both of them, their smiles disappearing quickly as their eyes locked, before both of them averted their gaze. The path to the garden snaked along the side of the building and the music from the bar could be heard softly in the background. Small lights were lit along the path to a small bench which looked down towards the garden. The tranquillity of the moment was broken when Charles blinked and stumbled towards the bench muttering to himself.
"What I can't hear you?" Molly asked as she followed him. He had suddenly gone from being happy and carefree to having the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"That stag party from earlier, the one you had to save your friend from?" he said quietly as he buried his head in his hands.
"Yeah."
"That was my stag party Molly," he looked up at her and saw her shocked expression as she took a step back. He took the wine bottle from her hands and took a mouthful.
To say she was shocked was an understatement. She was hit with a mix of emotions. He'd been friendly and chatty all evening and now this? She felt used and embarrassed and part of her wanted to punch him, although he hadn't lied to her. They'd never discussed their respective partners or whether they were single. She'd assumed he was, wrongly, obviously. It was stupid of her really to think that someone like him could be interested in someone like her, she thought to herself, but the revelation still floored her and felt like someone had punched her in the gut. And honestly, she wasn't sure why. She'd only just met the man but there was something about him, something she couldn't put her finger on that made her belly do a little dance when she looked at him. But as she looked at him now she could see he didn't look like a happy man, something which she'd failed to notice earlier. She regained her composure and tried to brush off the feeling of hurt.
"I don't understand?" She said perplexed.
"I'm getting married next month," Charles explained quietly running his hands through his hair. The fresh air and the amount of alcohol he had consumed was starting to affect him. "Everything is planned all I have to do is turn up."
"Congratulations," Molly replied quietly as she continued to watch him carefully "Forgive me for sayin' but you don't look overly happy about it mate. Shouldn't you be ecstatic to be marryin' the woman of your dreams"
Charles laughed "Rebecca, my fiancée is what you would call a bridezilla, has everything planned to military precision, which isn't particularly ironic as she is my general's daughter."
"Ahh," Molly sighed as she walked closer to him.
"We were teenage sweethearts and it continued after I graduated at Sandhurst. Both our families have strong military backgrounds and marriage was expected," Charles spit out like it was a bad taste in his mouth. "I wanted us to move in together and Rebecca took that as a proposal of marriage. I didn't really have the heart, or the guts, to correct her. It's what she wanted, and I don't know...it's been two years of planning and now it's nearly here… I used to love her but somewhere along the way, I fell out of love."
"Have you told her?"
"I tried. But she doesn't listen. Rebecca had a rich grandmother who left her a fortune in her will, only there was a condition, she only got the inheritance once she was married, hence why every time I try and stall the wedding she goes full steam ahead."
"So she's only marrying you to get her inheritance?" Molly asked as she came and stood beside him.
"One minute I was blindly in love with her and the next...I mean I care about her, I really do, but she's not the woman I fell in love with. Somewhere along the lines she changed, we both did, but I guess it was convenient to stay together. I never thought I would feel this way leading up to my wedding day."
"I kinda know what you mean," Molly sighed as she sat down.
"I got engaged at 16," she whispered and started fidgeting as she felt Charles stare at her.
"Is that even legal?"
"Where I come from it is."
Charles frowned as their eyes met.
"My parents aren't married, thank god, my dad's an alcoholic, and I'm the eldest of six."
"Wow," Charles whispered
"Yeah, I think my dad was disappointed that he got me instead of a son. He's unemployed and in debt up to his eyeballs but mum thinks the sun shines out of his arse. I met Artan in high school and got engaged at 16. My parents were delighted."
"Seriously?"
"Not everyone grows up with a silver spoon in their mouth Charles," Molly sighed "It was my 18th birthday and dad asked me to nick money from my boss, which wasn't uncommon, except this was so he could buy me a birthday present. Then that night we were meeting up with friends down the local. The whole night, I felt as if I could feel my whole life flash in front of me. D'ya know what I mean?" she asked as she looked at him. Even though she was still mad that he'd chatted to her and flirted with her when he was engaged to someone else, there was something in his eyes that she could relate to. A lost and desolate look, something close to what she experienced on her 18th birthday.
"I do," Charles replied as he stared at her intensely "I think that's happening to me now."
"Anyway" She continued "I walk into the toilets and there is Artan screwing my best friend – well best friend at the time anyway and when I told my parents they told me to accept it. But I couldn't. I wasn't going to be one of those girls who lets everyone walk all over her and treat her like shit. So, I dumped him and went to college. My dad was furious and ordered me to marry Artan, something to do with a deal he made to get some money. My own dad was selling me to pay off his debts.
