I don't own OG characters, I thank Tony Grounds for creating them...also I don't own Kirsty Young or crimewatch either!

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Again this is dark...as you will read, but I will try to not make it too distressful to read.

Your ref: This story began 3 months after the very end of Molly's choice...

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Continues straight away from previous chapter...

In her bathrobe she came down the stairs and saw Charles relaxing in the armchair listening to some classical music, his eyes were closed.

She had this thought in her mind...maybe one borne from paranoia, she couldn't get the bank statement out of her mind. But is was strange that, since that night, he and her had gradually got back together.

He opened his eyes and looked at her alittle startled, "Molly...?"

She took in a deep breath, "Did you take her Charles...did you take Esther...?"

And Charles eyes hit the carpet...

Molly launched forward, "Well come on then answer my question Charles, did you?"

Charles finally met her eyes and shook his head in disbelief, "Why on God's earth are you asking me such an incredibly stupid question for?"

Molly widened her eyes and then went straight for the kitchen and pulled out the bank statement from the 'bags' drawer where she had hidden it, Charles had followed through and he stared at the piece of A4 in her hand, "Here look...look, look, look...what's going on...where'e all this money going Charles? 9 grand Charles, where the hell has 9 grand gone!"

Charles was shaking his head, "I really cannot believe you would do this...snoop through my personal banking! Why would you do something like that, am I such a sleazebag that you would stoop that low to find out what I am up to..."

Molly swallowed. Putting it that way, it did sound pretty suspect.

Charles threw his hands in the hair and raised his voice a tad, "...so what else have you been up to I wonder...", he gave her one of his serious looks, "...my mobile? Next you will be telling me you've gone through my texts and calls as well..."

Molly's face betrayed her.

Charles laughed out...but it wasn't because he found it amusing...he was fuming.

"I cannot even begin to comprehend all this..."

Molly launched her assault, "So...I was suspicious...I did that 'This Morning' thing on TV and all they kept banging on about is that sometimes cases like this are more closer to home than you fink...then...when I saw your bank statements, BY ACCIDENT I add, I saw all this money going out...and then I saw that strange number on your phone that you deleted...my mind starting going around in circles..."

"So your obvious concrete case closed conclusion is... that I took Esther?"

"Yes...no...not you but...someone...you know...", she was getting confused and flustered.

Charles gave her the words she was looking for, "You think that I organised the crash that night...paid somebody to take Esther off you...why...why would I do that? What possible motive would I have to do that?"

"I dont know", she turned away and looked into the sink.

Charles leaned on the doorframe rubbing his temples, "This is FUCKED"

Molly went into hyperdrive and swung around, her face was red and the anger came boiling out, "NO... I AM FUCKED CHARLES! ANY MOTHER WOULD BE IF THEY HAD GONE THROUGH WHAT I HAVE FOR THE LAST 9 MONTHS! YOU DONT FINK STRAIGHT, YOU DONT CONCENTRATE ON STUFF, YOUR MIND IS ALWAYS WORKING OVERTIME FINKING FINKING FINKING WHETHER SHE IS MISSING ME!", She banged her hand on the draining board.

Charles looked rocked by her outburst, the tears rolled down Molly's angry stoney face now,"...YOU DONT UNDERSTAND...AND YOU KNOW WHY YOU DONT UNDERSTAND...IT'S BECAUSE YOU DONT GIVE A FUCKING TOSS ABOUT HER!"

He breathed heavily, "That's not true..."

"I SHOULD BE SHARING MY LOSS WITH SOMEONE...BUT I CANT BECAUSE ITS ONLY ME...YOU DONT CARE ABOUT HER...YOU DIDNT EVEN WANNA KNOW HER...SHE WOZ NOTHING TO YOU...SOME BRAT THAT YOU HAD WITH SOME SLAPPER FROM LONDON!"

Charles stared at the floor, "I thought...I thought that everything was starting to repair between us...I thought that just maybe there was a light at the end of the tunnel and we would find eachother again...I thought we were alright"

Molly shook her head, "No Charles...we are NOT alright...we are NOT!"

