Chapter One
"So, what now?" She asked almost nervously. The two of them were standing just inside the door of the terminal at Brize Norton having just got back. Cyprus and everything that had happened in Bangladesh seemed like another lifetime ago. It was funny, how being back home felt exactly the same even though she felt as though everything had changed during the weeks she'd been gone.
"Well." He yawned. "Sleep is definitely on my agenda… I don't know about you?" It was noisy in the terminal and he strained his ears to hear her answer over the noise of everyone reuniting with their families. It hadn't escaped his notice that besides him, Molly as the only one who hadn't got any family waiting for her.
She nodded in agreement. "I don't think I realised quite how tired I was. We were on our way back home again when we got diverted to you lot…. I never did get to go to the Maldives." She'd forgotten all about the plans she'd had for her time off before everything in Bangladesh had happened.
He raised an eyebrow. "The Maldives hey? Now you're talking."
She laughed, shaking her head. "Don't get too excited and try and invite yourself along. It's going to have to wait until next time I get a couple of weeks off now."
"Well, I'm sure whatever you do it'll be more fun than I'm going to have." He groaned.
"Is that a challenge?" She joked.
"I've got to go and move back in with my parents and listen to a whole load of never ending lectures on why Rebecca was too good for me anyway. I guarantee I'll win hands down if you want to get into a contest." He sighed.
"Ouch." Molly cringed. "You're right, you do win…. I on the other hand am going back a nice empty house and getting in my nice comfy bed and probably not moving for a week… Your Mum liked Rebecca then?"
He nodded, grimacing. "That's a bit of an understatement. I think she'd be happier if Rebecca moved in with them and they got rid of me."
Molly laughed, elbowing him gently. "Shhh you…. You know they don't mean it."
"Oh really." He raised an eyebrow. "You know the inner workings of my mother's mind well do you?"
"Point taken." She laughed. "You could always bunk off and come back with me for a couple of days."
"Don't tempt me." He groaned. "I need to go home and face the music."
"Well…" She said, trying to hide her disappointment. "I suppose you have to do it eventually."
"Cheers for the pep talk…" He rolled his eyes.
She laughed at the look of despair on his face. "Well, how about you go home and get that over and done if you happened to find yourself in Warminster afterwards…." She trailed off, leaving his mind to fill in the blanks.
"Now that, is a plan I could get on board with." He grinned.
"Well then…. Best you get a move on." She laughed, giving him a playful shove towards the door.
"Yes Ma'am." He gave her a mock salute, grabbing his bag and making a beeline for the door. He'd taken three steps before he spun around and shot back in her direction.
"You forgotten something?" She frowned in confusion.
He grabbed her, kissing her quickly. "See you later." He smirked, turning to leave again.
"There you are, we're so glad to have you home!" His mum pounced on him as he walked up the steps to their front door. "I'm so sorry we couldn't come and get you, you know how it is. Your father couldn't rearrange things. He'll be so disappointed he wasn't home before you got here."
"It's fine Mum." He smiled, disentangling himself from her. "Shall we go inside maybe? It's bloody freezing out here."
"Oh yes, yes. Of course. Come on, I'll put the kettle on." She'd turned and disappeared into the house again in an instant, leaving him to gather up his bags again and follow her inside.
"It's so lovely to have you back!" She called through from the kitchen as he dropped his bag at the bottom of the stairs and kicked his boots off. "I had no idea you were going for so long."
"Yeah well, neither did I to be honest." He admitted. "You know what these things are like."
She poured the water into their drinks and turned to look at him for a moment. "Yes, I do." She nodded, and he knew from the look on her face he was about to get another lecture about whether it was time he got a job that meant he could settle down properly. "Have you spoken to Rebecca yet?"
He sighed, trying to think what to say. His mother had made no secret of the fact she thought Rebecca was in the right about all of this. "No." He said quietly. "I haven't."
