Unexpected consequences…
September 6th 2018
Charles
D day today, I have been waiting nearly three weeks for this meeting with Beck, first of all he's on leave, then away on some bloody junket or other and the more that time goes on the more unsure I get. I actually don't have a clue what I am going to say, doesn't matter how many times I rehearse it with Molly, it doesn't get any better, I am pretty sure I am going to have to resign my commission, either that or face disciplinary, because whichever way you look at it I broke one of the regulations that is looked on as practically one of the ten commandments, there is no way they are going to let me off without throwing the book at me. I know Molly is really worried about me, feels that it is very unfair that I am the one to carry the can for something we are both responsible for and wanted me to put off telling Beck until she could give her side of it, but it wouldn't make any difference what lurid fairy tale she conjured up, she is such a shit liar that no-one would believe it anyway, and I will still be held responsible for my own actions as is only right, I am supposed, as an officer, to have honour and integrity. That little gem got me a bollocking from Mol who told me not to be such a pompous prick, and that while loads of integrity was lovely, she pronounces it just like I do these days, it wasn't going to buy any nappies and to forget what my mum has always told me, bare-faced lying was always a good option and, if necessary, I had her permission to describe her as an out and out trollop! I do love her!
We have spent a lot of time talking about what I can do next because there is no way I am going to stay in, if, as is all too likely, I am stripped of my rank, so I will probably ask to join the reserves, I don't even know if they can stop me doing that, while I become a civilian something or other, haven't got a clue what, but something will turn up,…. I hope.
Beck
I have been trying to avoid this meeting with James because I have a pretty fair idea of what it is about and It is going to require very careful handling, I do not want him to admit to anything that I can't ignore so I will have to tread very carefully with the questions I ask, I just bloody hope he doesn't come in here and do a whole lot of breast beating confession shit!
I had a fair idea of how the land lay between James and Dawes way back when we were all in Afghan, I couldn't be the only one who noticed there was a huge amount of chemistry between them, something about the way they avoided looking at each other but you could literally feel the buzz between them when they were in the same place. I don't think anything untoward went on, but I could be wrong and if there was anything then they were very discreet about it and I didn't have to deal with it, although Dawes was distraught when James was injured and there was something far more personal than professional about her After Action Report. I presume that, like most of these things if there was a thing and I'm pretty sure there was, they drifted apart when they returned to real life in the U.K., him to rehab for his injuries and she off on other tours. Apart from anything else she is pretty young, a lot younger than him, but she's a fantastic medic and a Military Cross holder which he wrote her up for, so the fall-out would be a fucking PR nightmare if disciplinary had to be taken even this long after the event, can you imagine what the bloody tabloids would make of it? the Daily Mail would have a field day. I can see the headlines now, "Captain and Medic in Military Cross Scandal", it makes my blood run cold to think of it and we couldn't name him without her identity coming out and he is a superb officer so there's nothing to gain by anyone anywhere.
I would swear on whatever holy book you care to mention that there was nothing going on between them when they deployed to Turkey, I saw the look of horror on her face when she saw who the replacement Major was and his voice and whole demeanour dripped ice. When that changed I don't know, maybe it was unfinished business, but I'm pretty bloody sure it did change although I haven't heard a single snippet of gossip about them. All I know is that she went home pregnant in early spring, of course it could have been someone else entirely that she got involved with, but somehow I doubt it!
He was obviously on edge when we started our meeting, very formal and not a bit relaxed, not the Charles James I know, and I was completely right about why he wanted to see me. He and Dawes are living together so as soon as he told me that I jumped in with congratulations and said how happy I was for them. He looked totally taken aback, it obviously wasn't what he expected, so I asked what Dawes was up to these days, said I hadn't heard anything about her for a while and I pretended to have convenient amnesia about her departure from Turkey, and as soon as he said she was pregnant I jumped in with "How lovely, I presume congratulations are in order again?" and very carefully didn't ask when the baby was due but asked him instead whether she was thinking of leaving the army because she had been in more than the four years so she could leave now if she wanted to, was that what she was intending to do?. One thing I wanted to make sure of was that he wasn't given any chance to elaborate on anything that would force me to look at the whole thing differently. I ended by asking him to give her my regards and I said I hoped that all went well with the baby and were they thinking of getting married? Then apparently laughing at my own question I said that it was none of my business so to ignore me. I laughed again and dismissed him and he tottered out looking completely shell-shocked and I breathed a bloody great sigh of relief. I talked it over with Maggie last night as I am not necessarily known for my sensitivity towards touchy-feely things, or so Maggie says, I think she's wrong, but she said that they must have felt it was worth it and that she'd never forgive me if I made a big deal out of it if I didn't have to. I haven't mentioned it to anyone else, the only way to keep something secret is not to tell anyone!
