Hi all, sorry it's taken a while to update this! I wish I had an exciting excuse for why but I just got distracted by life.

A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed and followed this story.

After the last chapter, a few people asked what 'short sheeting a bed' was….Basically it's an old prank where you fold the sheets so it all looks normal but when someone tries to get in it, they can't get their legs to the bottom of the of the bed because the folded part of the sheet will be in the way.

Anyway, please keep reading and reviewing!

Enjoy!

A Different Mission

Molly exited the med tent, on the hunt for a cup of tea but come to a stop suddenly when she saw Captain James talking with Kinders and Azizi. Her brain screamed at her to turn around and go back into the tent before he saw her but her feet didn't move. Then it was too late, he looked up and his eye locked with hers for what seemed like minutes but was probably only seconds until his attention was pulled back to the conversation he was having.

He said something to the other two men who then nodded and walked away. He watched them go and when he turned back around he was surprised she was still stood there.

He took a couple of steps in her direction. "You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She shrugged and started to move past him. "Just going to get a cuppa…"

"Right…" He sighed, lifting a hand to rub his eyes before moving around to the back of his neck, his fingers kneading the muscles.

Molly slowed her steps and looked at him closely. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine…"

"Boss?"

"Just a headache…" He gave her a small smile "It's nothing…go get your tea…"

Molly wanted to carry on walking and let him sort his own headache out…He was a grown man and a captain after all…

"Come on…" She turned and walked back towards the med tent. "I've got some painkillers…"

"Dawes, its fine…"

"You're probably dehydrated…It's hotter today than it has been…" She ignored him and kept walking.

Charles hesitated; he wasn't sure if them being alone was a good idea right now but then he reasoned that they had to talk about all this at some point. Plus, with everything going on, his headache was making it even harder to concentrate.

He entered the tent and watched her for a moment, looking through a draw, her back to him.

"I bet everyone thought we would be tucked up safely at camp until we were due home…" He tried small talk but it just felt awkward.

She turned back to him and held out a bottle of water and 2 ibuprofen tablets. "Make sure you drink all the water and have something to eat too…The ibuprofen should help if your neck is hurting…"

"I'm probably just a bit tense….What with everything…" He started but then trailed off.

Molly didn't reply, instead stepped away from him and leaned up against the gurney with her arms folded and looking anywhere but at him.

He sighed as he put the water and tablets down on a trolley. "I have a son…He's a part of my life…"

Molly stayed silent and still refused to turn back to look at him.

"I didn't not tell you about him…I just didn't tell you…"

She shot him a confused look. "You what?"

"I mean, I wasn't trying to keep it a secret…I just don't talk about him a lot when I'm on tour and it never come up." He tried to explain.

"Why don't you talk about him?" She questioned. "Don't most parents like to boast about their kids at every opportunity?"

"Yeah but I'm not a normal parent, am I?" He sighed. "While all the other Dads' are at home, helping their kids with their homework, tucking them into bed and making sure they get to school on time….I'm here."

Molly looked across at him in surprise. It was the first time she heard him come close to complaining about being on tour.

"Yeah, well…you're making sure other kids get the chance to go to school, ain't ya…And helping keep them safe…" Molly replied "…at least you have a good reason…Even though my Dad was around, he never help with that stuff."

He took a few steps closer and sat on the gurney beside her. "I have trouble talking about him when I'm here…It's not because I'm not proud or I don't love him…but he makes me conflicted… All I ever wanted was to be in the Army….There was never another job I was interested in…Until I become a Dad…I want this life…the army life, living out of a Burgan but I also want to be there for him."

"It must be hard being away from him…" She folded her arms across her chest in an attempt to stop herself for reaching for his hand.

"I know you think I'm harsh and uncaring when it comes to kids like Bashira…but God, Molly…it's so hard not to look at them and think of him …If I got involved I wouldn't be able to do my job properly and doing what we were sent here to do is the best thing."

"I know…" She lifted a hand to push some loose hair that had fallen out of her plait away from her face. "I messed everything up with Bashira…"

He turned slightly so he was facing her and shook his head. "I didn't mean that….It's just, you look at some of these kids and you can't help compare them to the kids back home… But Bashira was different…She needed help and she needed to be kept safe...there are millions of kids like her…Here, in the UK and all over the world…because of you, we were able to help one and you reminded me that just because we can't help them all, it doesn't mean we shouldn't try…"

"Really?"