She reached for the chair and scraped it back and sat in it. He stood where he was.

She looked at him, eyes now all puffy and red, "I am not the person I was...just like you Charles when you were paralysed after Afghan and boring everyone to death because you wanted to die...I feel like that now...I didnt understand you before, but I do now...I know how you felt because I am feeling it now...I want to die for most of the time..."

Charles leapt forward and cupped her cheeks, "Don't say that..."

She held his eye contact, "But its true dont you get it...a part of me dies everyday the longer Esther is out of my life...and if she is dead, then I want to be dead too"

"You are strong Molly...you were a hell of alot stronger than I was...you were trying to help me and guide me after Afghan...and you did, I may of copt out in the end...but I did listen to you...it wasn't Julie's physio that got me through...it was the thought that maybe sometime someday we would be together...you and I...and Esther..."

She was getting upset again, "but you never said...I'm not a mind reader...I was so alone when you left...I just fought that I wasnt good enough for you...and when I heard that you had picked up with this Julie cow that's when I forght, yeah I was right about him...I wasnt good enough, not for you or your posh boot licking family...soz I shouldnt of said that"

Charles sat down and reached out for her hand and took it in both of his, "I understand now...and you are right, this whole Esther nightmare is worse for you than it is for me, I do not know her and when somebody goes missing you never see then...you don't miss them...that's all on me...I have to live with that..."

Molly was quiet.

"...the money...I organised a private investigator, he was actually in the job for a while, he was in bomb disposal. He's now a PI...he's in Greece...I think Esther is in Greece, Molly"

She finally looked at him in wonder, "How can you possibly KNOW that?"

"a girl matching Esther's discription was seen at Leeds Bradford airport 6 months ago...I only know this because I have a contact who works for security..."

She frowned.

"...he was in the job as well...he was a snipper...anyway, I was just asking him on the off chance that he had seen a girl come through the airport...I handed him a picture of Esther it was all very needle in a haystack and all that marlarky. Anyway...", he took in a deep breath, "...about a fortnight later he called me up and told me that there had been an incident at the airport...a girl had got locked in the toilet cubicle because a man started to talk to her...he said it was all very bizarre because the mother was worried that they would miss their flight. It was only when he looked at CCTV of the incident he realised that the girl looked like Esther..."

Molly closed her eyes, the blood was draining from her face.

"...but it was too late...the flight had taken off 4 hours before...but he did get a name of the child from a colleague who was there..."

She somehow knew.

"It was Helen...", he confirmed.

XXX

Molly cleaned herself up and tried to pull herself together, it was nearly 2 in the morning now.

She sat on the bed as Charles came in and dropped next to her with a cuppa.

"...are you ready for me to tell you the rest?", he asked gently.

Molly looked at him, "I cant believe youve never said anyfink to me"

He sighed and pulled her head to his shoulder, "It was silly of me, but I was trying to protect you...you have had your hopes raised too many times since she was abducted...I couldn't bear to see your hopes raised and dashed again...I needed to be sure first"

She shifted her face to look up at him, "...and?"

"I remembered Doug worked as a private investigator now, so I called him and told him everything, infact he was aware of the case because of the publicity on the television. He just didn't know that I was Esther's father"

"So he's helped?"

"I met up with him and handed over the cash he needed...hotels, car hires, expenses the lot...I do not know how he did it, but he managed to find out what flight Helen was on...Skiathos, it's an island in..."

"...Greece I know! She's there then? Esther is in Greece...?

He sighed and held her tight and nodded and closed his eyes, " I hope so...that's what Doug's trying to find out...the island is not that big, but he is putting the word out...he'll let me know straightaway if he has a direct lead"

Molly started to cry and had her fingers were crossed, he kissed her forehead, both hoping that they would get the news they were hoped for.

Because their fragile future depended on it.

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Heartache? Fluff? The Ending you are hoping for? You will have to find out in the Epilogue where this story will finally conclude...or I will hint is...it is said in Skiathos...