A/N: Lots of people asked me to think about continuing this because they wanted to know about Kinders' problem with Molly and I've thought about continuing it a couple of times, then decided to go for it and update because I've found that the best way to get over a wobbly is to get stuck into something that is a lot of fun to write. I will carry on with it if people want me to, but will be finishing "You're My World" as well.

-OG-

"So, Dawsey, is there something you feel you should tell us, hmmm?" Fingers folded his arms and pulled a 'knowing' face as he nodded his head and raised his eyebrows towards Molly's flat stomach "Something you want to share with your mates, hmmmmm?"

"No, behave" Molly started giggling, she'd known that some of them, if not all of them, would jump to the wrong conclusion "No, there's nothing at all to tell"

"Well, in that case that's a nice way to treat your mates isn't it?"

"Sorry"

"Bloody think so, you was one of us, one of the lads, we took you to our bosoms and then what do you do? You up and marry the bleeding boss without saying a word to any of us, nothing, nothing at all to your mates, you never even took us out for a beer on your stag …. I mean your hen …. no, I mean your stag?" he paused and frowned, not sure of the right word to use to describe the celebrations which had never actually taken place "Whatever you want to call it you didn't invite us, did you? Never mind inviting us to your bloody wedding … I'm hurt, gutted me, no I'm cut to the quick, well, we all are, aren't we lads?" This was the cue for some very vigorous head nodding accompanied by a great deal of smirking.

"No you're not and I'm still one of you, you prannit, but I am sorry and I will take you out for a beer at the weekend, all of you" Molly hesitated as she caught sight of Derek Kinders making his way in their direction "Well most of you anyhow, just don't say anything to him though will you?"

"Oh, I don't know about that, you know, one for all and all for one and all that, it's very important, the Boss was always telling us that we were supposed to be a team and that we had to act like one. We had to look after each other all the time" Fingers was back to pulling 'arch' faces again as he did his absolute best to wind her up.

"Fine, but if you ask him I'm not coming so you'll have to buy your own beer"

"I always said that all that teamwork bollocks was bloody over-rated"

The gale of laughter as he approached them made Derek Kinders smart with humiliation, he had no evidence whatsoever to back up his conviction that he was the butt of their joke, that they were laughing at him, just a general feeling of exclusion which, as usual, he blamed on Molly. He had been standing with Major James and their current O.C., Captain Mitchell, and had been trying his best to feel and look as though he was included in their conversation, as though he was an integral part of it, and, as usual, he hadn't quite managed it, so he'd wandered over to join the lads, even though she was with them. He knew that Captain Mitchell didn't particularly like him, he had caught an expression of faint distaste on the officer's face on more than one occasion, but Mitchell was stuck with him and couldn't do anything about it as long as he kept his nose clean, but Captain, no he had to remember that he was a Major now, Major James on the other hand was a different kettle of fish completely.

Kinders had always believed that he had the Major's respect, even his friendship on occasion, and that there was a special bond between them, a bond that had formed when they'd served in Afghan together, well he'd believed in that bond until everything had gone tits up.

"What's the joke, what's so funny lads?"

"Nothing Corp, we were just saying about going for a drink" Fingers gave Molly a sly glance and noting the horrified expression on her face decided to stop teasing and put her out of her misery "We were wondering whether to move onto a club, perhaps that same club as we went to last year, you know, that Northern Soul place that we all went to, you remember?" Even though Fingers had been virtually paralytic the previous year so that he knew very little about it he knew fine well that Kinders hadn't gone with them "The one with all the old birds in it? Oh no, that's right, I remember now, you bailed on us didn't you? Went off home early, it was the Boss and Dawsey and the rest of us that went, wasn't it?" Fingers was now thoroughly enjoying himself, he could see from Eggy's face that he wasn't sure whether he was being wound up or not "So, what do the rest of you reckon, Northern Soul? Dawsey, what do you think? Hey I've just thought, you're not Dawsey anymore are you, what are we supposed to call you now, Jamesy?"

"Dawsey will do and I'll have to ask my old man what he wants to do first"

Molly smirked at the collective groan from the group as she turned and looked at Charles who had just wandered over to join them in time to catch the gist of what was going on as he put his arm round her shoulders so that the two of them exchanged a fleeting private look and smile, remembering the year before. He'd been watching her out of the corner of his eye, waiting to see if she gave off any kind of 'help' or 'rescue me' signals but at the same time he'd been very reluctant to interfere in her time with her section family, well, that was until Kinders had joined the group. He hadn't forgotten the way the Corporal had looked at her and greeted her earlier that evening and on top of that he couldn't help being a bit concerned that maybe the lads might be upset with her for not telling them what had been going on. Not that she couldn't look after herself, she'd be the first person to give him hell if she thought he was trying to treat her like a 'little woman' but he couldn't help it, his instinct was always going to be to protect her, to do everything humanly possible to make sure that she was alright, to keep her safe …. and happy.

