Road to Destiny
Chapter 6
She saw him as soon as she entered the terminal. His height giving her the advantage. He was talking with Chris, Fiona and Laura and hadn't at first noticed that the automatic doors had opened and they were filtering through.
Molly stopped just inside the entrance, staring at him. If truth be told she didn't think she was going to see him again and that had made her very sad. That last 20 minutes before they realised that help was on the way, had changed everything.
It was as if he knew she was watching and he turned round, his face wreathed in a wide grin which she couldn't help but return as she continued her slow walk towards him.
She dropped her Bergen on the floor by their feet as soon as he cupped her face and kissed her briefly. Although he was in civvies there was still the possibility that someone would know he was a Major but she couldn't help herself as she wrapped her arms around him, and he could feel her short nails digging into his back she was gripping so tightly.
He stooped to pick up her Bergen "Come on let me get you home" and she just nodded turning briefly to say goodbye to her colleagues and friends before following him out to the car park.
He opened the car so she could get in and put her things in the boot before coming round to the driver's side. Leaning across the console to kiss her like he had wanted to in the terminal building. She clung to him and he knew he needed to break away before it got out of hand and drew attention, last thing they needed was to be splashed across every CCTV in the car park.
As they drove West heading back to Monmouth, he became increasingly worried about her. Normally when they had been apart for even a short tour or exercise, she talked nineteen to the dozen, telling him everything, who she met, what twits some of the Ruperts were, funny stories of things that had happened. But apart from the feel of her hand on his leg as he drove it was like she wasn't in the car with him. She had always been chatty, always tactile but this was different and he was very concerned as he kept looking at her out the corner of his eye as he drove. She was just staring straight ahead, her face emotionless deep in her own thoughts.
It was late in the afternoon when they arrived home, Charles suggested that they order a takeaway as he parked the car on their drive and she just nodded in agreement before getting out the car. He got her Bergen out the boot and followed her into the house. She was already walking up the stairs to their bedroom and en-suite and as he looked up to her retreating back he was getting increasingly worried. He recognised this, this is what he did when he came home after Elvis.
-OG-
Charles walked through to the kitchen to put the kettle on and dig out the takeaway menus putting them on the worktop. He took his phone out his pocket and made a quick call to Blue asking him if he had time for a meeting tomorrow, that he was very concerned about what had happened out there.
It wasn't long before Molly came back into the room in her leggings and one of his t-shirts and started flicking through the menus he had put on the worktop. They decided on Chinese and to order now as she was staving and knackered. He put a cup of strong, sugared tea in front of her while he set about getting his coffee.
The Chinese turned up pretty quickly as they had ordered before the main weekend rush. They were part way through it and he had opened a bottle of wine, which she seemed to be necking.
"I'm done Charlie" she said after having been silent for ages, his concern increasing by the hour.
"That's OK, you don't have to eat it all" he smiled at her starting to collect the rubbish and throwing it into the bin.
"No not the food" she sighed but pushed her plate away anyway "I'm done with the army, I want to leave" topping up her glass with more wine. His eyes opened wide in shock taking in a large breath.
"Come on, let's go through to the other room and talk" taking her hand as she picked up her glass, he picked up the bottle and his glass in his other hand leading her through and sitting next to her on the sofa.
Molly took a few large swigs from her glass and topped it up again and he couldn't stop looking at her, this was breaking his heart. He had had a lot of counselling after Bangladesh and she left him, he hoped he would be able to help her this time, stand by her when she needed him that she would let him and she wouldn't follow the same path of denial that he had.
She put her glass on the coffee table in front of them following his actions. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head and the dam broke. She launched herself on him. Kissing him hard, her hand running up and down his thigh as she moved to kissing him round his ear and down his neck. Messages being sent straight to his groin as soon as she started stroking him through his jeans.
"Stop Molly" he whispered "Talk to me"
"I will" she whispered back "I thought I weren't coming home" her voice hitching "not today though" her hands went under his t-shirt and lifted it over his head. Still she kept kissing him her hands moving to his scar on his stomach sending shivers down his back as his eyes closed and he groaned. Before he knew where he was she had undone his jeans and slipped her hand inside his boxers and all his senses to bring this under control and make her talk vanished from his brain.
Part of him was disappointed in himself that he had been so weak willed in not making her talk to him but hopefully he would get the lowdown from Blue tomorrow so that he could help her through this. But after their session on the sofa he had taken her upstairs to their room where she instigated round two. All night she clung to him as if he might vanish, even when she turned over in the night she gripped his hand dragging him over with her, clutching his hand to her chest. Mumbling something in her sleep that he couldn't understand.
-OG-
When he woke he didn't feel rested, her hand intertwined with his and her other hand on his arm as it was wrapped around her. He kissed her shoulder before trying to extract himself from her grip. She mumbled something but released her hold. He went for a shower and changed into his uniform ready to go to the garrison. He put the kettle on and turned on his Nespresso already topped with water. Molly walked into the room looking very tussled and only half awake, watching as he put the bread in the toaster.
Her hands snaked around his waist "Sorry" she said and kissed his back "If I am a bit of a pain."
He turned in her hold bending to kiss her forehead "You're not a pain Sweetheart" grinning against her head "Loved every minute of it" kissing her again on her head "I have a couple of meetings this morning but will be back early afternoon, can we talk then?" his hand coming down to her chin and flicking her head up so she had to look at him and she nodded and grinned.
He enveloped her in his arms, her head against his chest and her arms around his waist "I love you" as he kissed the top of her head.
"Ditto"
He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away "and when I get back I expect something a bit more romantic than that" he grinned making her laugh.
