Straight to voice mail again. This was the fifth time he had rung in an hour and the fifth time he had left an almost identical message.

"Please Molly, pick up. I'm sorry, I never meant for any of that to happen and I really don't know what you're talking about, I've never lied to you"

Molly sat up in bed holding her mobile phone and banging it against the palm of her hand as she thought about what she wanted to do. She hadn't slept in over 36 hours and was light headed with exhaustion as well as struggling against the urge to give in and cry. She had had every intention of breaking off her friendship with him today, or at least she thought that that was what she'd intended doing, or she'd told herself she was prepared for him to break it off because his wife had found out or because he didn't want to be a lying cheating scumbag to her any more, but not like this, this felt all wrong, it was so unfair. He'd got on his high horse and accused her of being a slut, of sleeping with Smurf. For fuck's sake he was mad at her for something she hadn't done while he was denying doing something she knew for a fact that he had done. She wasn't sure whether she was upset or mostly just flaming furious with him.

Her phone rang again and this time she angrily swiped the symbol on the screen.

"WHAT?"

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, please let me come and talk to you"

"Leave me alone, I don't wanna talk to you and stop bloody ringing me, I'm tired, I haven't been to bed for two days and I just wanna go to sleep"

"Tell me which flat it is and then I can drive up later when you've had some sleep and we can talk"

"Oh for fuck's sake if I give you the number will you stop ringing me and let me get some kip"

"Yes"

"There's no point in you coming cos I don't have anything to say to you, but please yourself, its number 26. Now will you please sod off and let me go to bed"

"Yes, sorry, I know you don't want to talk to me, but I've got things I need to say to you"

He hadn't been given the all-clear from the doctors to drive and this would be the third time in four days he had driven longish distances and Bath to Epsom was a fair old hike. He hoped he wasn't going to pay the price with damage to his recovery but it was a Bank Holiday and there were no proper train services and he reasoned that if he could risk his leg to go on a booze up, which had turned out to be a fucking disaster, he would certainly risk it for this. Then he had a brainwave, his mother's automatic.

"Mum, can I borrow your car please?"

"Of course you can, how long are you going to be out?"

"Not sure, I'll let you know, okay? And if it gets very late I'll find a Travelodge somewhere"

He wasn't sure what time he should show up at Molly's they hadn't actually agreed anything and he didn't want to wake her, it was probably going to be difficult enough to get her back on-side without starting off on completely the wrong foot, although there was a little glimmer of hope in the fact that if she'd really meant that she didn't want to talk to him ever again, she would have just switched her phone off. It would take about two and a half hours to drive there, so he reckoned on giving himself three to allow for breaks to stretch his leg and aimed to get there around six. To say he was nervous would be an understatement.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" He'd had a sinking feeling in his stomach when she'd finally answered the door because she was wearing pyjamas and a dressing gown and her hair was a tangled mass of curls instead of her usual sleek locks. She had obviously just got out of bed and he couldn't help noticing how sexy she looked, all rumpled and sleepy, and just how much he'd missed her and how much he wanted to hug her hello, then tried hard to think about something else, something less inappropriate.

"What's the time?"

"Around 6"

"Nah, time I got up anyway or I won't sleep tonight. Come in and make yourself a tea or something, there's some coffee there but it's probably bloody disgusting, it's Suzie's but she won't mind" she lied "I'm gonna get dressed"

"Can I make you one?"

"Please, I'll have tea"

She desperately needed to get away from him because her first instinct had been to put her arms round him and hug him as hard as she could, she had missed him so much and although she was still furious with him, this morning's little drama didn't seem to have changed anything, her butterflies had gone into orbit as soon as she'd seen him. She needed to shower and get dressed and brush her teeth and her hair, maybe even put some make-up on, she was at a distinct disadvantage just out of bed, all bare faced and crumpled, very different to the way she'd looked and felt last Thursday.

The coffee was disgusting but he drank it anyway, his mouth was dry and it gave him something to do while he waited for her, he had called her to tell her that her tea was ready but she hadn't appeared to drink it and it was now almost cold. The room was standard modern rental, without any character and with no personal stuff, no photos or anything on display and no outward signs of it being Christmas, just some Christmas cards dotted about and it wasn't spectacularly warm to someone who was used to open fires in the main living room. The overhead light was harsh, so he switched it off and turned the table lamp on instead. He was just contemplating making her a fresh cup of tea when she reappeared, looking very beautiful and very tiny in bare feet, accentuating the height difference between them. Dressed and wide awake with her hair in a messy top knot, she didn't comment on the lamp but turned the heating up and went into the kitchen, opened the fridge and poured herself some wine, it looked to him to be about half a bottle, into a huge wine glass, then waved the bottle vaguely in his direction as an invitation.

"No thanks, I'm driving my mum's car so I've got to be careful"

"Probably best, it ain't the best wine in the world"

She shrugged and went and sat on the chair that was furthest away from where he was sitting on the sofa, tucking her feet underneath her and sipping her wine, he had the feeling that she was using it as some sort of prop to give her something to do with her hands; her green eyes were huge in the soft light and were fixed on him in a way that made it very difficult for him to think straight. He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees and looked at her as she started to speak.