Charles
He knew, I swear the bugger knew. I have just spent 15 minutes with him and I said all of 7 words and 2 of them were hello and goodbye. It was as if he didn't want me to say anything at all. I don't actually give a fuck why that happened, I just can't believe that it's over, the relief actually made me light headed for a bit, I was so sure that we were going to be in the deepest possible shit, well I was anyway, that I hadn't considered how I would feel if Lady Luck called again. I don't know whether to phone Molly or just go home, but as I'm not on duty today I think I will buy her the biggest bunch of flowers I can find and go home for a hug! That little house has become home so quickly, it's because it's where Molly is! I used to feel the same in that med tent in Afghan, and that was one of the things I missed so much when it all went to shit, the feeling that there was a place where she was that I could go to so that I could feel better about everything. I know Molly says that I make her feel safe, well she does the same for me, the feeling that there is someone who will always be on my side, whatever happens.
She is asleep on the sofa so I am creeping about, I don't want to wake her up because she is not sleeping very well at night, it is still a bit hot and she is uncomfortable a lot of the time. We have the most incredible physical relationship. I remember her telling me once in Afghan that she didn't know how she was keeping her hands off me, well that has been something we have both found impossible to do since we got together, baby or no baby, and I have missed the closeness of sleeping entwined with her over the last week or so. I am used to sleeping apart from her when I am on exercises or a duty weekend, but that is different to sleeping apart but in the same bed. Not that I have been 'deprived' in any way, Molly can drive me insane with her hands and lips and mouth. The first time she ever made love to me that way she told me afterwards, when I had been laying there totally spent and completely euphoric from the intense explosion of pleasure she had created, that she had never done that with anyone before, that she had never wanted to, and I felt as if I had won some major prize and to be honest, I still feel that way when it happens, but she won't let me make love to her that way, says she feels fat and lumpy and slow and uncomfortable and regardless of what I say, not in the least bit sexy. I wish she could see herself the way I see her.
Molly and Charles
"Oh,shit, they've fired you! Can they do that, don't you have a right to appeal or something?"
This has got to be the day that he finally regrets ever clapping eyes on me! He has changed into his civvies and he's dozing in the chair and I know this has to be the worst possible news because he promised to ring as soon as he got out from seeing Beck and he didn't ring, just came straight home, and I haven't heard him so he must have been creeping around putting off the moment when he has to tell me. Oh shit, what the fuck am I going to say? Nothing is going to make him feel better this time.
"Oh no, no, no ,no, no, Oh God I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you, just couldn't wait to come home and hug you. It's all going to be fine, I think someone kidnapped Beck and put a clone in his place, he was very weird. I swear he knew what I wanted to tell him but he wouldn't let me say anything, I was in and out of there in a blink of a bloody wotsit, Oh and by the way, he sent you his best wishes for the baby and asked me when we were getting married!"
"What? This is Beck we're talking about? Lieutenant Colonel Beck? Old I don't follow the rules, I make them, Beck?"
"Yep, either a clone of him or he's had a personality transplant, actually I don't care which, all I care about is that it means we're off the hook and can go and celebrate "
"What do you want to do?" Molly paused and smirked at him "And not that!"
"Well, I thought we could go for a walk to the pub or somewhere, so that every bloke we see can look at us and get really jealous of me"
Authors notes: The solution to their problem came to me as I read the paper the other day, (yes, I obviously read highbrow broadsheets, not!) and really noticed how much scandal and outrage is printed and how much the 'establishment' would probably prefer it to disappear. Hope it works for you, please let me know, as I am very anxious to know. Thanks for your reviews, they make it worth writing for,