"Yes, you should be proud of yourself, Molly..." He told her sincerely. "I know I am…"

"Thank you, Boss…"

A small smile played on his lips and he suddenly realized that his headache had disappeared. He was desperate to reach out and take her in his arms and confess all his feeling but there was a nagging voice in his head reminding him, he was still her Captain, they were still on tour and were facing a pretty big mission.

He cleared his throat and took a small step back. "His name is Sam..."

"What?"

"My son, his name is Sam and his six…He's pretty amazing…"

"I know…" She replied. "Your mate told me."

"Elvis?" Charles frowned a little in concerned. "What else did he tell you?"

Molly smirked; debating with herself if she should wind him up but then decided to take pity on him.

"Just that his name is Sam and he is a great kid." She told him. "He also reminded me that I haven't actually told you all about my past either…"

"Yeah but you were never married…" He started and then looked at her. "Were you?"

"No but I came close once…" She admitted.

"What happened?"

"I realized what a complete asshole he was…" She shrugged. "Best thing I never done was marrying him."

"Might be hypocritical of me to say but I'm glad you didn't."

"So what happened with your wife?" Molly questioned.

"What? You didn't ask Elvis?"

"I did…He wouldn't tell me." Molly shrugged, watching him closely as he ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "You don't have to tell me…"

"No, it's just…. We met at University and were together a few years…Everyone around kept asking when we were getting married and I was heading off on my first tour… It just seemed like the right thing to do…" He told her. "Things were great for the first few years, even when I was away…she had her career and her friends…"

"What changed?"

"Sam…" He gave her a small sad smile. "Don't get me wrong...He's my absolute world...and Rebecca's too….but I guess, it was harder being at home alone when she wasn't working or going out for cocktails with her friends…I guess, she got sick of being on her own."

"She met someone else?" Molly's eyes widened slightly.

"She said nothing happened until after we had split but…" He shrugged. "I don't know... she lives with him now…It happened all very quickly after we broke up."

"You don't sound very angry about it." Molly observed.

"I was at the time… I was in a pretty bad place for a while but then I realized I needed to move on…If not for my sake but for Sam's." He told her. "After I returned from my second tour, I knew she was unhappy…We hadn't seen each other for months…We should have been happy to be together again but all we did was argue…Then I went on my third tour and everything went wrong."

"Smurf's brother?"

He gave a small nod. "I never lost someone under my command before…I couldn't get my head around what happened and then I get home and everything was a mess there too…"

"It must have been hard…"

"It was…at the time, I felt like everything was spinning out of control…" He answered. "But after, once Rebecca and I sat down and truly told each other how we felt, it was like instant relief…I wasn't pleased that my marriage had broken down but neither of us was happy in it."

"So, that's it?" Molly questioned. "You both decided to go your separate ways?"

"It's not quite that simple…There's more to the story but none of that really matters at the moment." He told her.

"What does matter?"

"That you know Rebecca and I are completely over and have been for a long time."

"Will you tell me the whole story?"

"Yes." He promised, squeezing her hand. "But not now…Not here."

"Right…we're waiting out."

"Won't be long now." He said softly.

"Just got to get this mission over and done with…"

"Ah….About the mission…"

"What? You said I could go….The Major hasn't changed his mind has he?"

"Not quite…" Charles sighed. "But…"

"But what?"

"He might have a point."

"What?"

"This could all be a setup, Dawes." He told her. "They could be waiting for you."

"Boss, I can't let my section go without me." She insisted. "This is all because of me…If they're going to be in danger then I'm not going to be sat back here."

"Molly…"

"You don't think I should go, do you?" Her shoulders slumped a little; knowing if both he and the Major thought she should stay behind then there was little chance of her going.

"I'm torn." He admitted. "There's the CO in me that knows what Major Beck said is right and it's too much of a risk…there's the man who's watched you grow into this amazing medic…who knows you can be brilliant and will not let anything stand in your way….and then there's…"

"And then there's what?" She asked, quietly taking a step closer to him.

"And then there's the man who completely and utterly adores you." He whispered, one hand reaching up to cup her cheek. "I know it probably sounds patronizing or something but I wouldn't be able to let you out of my sight…I would protect you at all cost…I would stand in front of a thousand bullets before I let anything hurt you…."

Molly swallowed the lump that had rose in her throat…She knew she should be telling him that she could take care of herself and didn't need anyone protecting her but she had never had someone make her feel so safe before. She closed her eyes when she felt him lean in closer, resting his forehead against hers.