"Jesus Christ Molly," Charles said as he grabbed her hand and softly stroked it.
Molly sniffed "When I refused and went to university, they didn't want anything more to do with me. I was disowned. I met Jac at uni and we were instant friends, she's someone I can trust, someone who I'd lay my life down for," Molly continued. "Then Artan showed up about a year later, and I stupidly believed his lies of how he'd changed. He talked the talk and stupidly I fell for it. Thought I was blindly in love and convinced myself that things would be different and we were older now, more grown up. Except things hadn't changed. He now drank as badly as dad did, he was more controlling than ever, and the worst part is I didn't listen to Jac. I didn't want to believe what she was telling me. Probably because part of me knew it was true and I knew I'd fucked up. I was embarrassed. The worst part though is I nearly let it ruin mine and Jac friendship. Luckily, I saw sense in time and I swore from that day on, no more relationships. Men are all bastards."
"Present company excluded I hope," Charles tried to joke.
Molly let out a snort "Well you might have been if it wasn't for you flirting with me all night even though you have a girlfriend and are getting married."
"To someone I don't love," Charles clarified. "I feel so trapped Molly."
"Ditto. I did too."
"I'm sorry though. I never meant to lead you on or deceive you. That wasn't my intention. I'm not that guy, it's just, I saw you and, well, you're beautiful and I couldn't take my eyes off. I just wanted to get to know you. I was drawn to you"
Molly blushed as she averted her gaze, embarrassment now creeping over her.
"What do I do?" He said dejectedly
"Call it off."
"I can't do that," Charles sighed "I do that I lose my family, career, everything I've worked hard for. I'm not as brave or as strong as you are Molly. I'm in awe."
"I'm not brave, I'm just a stupid gullible fool who always falls for the wrong guy and is now the queen of one-night stands."
"Why did I not meet you years ago?"
"Because we come from different backgrounds mate."
Charles nodded his head "We need more alcohol."
"Bar's still open," Molly replied as she shakily stood up, she could still hear the music blaring and smiled when a familiar song came on. "Oh, I love this song."
This world can hurt you
It cuts you deep and leaves a scar
Things fall apart, but nothing breaks like a heart
And nothing breaks like a heart
Charles sat mesmerised as he watched Molly dance along to the tune on the gravel pathway. She was absolutely beautiful as she continued to move to the music.
Before he even knew what he was doing he stood up and was beside her in seconds. She was in his arms and they danced, slowly at first, but fuelled by a concoction of fresh air and alcohol they moved even closer together, before he really knew what was happening he was kissing her, slowly to begin with, but it built in passion as his hands were in her hair as he pulled her closer to him, his tongue plunging the depths of her mouth.
She stumbled backwards with the intensity of the kiss, his strong arms holding on to her, as he continued to explore her mouth, before she felt the red brick wall of the hotel firm against her back as she grazed up against it. Charles was holding her tight. Her mouth felt like it was on fire, her skin burning at every touch. She could feel the electricity coursing through her body and the butterflies in her stomach increasing. She had never been kissed like this before, never experienced lust like this before, and quite frankly had never wanted anyone as much as she wanted Charles right now. As they pulled away for air, she gently ran her tongue along her swollen lips and let out a moan as Charles continued to kiss along her jaw. She felt his breath on her neck as he pulled her even closer to him and whispered in her ear.
"I want you Molly," He muttered, as he pulled back slightly and stared deeply into her eyes "I need to lose myself in you, please."
She couldn't find the words, her head was awash with emotions. She knew it was wrong, very wrong. He was engaged, he was meant to be on his stag do, but she was inexplicably drawn to him. Her head was screaming no but her heart, well her heart was pounding and the butterflies in her stomach were doing somersaults. She smiled and nodded her head as she took his hand. They were both smiling as they all but ran along the path and into the lobby of the hotel. They were at the elevators in record time and all Molly could hear in her head were the dying chords of Miley Cyrus.
This world can hurt you
It cuts you deep and leaves a scar
Things fall apart, but nothing breaks like a heart
Mhmm, and nothing breaks like a heart
Nothing breaks like a heart
Mhmm, and nothing breaks like a heart
My heart, my heart
Nothing, nothing, nothing gon' save us now
My heart, my heart
Nothing, nothing, nothing gon' save us now
So, love it or hate it please leave a review and let me know what you think.