-OG-
Charles had the meetings he was meant to before Blue came across to his office.
"So, what happened out there? I've never seen Molly in such a state? Have you got details from Spanner?" and Blue nodded
"Mac took risks" he sighed "thought it was an easy mission and had no back-up plan" stopping and trying to think on his words "Spanner saw the video footage and it was pretty bad" he carried on "once Mac was killed and Dyno injured the insurgents hit them hard."
"Have you seen it?"
Blue nodded "But I'm not meant to have."
"Can I see it?"
Blue shook his head "You don't want to mate" and sighed "she turned the lights off in the house didn't she" and Charles nodded looking at him as if how did he know.
"They made a pack" Blue continued "they thought rescue wasn't coming in time, they were virtually out of ammo, only their pistol's left" he looked down before looking at Charles in the eye "they retreated to where Dyno was, they weren't going to be taken, no survivors" he finished off and watched while Charles pursed his lips and inhaled deeply before nodding.
"No wonder she is struggling" he sighed "Well I expect they all are" and Blue nodded
"Jackson has already spoken with me about moving back to Rifles and I believe Peanut wants to go back to the engineers or maybe leave himself."
"Let me know if you need support with getting Jackson back in here" sighed Charles.
"Has Molly said much?" asked Blue and Charles shook his head "Only that she is done with the army."
"Could be knee jerk reaction" shrugged Blue
"Don't know mate, before she went on this mission she was talking of changing job, maybe joining the police."
Blue whistled "Yep could see that, she always did like helping people, or monkeys" he smirked making Charles laugh "She's a tough cookie our Moll's she probably needs time to process this, she'll get through this Charles" and he nodded hoping that she would.
-OG-
He was later getting home than he anticipated, he had barely shut the door before he had an armful of Molly
"Where have you been, where were you?" she whispered into his chest her arms wrapped tightly round his waist.
"Sorry, traffic" he replied as she started to kiss him. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from him.
"No Molly not this time" he sighed "Talk to me tell me what happened" turning her around and pushing her gently into the living room and sitting her down on the sofa.
"I'm alright Charlie, I just need to get it straight in my nut."
"No you're not sweetheart" he whispered close to her ear "I've been there, remember, talk to me" he paused "But if you don't want to talk with me then let me call Ted you could talk with him" remembering how helpful Ted had been and a good listener when he was trying to work through his own demons.
She touched his cheek "But will it mess you up again if I tell you, bring back all your memories?"
He shook his head "No it won't" he sighed "but if it even remotely does I know to go and see Ted, I won't let it get a hold of me again, I have far too much to lose" pausing to gauge his words "but you are worrying me, don't let it eat you up, it makes it worse."
She nodded and his arms went around her and her head on his shoulder. He couldn't see her face as her hair had fallen forward over it. But she started her story. He already knew most of it from what Blue had told him, but he needed to hear it from her. Hoping he could say the right things and give her the peace she was looking for, give her the strength that she had always had.
She told him about having doubts, that something was wrong before they even got to the building. She told him what she saw in that back room, the hostages must have been tied and gaged because they gave no warning as to what was coming when Captain McKenzie entered the room. His eyes staring at her when she went to see if he needed help and realising he was well past that. Dyno in pain and if it hadn't have been for the fact they were rescuing hostages she wouldn't have had her medical Bergen with her to help him.
She told him that it was supposed to be a quick in and out operation they hadn't gone heavily armed and were running out of ammo. She told him she remembered the looks that Badrai and Sohail gave her in Afghan about being female, that look of disgust and arrogance that she was there.
She looked up at him his face wreathed with concern for her as she glossed over the conversation that her and Peanut had had while tending Dyno, when he handed over his ammo. That once the insurgents realised they were Special Forces they would be tortured for what they knew, maybe even sold on to other groups who might want information they held.
"We decided not to surrender" she whispered into his neck "Not to be taken, we removed our flak jackets" his hairs stood on end as she sighed "I saw you had turned the lights on Charlie and I turned them off" her voice hitching "I thought I wasn't coming home this time. I missed you and wondered what you were doing" and he felt one tear trickle down the inside of his shirt, she very rarely cried. Always tried to be hard as nails, get glassy eyed sometimes with what she saw on the news or a sad film but rarely ever cried since she had tied in with Bones and Special Forces. He couldn't help but hold her tighter and pull her onto his lap.
Kissing the top of her head, she still hadn't let him look at her face but buried it into his neck "It will be OK, you did come home" he cupped her face with his hands making her look at him "We will get through this."
She nodded "I'm really done Charlie" her voice still hitching but determined she wasn't going to cry and looking up at him "I wanna leave the army"
He nodded and kissed her nose and gave her a small smile "OK then tomorrow let's look into how you become a plod." his grin getting wider "It will be nice to see you in a different uniform, I think blue will suit you. I look forward to taking it off you!" waggling his eyebrows making her give a tearful laugh and hug him.
He held her tight against him, one thing she was right about though, he didn't know what he would have done or how he would have continued if he had lost her on that mission. Look at what happened after he lost his best mate Elvis, to lose her would have been infinitely worse. She was more to him than just a best mate and he wanted to wake up next to her for the rest of his life.
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A/N Thank you all for your kind reviews, its much appreciated. With the lockdown still in place I would like to also say how much I have enjoyed the updates that have been coming through recently and being able to re-read older stories, being able to escape into a fictional Our Girl world with humour, romance and drama has been lovely. Hopefully it wont be much longer and we will all have had the vaccine and be able to visit our friends and families again. Take Care.
