Thank you all for your reviews throughout this fic. I have enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it. A big thank you to Viva and Dee for all your help, and to LSpuppy for spurring me on. You guys are the absolute best.

"Do you love him?"

Elsie whirled around to find Charles leaning against the windowsill, half hidden by the Bougainvillea that was growing there.

"I beg your pardon?"

He stepped out from behind the bush, dusted off his trousers and walked towards her until they were almost toe to toe

"I asked you if you love him." He repeated softly, cocking his head and watching her. There was no point in claiming she had no idea who he was talking about, he had watched them dance, probably seen them leave the room together. There was no telling what conclusions the man had jumped to. She wondered briefly why she even cared about his conclusions.

"I don't see that it has anything to do with you." Elsie snapped. She refused to take a step back from him, even though he was invading her personal space. Eventually he took a step back, and stuck his nose in the air, wearing the same haughty expression he wore when she first met him all those years ago.

"Well, I must confess to being confused."

"Really? How so?" She snipped. Why did he have to do this tonight? She as tired, she was cold and she didn't want to talk to anyone. It was like some hideous twist of fate.

"Because I thought we had something between us Elsie." He said, frustration dripping from his voice "I thought that I had finally met the woman who would complete me. I thought that you were the one I could grow old with. But suddenly it all seems to have changed. You clearly never felt a thing for me."

"I never felt a thing for you?" Elsie repeated incredulously "is that what you said? Forgive me Charles, but I wasn't the one who ran away! You haven't spoken to me in over a month! You're the one who shut me out."

"I had my reasons."

"I'm sure you did." She replied sarcastically "A tall blonde perhaps? Its quite clear that you weren't interested in me Charles, so I am having to move on."

"So you do love him?" He asked again.

"Why do you even give a damn?"

"Just answer the bloody question." He growled. Elsie took a step backwards in surprise.

"No. I don't." She admitted quietly, not meeting his eyes "He is a dear friend and nothing more. We both know that."

Charles nodded, and stared at the floor with his arms crossed. Elsie waited but the man didn't seem inclined to continue the conversation with her. Eventually she let out a sigh

"Well, if you've finished grilling me, I'll be heading to bed now. Goodnight Charles"

She pushed past him and was turning the handle for her front door when he spoke

"My mother died." Elsie froze, and then turned slowly

"What?"

Charles finally look up, his eyes meeting hers

"She'd been ill for awhile and it suddenly got much worse." He explained "Robert phoned me a hour before we went out together to say she'd been admitted to hospital."

"Oh, Charles."

"I went to see her straight afterwards. She had so many drugs in her she was completely unresponsive. We sat with her for two weeks, hardly ever leaving her side. Then one evening, Robert asked them to stop all the drugs. She came back to us for an hour. Told us she loved us and if we played 'All things bright and beautiful' at her funeral that she would come back to haunt us. Ten minutes later she was gone."

Suddenly it all started to make sense. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hug him or smack him.

"So all the woman on your lawn..?"

"We'd come from the funeral."

"Did you play All Things Bright and Beautiful?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

He smiled slightly

"No, she was scary enough when she was alive, I don't need her haunting me."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, watching him carefully. He seemed composed but if you looked into his eyes you could see his soul was shattered.

"I don't know."

Elsie dropped her clutch onto the floor, stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. It took a few moments but eventually she felt his large hands cover her back and he buried his face in her hair.

"I am so sorry" she told him. It wasn't just for the loss of his mother. It was for not trying harder, for allowing him to push her away, for not being there when he needed her most.

They stayed like that, wrapped in each others arms, for what seemed like an eternity, listening to each others breathing and savoring their presence.

"She's my sister." He rumbled in her ear

"Huh?"

"The blonde. She's my sister. Isobel usually lives in Germany but she came over here for Mum."

Elsie pulled away to look at his face, a sense of guilt washing over her.

"I'm sorry about the things I said then" she said sadly.

"I'm sorry I didn't explain earlier."

"That's okay." She whispered, offering him a small smile.

"Elsie?"

"Hmm?"

"Marry me?". Elsie felt her jaw drop. Would this man never cease to surprise her?

"What?" She asked, feeling slightly stupid

"I'm asking you to marry me. To become my wife." He explained, taking both her hands in his

"Isn't this a bit sudden?"

"Probably" he admitted "but I know that I won't be marrying anyone else. The truth is that I haven't been able to get you out of my head since you stormed across my lawn and banged on my door six years ago."

Elsie blinked at him and took a deep breath before asking.

"Will you come in for a drink? I feel like celebrating."

The look he gave her clearly implied he thought she'd lost her mind.

"What exactly are we celebrating?" He asked slowly. She grinned at him.

"That fact that I can still get a proposal at my age."

"...and that's it?"

Elsie ducked her head slightly, hiding the smile that bloomed across her face. She stood on tip toe and lightly kissed him.

"Of course I'll marry you, you old booby. I thought you'd never ask."

And then she pulled him down for another kiss.

-EHCC-

Ten years later

A woman was leaning against the door frame of her home. The door frame was a forest green and oddly enough it matched her apron. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips and she had smile lines around her eyes. Her hair was starting to go grey at the her temples but her blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight as she watched the sprinkler water her lawn. She hoped it wouldn't end up too mushy. Then again, maybe her mushy sprinkler would cause someone to find the love of their life as well.

A man came into view behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"We should probably turn that off." He said, his deep voice carrying over their lawn. He had grown a little more portly round the middle and his hair was a little whiter, but he too had the smile lines around his eyes. The woman turned in his arms and kissed him thoroughly.

"No, I don't think we should."

-The end-

...I had the time of my life, and I owe it all to you...