"Right, Northern Soul it is then lads and the first round's on me "

"I should think so too" Fingers was muttering as he emptied his glass for all the world as though he was talking to himself, although he was, in fact, playing to the gallery because, as usual, he was thoroughly enjoying being the centre of attention "First of all the Boss pushes off and leaves us behind, then, then, he bloody comes back and steals our medic, our Molls, I don't know what the world's coming to, I really don't" He looked across at Charles with fake look of remorse on his face "Oh sorry Boss, talking to myself there, bad habit of mine"

"Fingers?" Charles waited until Fingers was looking straight at him as the group waited for the punch line "Shut the fuck up Fingers" There was a loud chorus as everyone joined in with Charles as he issued his much loved and regularly used order, and then gales of laughter from the listeners so that Fingers tossed his head and pretended to be offended before he pursed his lips and started grumbling about how badly misunderstood he was, at the same time as doing his best to pin an appropriately deeply hurt expression on his face.

-OG-

"Was everything okay?"

"Yeah, I think they're happy for us really even if they did dish out a load of old bollocks about me owing them because of not inviting them to the wedding"

"Jesus, God forbid"

"That's not very nice" Molly began to giggle at the horrified expression on Charles' face and his matching tone of voice "I'm taking them out for a drink at the weekend" She nodded her head to indicate where Kinders was deep in conversation with Brains as the two of them propped up the bar "Not him though, not asking him"

"Maybe you should, you know, it might make your last few months here a bit easier"

"Nah, don't care what you think, I don't care what anyone thinks, I'm not asking him, okay?"

"Okay" He dropped a light kiss on the top of her head where it was held against him as they almost stood still and swayed in time to the music both remembering the evening a year ago when they'd done exactly the same thing. The difference was that this time last year they'd both been horribly aware that any form of relationship, any form of contact at all between them was absolutely strictly forbidden, not that that had actually many any difference at all to the way they'd felt or the way things had panned out, there had been an inevitability all along about the outcome, an inevitability that had been there ever since they'd been for an Indian meal together in east London "Shall we go in a minute?"

"Yeah, we can see if it's snowed and then we can walk back"

"Have you forgotten? You moaned every inch of the bloody way last year, kept complaining that your feet were cold, mind you, you were wearing those bloody silly shoes you couldn't walk in weren't you?"

"I could walk in them … just not very well" She giggled at the expression on his face "And it was you what was bloody moaning, not me. You said I was too heavy"

"I did not and I wasn't moaning, I loved every minute of it, couldn't you tell?"

"Nah" She took her arms from round his waist and took hold of his hand "Come on then, let's go and then you can show me how much you loved it, can't you?"

"I'm not carrying you home first, it nearly killed me last time"

"I thought you loved it? That's what you just said"

"I did love it, it still nearly killed me"

-OG-

"Feels like a year since I saw you"

"I know" she struggled out of his bear hug just enough to look up into his face "Missed me?"

"No, of course not" He pulled her back into his hug "What do you think?" He bent his head and kissed her, completely oblivious to all the people at Bath Spa station who were having to walk round them.

"I think we should go home, well home to your parents' anyway" She tucked her arm through his then noticed the almost imperceptible grimace that passed over his features "Please tell me you haven't had a fight with your mum over Christmas" she looked at his face "Oh shit you have, haven't you?"

"No I haven't, well not a fight exactly, just a small difference of opinion, it's nothing for you to worry about"

"Charles James, you really are the bleeding limit, she's bound to blame me isn't she?"

"Rubbish, you weren't even there"

"What the hell's that got to do with it?"

It seemed a lifetime since the platoon Christmas party in the Chinese and then the two of them dancing together in the club, not to mention spending the rest of the night in the Holiday Inn and Molly had just spent almost all of the train journey to Bath thinking about how sick she was of their constant separations and reunions. It was almost a year now since they'd first got together and although they were now married it hadn't actually made any difference at all, they still spent more time hundreds of miles apart than they did together.

Christmas had been pretty much a non-event for her, as it had been the year before at Laura's, yes, there had been all the forced jollity of Santa hats and crackers and carol singing and eating Christmas dinner in an almost deserted mess hall. Most of the garrison were on leave and there was very little for them to do apart from guard duty which was mostly checking in the drunks through the main gate then watching them stagger across the parade ground, interspersed with endless games of cards and the only medical emergencies she'd had to deal with had been the couple of cases of severe indigestion from too much Christmas pudding. She had missed him badly, the only highlights of her days had been the conversations she'd had with him at least every couple of hours and even the monosyllabic chat she'd had with Sam had seemed like a high spot when she compared it to the rest of her day.

"How long are we stopping?"

"About half an hour"

"Nah, seriously Charles, how long we staying here with your mum 'n dad?"

"I am being serious"

"Nah you're not, are we staying till New Year or what?"

"Christ, no, you're bloody joking" He gave her a horrified look "I thought we could take Sam home tomorrow morning and then push off home ourselves, that way we can spend more time on our own, I want you to myself"

"Is this cos you've fallen out with your mum?"

"No … I want to be at home with you, of course I do ….. well, okay, maybe just a little bit because she really does drive me nuts you know"

"She means well"

Charles threw his head back and roared with laughter "I've heard it all now, you'll be telling me next that our Derek is your new best friend and that the two of you are a match made in heaven"

"Thanks, thanks a bloody bunch, I was trying to forget all about him for a bit"

"Sorry"

"Well stop smirking then"