Ok, this was a bit of a difficult one. I didn't want Martin to be completely clueless, so hope I've hit the balance about right. On a side note, Carolyn is reeeeaaaalllly difficult to write - so apologies if she seems OOC.

Martin wasn't completely stupid. Granted, he wasn't always the first to realise when he was being played for a fool, but he wasn't completely witless when it came to other people either. He'd had some slight suspicions about Emma at the time, but being that little bit younger and inexperienced, he'd still assumed that things going wrong had been his fault. In the intervening years he'd pushed it to the back of his mind, trying to chalk it up to experience and promising himself not to be so pushy when the next girl came along; whenever that might be.

The pieces had fallen alarming into place after speaking with Kate though. The questions she'd asked, and the look of...what?...anger? ...in her eyes, going around Martin's head long after Kate herself had finally fallen asleep. Looking back with the benefit of a little more insight than before he began to see the signs much more clearly. Emma had never introduced him to her parents, nor any of her friends, and he could count on one hand the number of times he'd been to or stayed at her house. In fact, they had probably only seen each other a couple of times a week, if they were lucky.

It wasn't all bad though, far from it. When they had been together it had been fantastic . They had got on well and she had lavished Martin with attention. All of which had made her reluctance to make it any more serious all the more confusing and hurtful.

Kate had clearly worked it out what was going on, even with the little bit of information Martin had given her. She must have, otherwise she wouldn't have asked what she asked. But she hadn't said anything to him, not a word. In fact, she'd gone to great pains to change the subject.

She didn't want to hurt my feelings. Martin thought. This was new. People didn't normally have a problem pointing out his deficiencies. In fact, most people took a certain amount of glee in it. Martin wasn't sure why, but he supposed there was something about his personality which rubbed people up the wrong way.

But not Kate, not her. She'd shielded him from the realisation she must have inevitably come to; that Emma was seeing someone else as well.

It probably should have hurt, he probably should have felt a pang of something, but he didn't. He thought maybe it was just that so much time had passed and long dulled any feelings he had about it. He turned over to face Kate as she slept so peacefully, reaching out to grab her hand as it lay on the pillow. She automatically curled her fingers around his in her sleep and he it occurred to him that the main reason he didn't much care about Emma was actually laying beside him.

"I take it then, by the stupidly large grin on your face, that things went well?" Douglas drawled as Martin finished the post take-off checks.

"They did, yes." He confirmed with a nod without turning to face Douglas.

"And she's not at all put off by the fact that you're a bit of a relationship dunce, then?"

"Yes, thank you Douglas." He replied in clipped tones, beginning to wonder if it had been a mistake to reveal something that personal to him. "No, she's not. And we can't all have your track record can we?"

"Certainly not. That would require an inordinate amount of sophistication, charm and sexual magnetism. Something I have in spades, obviously, but..."

"But I don't." Martin said flatly, finishing for him.

"Oh, don't feel bad, Martin. Besides, you appear to have your own particular brand of Crieff charm, judging by the rather lovely girl you appear to have somehow enchanted."

Martin was slightly wrong-footed by Douglas 'sort-of' compliment. "I...well...thank you. I think."

"You're quite welcome." Douglas returned his attention to the instruments in front on him.

He actually sounded sincere, which was odd. Obviously Martin considered Douglas a friend, but he still wasn't used to him being quite so...well...nice.

"That's it?"

"That's what?" Douglas replied distractedly.

"No...I mean...No teasing? No poking fun? No bringing up what I said yesterday?" Martin could hardly believe that Douglas was going to let him get off that easily.

"Some things, Martin, are sacrosanct." He answered without a hint of sarcasm.

"Really?" Martin could barely believe his ears.

"Certainly, they are. Of course, that doesn't mean that all aspects are off limits." The glint in Douglas' eye had returned.

Martin was actually oddly relieved to hear the mischief in Douglas' voice. "That would be too much to ask wouldn't it?" He had to chuckle.

"Talking of too much to ask..." Douglas turned slightly in his seat to push the button on the cabin address. "Good evening ladies and gentleman, this is your First Officer, Douglas Richardson, speaking. Just to inform you that our flight time to Fitton tonight will be just a tad under two and half hours. That is, of course, if your pilots are able to concentrate on keeping the correct course as their supply of caffeinated drinks appears to be running low..."

Martin looked at Douglas and chuckled, as the cock-pit door flew open.

"You're not nearly as funny as you think you are, Douglas." Carolyn glared as she handed both pilots hot drinks. Carolyn wasn't that fast, she'd clearly already been making them.

"One would beg to differ."

Carolyn tutted at him and looked toward Martin. "What's wrong with your face?"

"My face?" Martin exclaimed, reaching his hand up to his mouth, suddenly worried that the remains of breakfast were stuck on his chin or something.

"It has a stupid grin on it." Carolyn replied straight faced.

"I-I-I...Am I not supposed to smile?" Martin stuttered unsure what point Carolyn was making.

"No, by all means, smile away. But if that grin was any wider, Martin, I'd need sunglasses to stop me from being blinded."

Martin bristled a little. "Well...I'm just...happy at the moment."

"And who is the unlucky girl?"

Martin heard Douglas chuckle to himself at Carolyn 's question.

"K-K-Kate." He replied, uncertainly. He'd assumed that Arthur would have already filled Carolyn in, but apparently not. Quite how she'd guessed from his smile was beyond him.

"Oh dear, really? She seems like such a sensible girl. Still, there's no accounting for taste I suppose."

Martin opened his mouth to reply, but Carolyn had already turned her attention back to Douglas.

"Douglas, can you please desist giving Arthur double espresso's for breakfast, otherwise I'm going to have to start carrying a tranquiliser gun."

"Oh really?" Douglas looked innocent. "I have to say I hardly notice the difference in him."

"Yes... well...that's because you don't have to spend two and a half hours watching him bounce around the cabin. Literally, in some cases." She told him curtly, before turning on her heels to leave.

Carolyn paused before she closed the flight deck door. "Oh, and Martin?"

Martin sighed, turning to see what he'd done wrong now. "Yes, Carolyn?"

"If you can at all manage it, try not to muck up the lifeline that is the contract with Kate's company with your little liaison, mmm?" She went to close the door before opening it again briefly. "Oh...and...as much as it pains me to say it...good for you."

Martin turned back to look out the instruments in from of him with a smile. That was as close to a compliment from Carolyn as you ever came.