"Well, what was it you wanted to say?"

"You know I'm sorry don't you? I'm really sorry, Molly"

"What for, accusing me of being a slut or telling me lies?"

"I never said you were a slut"

"Okay, a slapper then" She looked at him as he muttered "no" and shook his head "Well what else would you call someone who's sleeping with one bloke and goes out for lunch and kisses another one?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what to think, and I was jealous"

"Yeah, and it's not the first time is it?"

"No it's not, but I've never lied to you, not once"

"Well you've been fucking economical with the truth haven't you? You've never mentioned your wife once, so has she just, you know, slipped your mind or something? And where the fuck does she think you are tonight?"

"Wife? What wife? I haven't got a wife" his face was shocked and totally puzzled "I've got an ex-wife, but we've been divorced for years now, so what does she have to do with anything?"

"Rebecca's your ex-wife? You're divorced?" Shit, Molly knew that this had the solid ring of truth, he wasn't lying, she'd got it all wrong but for once it wasn't her fault. Rebecca was definitely on his medical records as NoK and he hadn't mentioned being divorced when they'd covered their respective families during their marathon night of chat at Bastion, so what the hell was she supposed to think?

"Yup, how do you know her name and whatever made you think she was still my wife?"

"Cos it says she is on your medical records"

"Shit, does it? Well, she's not, not anymore, hasn't been for over three years, I'll have to get it changed. Why didn't you say something?"

"Why didn't you say something when we was talking about our families, you know, when we was having a chat at Bastion?"

"I wish I bloody had now. I'm not exactly proud of it Molly, you know, what happened with Rebecca, I'd made a huge mess of things and I didn't know how important you were going to be to me then, did I?"

"Am I important to you then?"

"You bloody know you are. Was this ever since Afghan? Was that why you didn't e-mail me?"

"Yeah. What did you think?"

"I didn't know, at first I thought that I'd got it all wrong, that you saw me as just another patient, and then last week I thought it was because of Smurf. What is the deal with Smurf?"

"I dunno, he's been like this since we was at Bastion, keeps saying he loves me and I keep telling him that it ain't gonna happen, that even if he was the last bloke on the planet and he had a face and personality transplant, mates is all we're ever gonna be and if that ain't enough for him, then nothing is what we'll be. But I didn't know he was telling everyone that we was at it, I'm gonna have to sort him out"

"Do you want me to do it? I am his boss" He decided that it wasn't a good idea to tell her that Smurf was busy convincing anyone who'd listen that marriage was on the cards.

"No I bloody don't" She raised her eyebrows at him, adding "thanks" as an afterthought.

He got off the sofa and walked over and took the wine glass out of her hand and swigged a couple of mouthfuls, shuddered, then put the glass on the table and pulled her gently to her feet, keeping hold of her hands as she stood in front of him.

"God you're right, that's rough. What the hell is it?"

"I dunno, It's not mine, its Suzie's"

"Where is Suzie?"

"She's gone home for a few days for Christmas"

"Do you always help yourself to your flatmate's stuff when she's not here?" He started laughing.

"She won't mind" Molly lied "It was an emergency and I'll buy her some more" She giggled "I might try and find her some that doesn't taste like you'd use it to clean the drains though" As she said it, she was aware that she had been drinking it on an empty stomach, she hadn't eaten anything since a slice of toast at breakfast time, and that suddenly she couldn't seem to stop smiling and wanting to giggle. He started to run his hands gently up and down the outsides of her arms, leaving a trail of gooseflesh as he caught his teeth on his bottom lip and smiled into her eyes.

"So, all this time you thought I was some sort of creep who was trying to get into your knickers when I'd got a wife waiting at home"

"Well, yeah, sounds a bit awful when you put it like that," she started giggling then caught her bottom lip with her teeth "Yeah, I suppose that is what I thought, sort of. Sorry"

"Lovely"

Molly was now getting desperate for him to close the gap that was still between them and to kiss her. His hands were making her shiver, her butterflies were rampant and she couldn't wait for a repeat of the sensations that she'd experienced last week at the station, only this time she was pretty sure that there was a good chance of the promise being fulfilled, or at least she hoped so.

"Are you going to kiss me, or what?"

"Depends what the 'or what' is"

"You can get in your mum's car and drive home"

"I can't, I've been drinking"

"You've had two mouthfuls" She giggled "And you can always walk"

"I can't, it's too far to walk and I'm an invalid"

"The exercise will be good for you"

"Oi, stop being cruel, you're supposed to be a nurse, all kind and caring and anyway, it's cold out there and I think it's raining"

"Not in your mum's car it isn't"

He moved his hands down to her wrists and pulled her arms up round his neck, moving her closer to him until they were almost touching. This time he was the one to shiver as she entwined her fingers in the curls at the back of his neck.

"Will you please stop messing and kiss me"

"I like teasing you, I'm enjoying it"

"You won't in a minute"

His breath was warm on her cheek as he whispered "I'd better kiss you then, hadn't I?"

Author's notes: Hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It will move on a bit in the next chapter as there is a fair way to go yet.

Thank you for all your lovely reviews, they make such a difference.