"Well when are you seeing Sam?" She pressed, picking up his mug and putting it down on the table in front of him. She pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him with her own cup of tea. "That poor boy… you've been gone so long he's probably forgotten what you look like!"
Charles cringed. She'd always been good at giving him the guilt trip and she certainly wasn't holding back this time. "I don't know. I'll have to speak to Rebecca. I've not even been home half an hour Mum."
"Why don't you just go home and talk to her? Sort things out. It's silly really, all of this." She shook her head at him. "I'm sure if you actually made an effort to sort things out she'd take you back."
He was feeling like a little kid again, being told off for doing something his mother disapproved of. "I don't really think we're at the point where we can sort things out anymore." He sighed, bracing himself for the lecture that was to come.
"Well I think you should at least be trying. I mean where else are you going to find someone like her who is willing to put up with you disappearing off for weeks on end and all that." She huffed. "Don't you roll your eyes at me. That woman has been nothing but good to you. Too good to you perhaps."
He had to bite his tongue, his mother had obviously been talking to Rebecca while he was gone. That much was clear. "It was her idea Mum, despite what she might have told you. She called me while I was on tour and wanted to finalise everything. I think we've both come around to the fact that we might just be happier apart."
"And what about my grandson? What kind of life is that for him?" She shot back.
"One where he doesn't have to live in a house where his parents are at each other's throats constantly?" He pointed out. "You can argue all you like Mum, it's done. We all just need to move on now."
"You're going to regret this Charles." She sighed disapprovingly. "You can't keep running off across the world to avoid your problems forever. You're going to have to come home one day and there won't be anyone there for you. Then what are you going to do?"
"Who said I'm going to be coming home to an empty house?" The words fell out of his mouth before he'd thought it through.
Her eyes widened and he knew that unfortunately he'd caught her attention. It was going to be too late to change the subject now, no matter how hard he tried. "So there is someone else then. You're throwing away your marriage just because you think you've found something better."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm not throwing my marriage away mum, for god's sake. Rebecca and I are both adults, we knew we weren't happy and we made a decision for the best of both of us. You need to accept it and move on."
She glared at him for a moment, sipping at her tea. The disapproval was written all over her face. "So who is this new woman of yours then?"
"I'm going to go and shower." He said, his chair scraping across the tiled floor as he quickly got to his feet. He wasn't in the mood to have this conversation with is mother, although he somehow doubted he ever would be. There wasn't a chance in hell she was going to be happy for him, even if he knew he'd be a thousand times happier with Molly. She'd never allow herself to think for a moment anyone could be better than Rebecca- how many times had she told him Rebecca was the daughter she'd always wanted.
He chucked his bag down on the bed in his old bedroom. Nothing much had changed since he'd moved out all those years ago and he'd always found it weird going back there- it was like going back in time. It was almost suffocating, being in there surrounded by all the memories and he knew he wasn't going to be able to stay there long. The first thing to do was definitely going to be looking for somewhere to live.
He fished his phone out of his pocket, thinking he probably ought to put it on charge. As he plugged it in and the screen lit up he realised he had a text from Molly.
Hope you're having fun with your parents and they're not giving you too much grief. I'm having a bath and a glass of wine. It's not quite the Maldives but it'll do for now. Speak to you soon. M xx
He smiled to himself as he read it, his fingers hovering over the keys for a moment as he thought about what to say.
Not fair! Mum is still firmly team Rebecca. I'm hiding upstairs to escape the lecture. I should've come with you! C x
He stood there for a moment, watching the three little dots on his screen that indicated she was typing, holding his breath as he waited for her to answer. The little dots disappeared though and a message never came through. Whatever she'd been going to say, she seemed to have changed her mind. He lingered there for a second before laying his phone back on the bedside table and heading off to shower.
"Right, that's it." Molly shouted, walking through into the kitchen and glaring at her parents. "I'm fed up of listening to the two of you arguing."
Dave turned and glared back at her. "What are you doing here anyway? I don't remember inviting you."
Molly rolled her eyes. "Cheers for that Dad."