"And you can't be looking after just me when you have the others to look after too…" She whispered.

"I need to get you back on that plane safe and in one piece."

She opened her eyes again and found his, staring down at her. "You adore me?"

"I promised to adore you forever, remember?"

"Forever is a long time…" She said, as he leaned in even closer, his lips hovering just above hers.

"Yeah…" He agreed his eyes darted down to her lips once before back to her eyes. "But I'm still not sure if forever is long enough…"

Before Molly could reply, she felt his lips on hers and her eyes automatically closed. She stepped even closer to him and her arms were moving up around his neck when they heard a noise just outside the tent.

"Yes, major…I'm sure I saw Captain James go into the med tent…" Elvis said loudly.

They jumped apart quickly and Molly turned her back to the entrance, knowing she wouldn't be able to face anyone without giving away something.

"For fuck sake, Elvis!" Charles glared at his friend when he saw he was alone and grinning widely.

"Figured you'd rather it would be me walking in on you…" Elvis shrugged, tossing the football he held backwards and forwards between his hands. "I'm guessing by the guilty looks you two have sorted somethings out?"

Charles and Molly just glanced at each other before looking back at him silently.

"Anyway, we have two hours until the mission briefing and Beck is actually in a meeting with the higher ups…My sources say he'll be gone for about an hour…" Elvis continued, not needing an answer. "So, you know what that means don't you?"

"I do?" Charles questioned, running a hand through his hair and willed his heart rate to slow down.

"We got time for a quick game of rug-ball." Elvis threw the ball at him.

"What the hell is rug-ball?" Molly looked between the two of them.

"When we were in the same section, we could never agree what to play…Elvis always chose football and me rugby…" Charles started to explain. "So, we compromised and invented a game that was a mixture of the two."

"Okay…So, what are the rules?"

"That's the best bit." Elvis said, excitedly. "There aren't any really…"

"This is also why Major Beck has banned us from ever playing it again while on tour…" Charles added.

"Oh come on…" Elvis whined. "We'll be done before he is out of his meeting and it'll be good for the lads…Give us chance to all bond before the mission."

"I don't know…"

"I'll tell Sam his Dad wussed out…" Elvis threatened and barely managed to catch the football before it hit his face.

"Fine, go get everyone together."

"You have two minutes before I send in the lads to drag you out…" He called back as he made his way out of the tent.

Charles waited until he was out of sight before turning back to Molly. "Sorry about him…"

"No, I like seeing you around him…" Molly admitted. "I dunno it makes you seem more human or something…"

"More Human?" Charles repeated, reaching out and threading his fingers through hers.

"Yeah, I don't know…I'm probably not explaining it right but when you're a squaddie like me…you forget that Captains, Majors and all are normal to, you know?" She shrugged. "Makes the idea of us having a life outside of Afghan more believable…"

"Well, then I'm glad he's here too then…"

"When we're out of here…I'm going to get Elvis drunk so he'll tell me the story about why you two aren't allowed to work together anymore…"

"And what makes you think there's only one…"

"Oh, I'm definitely doing it then…"

"No chance." He laughed, shaking his head.

Molly couldn't help but laugh too and was about to move closer to him when they heard excitement building outside.

"We better get out there." He said softly.

"Yeah…" She agreed but when he turned to walk away, she held on tighter to his hand. "Wait..."

"You okay?"

"If I'm not going on this mission then I need you to promise me something…"

"Don't worry; I'll look after the lads…" He assured her.

"No, not that…I know you'll do that…" She cut in. "Promise me you'll be safe… promise me that you won't do anything stupid…Promise me, you'll come back to me."

He reached out and used his thumb to brush away a tear that rolled down her cheek.

"It'll be okay…" He told her before placing a soft, gentle kiss on her forehead. "Come on; let's go…You can referee…"

"I'll be right out."

"Okay." He nodded, giving her another smile and squeezing her hand once more before letting go and heading out the tent.

Molly leant back against the gurney and took a couple of deep breaths. She was very aware that he hadn't done what she asked. He hadn't promised her that he would come back to her. She knew deep down that it would be crazy for him to make a promise like that and she knew he was a good captain, that he wouldn't take any unnecessary risks but it didn't help ease the fear she felt in the pit of her stomach.

TBC

So, just Molly and Charles with a little of Elvis thrown in.

Please review and let me know what you think.

Thank you.