As always, I do not own the show.

Thank you to Debbie and Steph for reading and editing this chapter.

A huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review, they mean the world!

There is a small time jump in and during this chapter.

Enjoy…

Three months later

Charles - Afghanistan

The sudden heavy downpour matched the dark and sombre mood that surrounded Two Section at their quarters in Camp Bastion. The rain was coming down in torrents as the lightning flashed overhead. It was the first time they'd seen rain in their three months here.

Charles had briefly stepped out of his private quarters to watch the downpour before getting soaked and stepping back inside. He should be happy, they were going home in three days, but he and the team were anything but happy.

Their mission in Afghan had been top secret, all he had been told was that it was to flush out a terror cell with links to the UK. He didn't ask any more questions just did as he was trained and told to do. However, it was on their final exercise, that the shit had hit the fan. A suicide bomber took out one of the vehicles that his team had been in. The two brothers, the two comical, hilarious jokers' that everyone loved, had been in the convoy. Smurf, the youngest was now paralyzed from the waist down whilst Geraint his older brother had died instantly.

Grief had hit the section hard. Sgt King was currently with the other soldiers trying to help them all understand what had happened, whilst he had spoken to his bosses back at the MOD and worst of all, the brothers grieving mother back in Wales via Skype.

Despite his many years in the army, this was the first death of a soldier whilst he had been in charge and the guilt was eating away at him. Major Beck and even his father-in-law had insisted that he was not to blame in any way but that didn't stop him replaying every word, every action from the previous day over and over again in his head.

He knew he had to talk to someone, but the team medic was helping at the hospital due to the amount of injuries from various suicide bombings in the area over the last few days.

He had tried to call Rebecca, mainly to let her know that was he was okay but there no answer. His parents were at their villa in Lake Garda and the last thing he wanted to do was to worry them when they were away, and Elvis was on an operation in Syria.

He sat down on his bed and closed his eyes and started massaging his head. He could feel a tension headache coming on. He couldn't help but think back to the last time he felt so desperate for company and for someone to talk too. It was his stag party and he met her, Molly. He would never forget her gorgeous smile and sparkling eyes. He'd give anything to have her sitting beside him right now, after only one night together he knew that she was someone he could trust, confide in…lose himself in. God, how many nights out here in Afghan had he dreamt and revisited that one perfect night with her. He woke most mornings gutted that it had been a dream and then revulsed at himself for having feelings for a woman that was not his wife. They had left no contact details so there was no chance of ever finding her, all he knew was her first name - Molly and that she was a nurse, but the chances of finding her and seeing her again were slim to virtually non-existent.

His thoughts drifted to his wife. There had been little to no contact from Rebecca since he arrived here. He was the one who made the skype calls, if he was lucky enough to catch her when she was at home, she was always in a rush. She had told him that since the miscarriage she had invested her time in being an officer's wife, holding meetings and lunches with the other wives or girlfriends. That alone puzzled Charles considering Rebecca had never been interested in that before, he just put it all down to the fact that people change or maybe it was her way of dealing with losing the baby. It just would be nice if she would actually show the same amount of attention to her husband.

The sound of silence made him stand up and look out the window, the rain had finally stopped, and he could see puddles lying around the camp. He closed the blinds and lay down on the bed and closed his eyes and prayed for sleep. The first thought that entered his mind was her, Molly, dancing in the ground of the resort in the moments before he kissed her and then the torture started as his mind revisited the most perfect night of his life.

Molly

"Who knew that moving house could be so relaxing and entertaining," Molly smiled as she sat at the small dining table with her feet resting on the chair beside her.

Kate was sitting opposite her in a similar position, both were currently sitting with their feet up enjoying the most delicious ice cream that Molly had ever tasted. They had been given strict instructions to sit, not lift anything and let everyone else do the heavy work.

"I don't know about relaxing," Kate laughed as she heard another box drop and damage its contents. "I have lost count of how many times that's happened today."

"Not my stuff," Molly grinned "I told Jac to not overload the boxes, but would she listen to me no. That's her stuff that's being damaged."