"I invited her. She's our daughter and we don't get to see her enough." Belinda cut in.
"And what you didn't think to ask me? This is my house!" Dave shot back.
"Oh here we go again!" Belinda answered him sarcastically. "Maybe I invited her here so I'd have some half decent company for a change."
"Why? You think she's better than us now she's got that fancy job and moved out?" Dave looked Molly up and down. "Because she might think she is but she ain't."
Molly watched as her Mum stared at him for a moment as though she was going to say something. "Just go to the pub Dave." She sighed in resignation. "Come on Molly, I thought we could go shopping or something. Your Nan said she'd pick the kids up."
"Come in Lane!" He shouted, hearing a knock on the door of his office. He was assuming it was her, this was the last thing on his list of things to do today before he could go home to no doubt listen to another of his mothers lectures.
"Sir." She smiled tightly, coming to stand in front of his desk.
"Have a seat Lane." He smiled kindly, gesturing to the chair she was standing beside. "I think you know why I wanted to see you?"
"You're putting my transfer through?" She offered, sitting down and looking at him rather uncomfortably.
He nodded. "Yes, I am. But I'm also recommending that you have some more time off before that, and that maybe you ought to go back to counselling."
"I-" She closed her mouth again, not knowing what to say.
"You came back too soon Georgie, it's okay to admit that." He said softly. "Just take some time, think about what it is you really want to do. If that's not staying in the army then that's okay to… Just make sure whatever it is you're happy with it."
She nodded. "Thank you, Sir."
"Okay, you're dismissed." He nodded. "Good luck with everything."
"Thank you." She mumbled, getting up to leave.
As she closed the door behind herself he slumped down in his chair with relief. He'd been dreading that conversation all day, convinced it could only go badly. The fact it was finally over and done with was a weight off his shoulders.
His phone lit up on his desk and he glanced over at it curiously, trying to ignore the excitement he felt when he realised the message was from Molly. It was sad really, when he thought about it, just how much he'd missed her in the few days they'd been separated.
Sorry, didn't mean to go AWOL on you. Had to go and visit my parents and I think I'd rather go back to bloody Bangladesh than do that again any time soon. How are things with you? M x
He smiled to himself, thinking of what to reply for a moment.
I've been working all day. Just had Lane in to finalise her transfer. I know what you mean about parents though, mine are driving me up the wall. C x
He watched for a moment as the three little dots came up on the screen, signalling that she was typing.
I'm going to be going home tonight. If you find yourself in Warminster I've got some beer in the fridge and we can moan together? M x
He was grinning as he typed his response.
I'd love that. See you tomorrow? C x
"What's that stupid grin on your face for?" Molly's Nan asked, flopping down beside her. "You got some new bloke on the go or something?"
Molly quickly locked her screen and shoved her phone back in her pocket as her Nan peered back over her shoulder. "Just one of the lads from work, checking up on how my R&R was going." She brushed her off quickly.
"You didn't answer my question." Her Nan pointed out quickly. "What's the matter? You got some fancy new bloke to go with your fancy new job and you're worried he's going to get scared off if he meets us all?"
Molly rolled her eyes at her Nan. "He'd have to actually exist in the first place for you to be able to scare him off Nan. Where do you think I'd get the time to find myself a fancy new bloke? I've been home for two weeks in the last six months."
"I thought maybe you were just avoiding us and that's why you kept saying you were away." Nan said quietly.
Molly shook her head. "Nope, I'd got plans to have a holiday actually and then yet again something came up and those plans went out of the window."
"You should've said. I could've gone instead of you." Nan joked.
Molly laughed. "I'll keep that in mind for next time."
"You're happy though? With what you're doing and all that?" Nan asked almost reluctantly. It was probably the closest any member of her family had ever come to acknowledging quite how dangerous her job was and Molly wasn't sure it was a conversation she actually wanted to get in to.
"I love it Nan." She smiled. "Don't you start worrying about me."