"Poor Dan, he must be getting an earful," Kate grinned as she took another spoonful of ice cream. "This has to be one of the perks of being pregnant. Cravings and the excuse to give into them"

"Well it's better than the backache," Molly replied with a frown.

"Still annoying you then?"

"Yeah, my doctor says it's fine and to be expected. She thinks it's going to be a big baby," Molly sighed as she rubbed her neat bump.

"Was the father tall?" Kate asked carefully.

"From what I can remember, yeah."

"Get every drug going as soon as labour starts, trust me!" Kate smiled.

"Says the person who told me that she doesn't start showing until six months," Molly smirked "how long now until your due date?"

"Four weeks, I swear I really don't think I can get any bigger. My father in law asked me last night if I were having triplets, I nearly punched him."

"I'm saying nothing, I still have eight weeks to go," Molly said as she reached for more ice cream.

"You're nice and neat, jammy bitch, no swollen ankles and you can still see your feet!"

"Like I said I'm saying nothing," Molly grimaced as she heard another crashing sound from upstairs.

After her twelve week scan Molly soon realised that the small two bedroom flat that she shared with Jac was not going to be big enough for the two of them plus a baby, so she started the search for a small house to rent and was delighted when Jac had offered to move in with her and help, not only with the rent but also in looking after the baby.

Fortunately, their house search hadn't been going for long, when one day Kate found them in the hospital canteen and told them about a colleague of her husband who was moving in with his girlfriend and was looking to sell his house. As soon as Molly took one look at the three-bedroom house that was only ten minutes' walk away from the hospital she was in love. They had been able to agree to rent the house whilst she was on maternity leave with a view to buying once she was back working at the hospital.

So much had changed in the last few months, all of which for the good. Jac and Dr Dan had started dating, although it had only been a couple months Dan was already dropping hints at moving in with Jac. As delighted as Molly was for her friend, she couldn't help but think he would be another pair of hands to help once the baby arrived, not to mention another person to share the rent with.

Molly and Kate's relationship had gone from surgeon and nurse to close friends in a matter of just a few weeks. She could moan about the pregnancy to Jac, but she had no idea what it really felt like, especially once the cravings and the backache started. At the twenty-week scan Kate and her husband Nick had found out the sex of the baby, another girl and both were overjoyed. Molly had decided not to find out and opted for a surprise. She couldn't help but think that she was having a boy, so did Pearl the receptionist who was currently in a knitting frenzy between herself and Kate.

Molly set her spoon on the table and looked over towards the three boxes sitting on the kitchen floor. "Kate, surely you must need some of that stuff yourself?"

"Molly please take it, it's nothing much just some things to get you started," Kate replied smiling.

"Yeah, but you're having a baby too, you're going to need it too!"

"Molly," Kate said as she turned and faced her, "have you met my husband? Tall, good looking, neat freak, OCD, everything has to be new?"

Both turned in their seats and glanced through to the lounge where Nick was standing frowning.

"What's wrong darling?" Kate asked even though she knew the answer.

"Just trying to get it right." He replied back "I have an ornament on one side of the clock and I need another one similar in the same size and then I need to work out if they are the same distance apart from the clock."

Kate moved back into a more comfortable position on the chair "See what I mean?"

"How are you still sane?"

"When Holly was a baby we were out shopping and she'd brought up a bit of her milk on her bib and top," Kate explained "Now, she was wearing a matching pink cardigan and trousers with a white top with a pink frill on the sleeve. Only the white top needed to be changed so I changed her top to a cream one with a yellow frill. Nick freaked out. He took her and completely changed her outfit, including the vest so it all coordinated with the yellow top."

"Oh. my god," Molly let out in dismay.

"So, when I say that Nick wanted everything new…"

"It has to be new and matching," Molly finished.

"Hence why you have three boxes of baby bedding, towels and clothes."

"Feel free to escape here anytime you need when the baby comes," Molly replied as she bit back a laugh.

"Molly if he's anything like he was the last time, I fully intend on moving in here!"

Both women laughed as they watched their friends and colleagues come and go with boxes whilst they continued to eat ice cream, stopping only to tell them where to put the boxes.

Eight weeks later

Molly

The sound of a dog barking was enough to wake a sleeping Molly. She slowly grimaced as she turned around in her bed and rubbed her eyes. The first rays of daylight were starting to come through the curtains, and she heard the first whimpers from the baby lying beside her.

One of her neighbours had one of those dogs that barked at its own shadow and now it had woken her and by the sound of things the baby too. She wouldn't have cared but she only got back to sleep an hour ago and today was the day she was dreading since she found she was pregnant all those months ago. She had to register the baby.

She was tempted to just lie there, but she was awake now and she carefully sat up and looked over into the Moses basket beside her, where her ten-day old baby boy was gazing up at her. He was definitely his father's son with the most gorgeous brown eyes and soft brown curls on his head. He really was adorable and was going to be a heartbreaker when he grew up.

She lifted him carefully into her arms and smiled as he instantly settled in her embrace as she tenderly stroked his face and hands. She heard music playing quietly in the background, realising she must have fallen asleep with the radio on. She froze when she heard the song playing in the background. It was that song, one of her favourites that whenever she heard it always reminded her of him…

This world can hurt you

It cuts you deep and leaves a scar

Things fall apart, but nothing breaks like a heart

And nothing breaks like a heart

"That song sums up my life mate," Molly whispered as the baby stared up at "and I literally have a scar this time."

She closed her eyes as the song continued and all she could see was his face, the father of her baby, Charles as he smiled at her at the bar, when they were walking in the gardens. She could feel his breath as he held her in his embrace, those kisses… the words he whispered when he had entered her. She opened her eyes suddenly as the dog started barking again causing the baby to whimper.

There was a part of her that wanted to hate Charles, for using her the way that he had. But there was this other part of her that wanted him to be here, to meet his son, to help and support her but the scariest of all was just how she craved him and missed the connection that they shared that night.

Molly was broken from her thoughts by the slight knock on her bedroom door as Jac carefully stuck her head round the door.

"That bloody dog," Jac whispered. "Dan is threatening to kill someone, he's on night shifts this week."

"Yeah, it's upsetting Sam," Molly whispered as Jac came and sat down beside her.

"So finally decided on a name then?" she smiled as she grabbed his little hand.

"Yes, Sam, not Samuel or Sammy, Sam," Molly stated proudly. "I think it suits him."

"Just a perfect little man, aren't you!"

"Want to hold him while I try and get out of bed and get ready?" Molly asked her friend.

"Thought you were never going to ask; I need my baby fix!" Jac said as she scooped him into her arms. "Easy Molly, you're recovering yourself, should you maybe wait another day before registering him?"

"No, I need to get this over with," Molly smiled as she kissed his forehead.

Little Sam had certainly made an entrance into this world arriving three weeks early on what was Molly's last shift before going on maternity leave. She had been sat at the desk filling in paperwork when her back became sore, which she had joked had been a constant thing for the past three weeks, but it was only when she tried to stand she was overcome with dizziness, that scared her and brought Dan rushing over to her. One minute she was standing there, the next she saw blood, then darkness. She woke several hours later to be told that she had a beautiful baby boy, who, despite being a few weeks premature, was perfectly healthy and weighed in at a healthy seven pounds.

Jac was by her bedside and told her that she had a placental abruption where the placenta had come away from the wall of the womb causing the bleeding and the baby to go into distress, resulting in him being born by emergency caesarean. Hence the scar and why she had to take things easy. Thankfully Jac had arranged to take a few weeks leave once the baby had been born and she had been a godsend ever since they both came home a few days ago.

"I can come with you, to the town hall if you like" Jac offered as she played with Sam.

She knew Jac wanted to help but registering Sam's birth was something that only she could do.

"No, I'll be okay thanks, but you could look after Sam for me, it's only one bus ride into town and I shouldn't be any longer than an hour. I'll make sure he's fed before I leave."

"How could I say no to that!" Jac gushed at the baby as Molly rolled her eyes. Heartbreaker already, just like his father.

Charles

Charles rolled his eyes when he finally saw Elvis walk into the bar, he lifted the whiskey and downed it in one go.

"Steady on Charlie it can't be that bad!" Elvis grinned as he slapped him on the back before sitting down. One look from his friend told him to shut up.

"Same again please," Charles asked the barman and saw Elvis nod his head for the same.