"To be honest I've got my hands full worrying about your mother and that bloody father of yours. Second thoughts, maybe you're right to steer clear of men. They're always more hassle than they're bloody worth."
Molly laughed for a moment, then her face turned serious. "You sure you're going to be alright with them two?" She asked quietly, nodding her head in the direction of the kitchen where she could still hear her Mum and Dad shouting at each other.
Nan nodded. "You going to go in there and kick him into shape or something? Now I'd pay to see that."
Molly laughed. "Don't bloody tempt me. He wouldn't know what had hit him."
"You'd be doing us all a favour." Nan sighed.
She'd barely been home half an hour when Charles rang the doorbell. She looked around her living room in horror at the mess she still hadn't cleaned up. The traffic on the drive back had been horrific and as a result her intentions of tidying the place up before he got there had gone out of the window. All things considered it probably wasn't too bad, she had at least picked the huge pile of ironing that had been sitting in the corner up and taken it upstairs. It was going to have to do.
"Hi." He grinned as she opened the door, taking in her rather flustered appearance. "Is everything okay?"
She nodded quickly. "Sorry, come in. It's a bit of a state in here. I've not been home long. The M25 was a nightmare."
"You should've said, I would've left later." He looked at her apologetically as he stepped inside.
She shook her head. "Nah, it's fine. We're going to have to order a takeaway though because I haven't actually got any food in the house."
He laughed, kicking his shoes off. "I think that sounds like a great idea. How are you enjoying being back home?"
She shrugged, walking through into the living room. "You know what it's like, never quite sure what to do with myself to be honest."
He nodded. "Nice to be back with family though?"
She averted her eyes for a moment. "They're all still in London actually." She mumbled. "I don't really see a lot of them." She didn't add that she really preferred it that way. A few days spent with Dave had been more than enough to remind her why she'd been so keen to get out of their in the first place.
Charles looked lost for a second. "Well, I was glad to get away for a night. Mum has been relentless since I set foot in the house."
Molly allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief as the subject changed. She was much more comfortable when she wasn't talking about herself. "She's still on Rebecca's side then?"
He nodded with something of a grimace. "I keep trying to tell her that there aren't really any sides to take. I mean we both agreed a divorce was what we wanted? But she's determined I have to be in the wrong."
"She must have really, really liked Rebecca." Molly asked, sitting down on the end of the sofa.
He nodded, sitting down beside her. "I swear I wouldn't even be surprised if she moved Rebecca in with them and stuck me out on the street." He grumbled.
Molly laughed quietly. "Yeah well, I'm sure someone will save you from a night out in the street if she does decide to do that."
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that an invitation?" He winked.
She shook her head. "Have you seen the state of this place? I haven't even got a bed for God's sake. I'm not in a fit state for guests." She'd forgotten quite how bare the house was until she'd stepped back through the front door.
He glanced around, realising that she was right although he hadn't paid much attention to it before. The walls were all completely bare, there was the one sofa that they were sitting on, a tv sitting on the floor in front of them unplugged and piles of boxes in the corner.
"You've not lived here long I take it?" He asked, turning back to her.
She pulled a face. "Well, technically I've lived her six months. I've actually been here for maybe two weeks of that? I was supposed to go and buy like actual furniture and things before I get deployed last time and I just never got round to it. I probably should've warned you about that before I invited you. Sorry."
He shook his head. "It's fine, really. So that's how you'll be spending your time off then? Decorating and choosing furniture?"
She looked at him for a moment, if she was honest she hadn't really thought about it. "Yeah, I guess I will." She muttered.
"Well if you need any help you'll have to let me know. I'm excellent at building furniture." He grinned.
"Really?"
"No." He laughed. "But I'll give it a good go anyway if you do need some help." He daren't tell her about the table he'd put together when he lived with Rebecca that he'd spent the best part of two years trying to get to stay level.
"I'll keep that in mind." She smiled. "Come on then, let's order some food and you can fill me in on what happened with Lane? I'm starving!"