"What's wrong?" Elvis asked carefully.

"Oh let's see, I'm married to a bitch, I lost a soldier in the line of duty, come back to the UK to do your dirty work, namely dump your fiancée for you without any sort of explanation and to top it all off, I can't get HER out of my head," Charles spat out as he reached for his drink only for Elvis to stop him.

"Slow down mate. By bitch I take it you mean she devil otherwise known as Rebecca but as for her, I'm lost?"

"Molly," Charles whispered.

"Who?"

Charles turned and glared at him "The girl from my Stag weekend, ring any bells?"

"Ah, the night when you sort of saw sense but then backtracked back to she-devil, sorry bitch or whatever we're calling her now," Elvis remarked. He was going to make a joke when he saw the look on his friend's face. "Did she really mean something to you?"

"Yes, no, Christ I don't know!" Charles replied as he ran his hands through his hair. "All I know is that after a few months my marriage has gone to shit and all I can think of is Molly."

"Go on," Elvis said as he downed his whiskey in one go and ordered another one.

"Everything was okay, we were happy, just like the couple we were years ago and then Rebecca lost the baby, ever since she has barely looked at me let alone actually talk to me or god forbid touch me. Even in Afghan, barely a letter, or phone call even when we lost Geraint."

"But she was there to meet you at Brize?"

"Off course she was, playing the part of the perfect army officer's wife!" Charles exclaimed.

"The second she got her inheritance she hasn't wanted to know."

"Why does that not surprise me!" Elvis remarked.

"Truth is, I can't help but wonder," Charles sighed "If she was ever really pregnant. Call it a coincidence but she had the miscarriage on the same day as her inheritance landed in her bank account."

"I know she's a heartless bitch, but to do that?" Elvis asked deep in thought "But then again anything is possible with her."

"I don't even know what I'm saying or doing anymore, all I know is that I should never have married her. Her family connections and my career be damned."

"Finally, he sees sense!"

"What the hell else could I do?" Charles practically pleaded.

"I get it."

"Of course you do, because you walked away from your wedding without any sort of explanation and left me to pick up the pieces and punches!"

"Who punched you?"

"Georgie's father, when I told him I genuinely had no idea what was happening," Charles asked him "Care to enlighten me?"

Elvis ordered a round of beers and explained how his former girlfriend had turned up on his doorstep the day before the wedding with his baby daughter that he knew nothing about begging for help. Charles had nearly choked on his beer at the thought of Elvis being a dad but knew it would be the making of him. He knew that he should be happy for him, but he couldn't help but feel slightly jealous. Elvis was a player, kids was not something he had ever thought of, and here he was, a dad, while he had lost his, if there was one to begin with.

"Sorry I shouldn't be talking about kids," Elvis said as he saw the look on his friend's face.

"It's fine," Charles replied as he told him about Afghan, Smurf and Geraint and how the whole time he was away he couldn't help but think of Molly and that all too brief connection they had.

"What I don't understand is," Elvis asked carefully "If you felt the way you say you do about this girl, why did you not get any contact details for her?"

"I was intending to," Charles replied, "when we woke up, but she had already gone and left that note."

"You wanted it to be more than a one-night stand?"

"I don't know what I was thinking at the time, but even if we had exchanged details and kept in touch what could ever come of it. Let's face it I'm a married man, affairs, one-night stands are not expected of an officer. Rebecca's father would end my career," Charles sighed as he rubbed his face.

Elvis was about to speak, when he heard a phone ringing and nodded to Charles "Is that yours?"

Charles glanced at it and groaned as he saw Rebecca's name flash across the screen. "Now she decides to call me."

Charles answered the call and judging by the look on his face Elvis knew something serious had happened.

"What's wrong?"

"She's at the hospital; her father has had a heart attack." Charles answered as he stood up, preparing to leave.

Town Hall/Register office

It was mid-morning when Molly arrived at the town hall and was handed a form to complete while she waited to see the Registrar. It was the first time she had ever been in Bath Town Hall and she glanced around at the pictures on the wall, anything to calm her down.

She had only been there a few minutes when a friendly woman in her early forties came out to meet her. She shook Molly's hand and told her that her name was Gina who she followed down a long corridor and into a small alcove with two doors side by side. They went into the room on the right.

They made small talk and Gina explained that she was the registrar registering births today and asked Molly for the necessary paperwork before asking after the baby.

"Finally sleeping," Molly smiled "His godmother was only too pleased to look after him for a while."

"The first few weeks are always the worst," Gina had smiled. "So, have you decided on a name?"

"Yes, Sam."

"Short for Samuel or just Sam?"

"Just Sam, Sam Dawes."

"Perfect," Gina said as she took Molly's details, then came the part she had been dreading.

"And the father's details?"

Molly took a breath and burst into tears. Gina handed her a box of tissues and came and sat beside her until she had calmed down.

"I only know his first name so I suppose it will have to go down as unknown," Molly whispered fully expecting that look of judgement that flashed across most people's faces but instead there was a smile. There was no judgement, no snide remarks, just a smile as Gina talked through what would happen next as she made copies of what was now Sam's birth certificate.

After a few minutes, they left, and Molly turned expecting to leave the way she had come in until Gina lead her to her right.

"This area is like a giant circle," she explained as a man came out of the next office, smiled and turned left. "That is Gavin, he is a junior registrar, he is registering deaths today."

Molly frowned as Gina lead her into a huge room that reminded her of some sort of formal room with hundreds of photos on the wall. "My nan used to have an expression, for every birth someone dies, or something like that."

"I know the one you mean," Gina smiled "and I would say there is some truth in that statement."

"Are these photos all of Bath?" Molly asked.

"They are, most of them going back nearly a hundred years."

Molly couldn't help but look around her and then realised that she was holding Gina back "Sorry."

"No don't be, there is actually a photo here, that is engraved as being in Bath, but we have no idea where. We ask everyone who comes in to look at it to see if it's familiar, this is it here," she pointed to a grainy black and white image.

Molly looked, frowned and looked again. "It does look familiar, I can't think where, I haven't lived here long. Now if it were East London, I would have a better chance of helping you!"

"Everyone says that," Gina replied smiling "That it looks familiar, but they just can't place where."

They both laughed as they completed the circle back to the main entrance and said their goodbyes with Molly walking out the door down the steps pleased that it was finally over.

As Molly was being led into the registrar's office a car pulled up outside the town hall.

"I can't believe I am doing this," Rebecca sniffed as Charles grabbed her hand.

Despite the arguments and fights and his current feelings regarding his wife, Charles couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Her father, and his boss, had suffered a massive heart attack ten days ago but despite surgery, he had passed away the previous evening. Even though he hated the man, and now, didn't really like his wife either, he wouldn't have wished these past ten days on anyone.

"We have to register it first, before we can make funeral arrangements," Charles said quietly. "You can stay in the car; I can do it?" he offered.

"No, it's okay, I need to do something," Rebecca sniffed as she got out of the car.

They both walked in together and Charles watched Rebecca fill in the required form. After a few moments they saw a young man come and approach them. He introduced himself as Gavin, the junior Registrar who led them down the corridor and to a small alcove to two offices next door to each other and opened the door on the left.

They were leaving the office again some ten minutes later and when they left Charles noticed that Gavin turned to the right instead of the left.

"Where are we going?" Charles asked carefully

"My apologies," Gavin said "This part of the building is a bit like a circle, I call it a loop of history with all the portraits of the previous Mayors, and local history"

"Ah, I've never been in this part of the building, our wedding was registered in London," Charles explained as they entered the huge room, that unbeknown to Charles, Molly had been in only ten minutes earlier.

"Look at this," Charles exclaimed as he took in the old photos, including one of Bath Terrace.

He looked at the photo that Gavin had pointed out to him, of the building and street that looked so familiar to everyone, but no-one knew where it was.

Charles was studying the photo, he too recognised it only to be distracted by Rebecca pulling on his jacket sleeve.

"Can we go please; this place is spooky and besides I have more important things to be doing now."

They missed each other again!

I have never been to Bath or in the Town Hall or even know if there is one, I have just based that bit of the story on the one in the town where I live and something that the two registrars there do when you come to register a birth and death.

Thanks for reading xxx