This chapter bounces back between past and present tense a lot so please let me know if this is hard to follow or if you like it and I'll keep it in mind for future chapters. Also, your reviews make my day! I'm glad to see you guys are enjoying the story so far x

There was something about Charles' piercing gaze that transported Molly back in time. Everything else around seemed to fade and it was just the two of them. Gone was the ache in Molly's torso as she smacked into Fingers and non-existent was the sound of Clark's heavy panting in her ear as they ran. With Charlie's eyes on her, Molly was lifted back to a time in Bath.

It had been a happy place for them and their love story. It was where the sincere fundamentals of their relationship had formed. Their first date, their first time together – their proposal. With all of this in mind, they had chosen Bath as their wedding destination, despite Charles' insistence that they have the ceremony in London. London had never truly felt like Molly's home, especially since after joining the army. She still remembered her first rest and recuperation session; the desire to leave London again had surfaced as soon as she'd stepped through her cramped and chaotic threshold. It was why she'd spent most of her time away in Newport. And as a result, Molly had no ties to London, at least not in the gravely sentimental sense like Charles had to Bath. He'd had years and years of magical Christmas', walks down by the river with his parents, the earliest memories with his son. It felt incredibly wrong not to have their wedding ceremony in a place that Charlie cherished so dearly.

In fact, they'd even had their ceremony in the church that his parents had gotten married in. Molly had never been overly religious, but she still found herself in awe of the older structure that was adorned in oil paintings and intricate stain glass windows. It was a church that was quintessentially traditional and lavish, and it was quite truly the furthest thing from what Molly had imagined for her future one day. From an early age, Molly had just figured she wasn't cut out for marriage – her only real example being the rocky relationship between her parents. She'd never valued the importance of a piece of paper and a ring on her finger. So, a church as opulent as the one they had picked for their wedding day felt surreal. In fact, the whole experience was surreal. Charles' mum, Elizabeth, had taken Molly to one of those fancy wedding dress shops where the bride was handed a glass of champagne as she was helped through the endless racks of designer gowns. Then followed the counselling with a Catholic priest and hours and hours of foods tastings.

And the icing on the cake had been how loving and caring Charles had been through it all. He knew she was new to all of this and he'd done nothing but been supportive. Having had shitty relationships – like the one with Artan – in the past, Molly hadn't had any of this adoration before. She had never felt wanted or appreciated and it was safe to say she was putty in Charlie's hands. Every morning they'd wake up in bed together and he'd stare at her with the same intensity he was now; his fingers playing with the loose hairs plastered to her forehead. Without a doubt, he'd tell her he loved her every morning which she obviously responded to with a, "ditto."

That was one of the many things that had become something of theirs. Alongside owning the stage whilst singing 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart.' It had first started out as a laugh during her first tour in Afghan but had later turned into something strangely touching. There had been many a time when Molly and Charles had drunkenly made a show of themselves in front of family and friends, Charles winking shamelessly at her as she sang her parts rather atrociously.

It was hard not to smile at a memory as comical as that one but before she could, Fingers' attempt to hug Molly forced her out of her nostalgic reverie. His touch was like ice cold water thrown at her head and she finally remembered where she was and what situation she had been thrust into. Her body came hurtling back into the present day and despite wanting to cling to all of the good, the reality was bleak, one where the protagonists in her head didn't get the happy ending that she wanted them to have.

Because the truth was that Charles wasn't the ideal man in her head anymore. He didn't get to tease her about her singing or caress her hair as she slept because he'd messed up and sooner or later, Molly needed to accept that fact head on.

"Dawsey!" Ignoring the dark cloud that had settled over her happy memories, Molly turned to smile at her old friend who like, the resident comedian that he'd always been, was eager to crack a joke. "I know I'm 'andsome and all but you don't need to fall for me that hard."

"Oh, in your dreams, mate."

"It's really good to see you, Mols."

"You too, fingers." Molly chuckled before letting Fingers envelope her into a hug. As she did so, she tried her hardest to ignore the weight of Charles' stare on her.

He didn't mean to stare, he'd promised himself he wouldn't make her unnecessarily uncomfortable, but it was hard to look away from her. Molly Dawes was as beautiful as ever but there were evident changes in her appearance over the past year. Charles knew her unlike anybody else and he was readily able to detect all the good that the Israeli sun had seemed to do to her. Her skin was glossy with a sheen that Charlie presumed was sweat but there was a radiant glow to it, a golden tan that had sedimented the fact that it was boiling hot in Israel. In consequence, the bottoms of her hair had lightened as well, her brunette hair now almost a dirty blonde colour in the sun. All these new things made Charlie feel exactly the same as he did when she'd return from tour or vice versa; that desire to grab her and pull her into his arms was prevalent. It was like his mind was playing tricks on him as well, the scent of her tropical shampoo wafting over his senses tauntingly. And when she broke out into a smile – one that sadly wasn't directed at him – her beguiling teeth lit up the intimate atmosphere that they were in. It was like the jolt of an electric current, demanding your full attention.

"Dawes, Clark." The authoritative voice of Captain Adams pulled Molly away from Fingers, the two section six soldiers standing in positions of attention to their Commanding Officer. "At ease. What are you guys doin' outta bed so early?"

"Just on a run, sir." Molly answered immediately. Like always, she tried to channel her emotion into her work and she gave Captain Adams her full focus.

"Well, get your gear on and meet us in the ops room in ten."

"I'll pop my stilettos on then, shall I?" Clark joked, and Molly punched his arm, her gesture embodying how lame she thought his quip was. "I've 'ad enough of your sass this mornin', Molly. Don't think I've forgotten about you cheating."

"Cheating? Me? As if." Molly couldn't help but let the double meaning bleed into her tone of voice, her facial expression staying completely naïve. However, she noticed Charles' eyes narrow slightly. He had always been good at hiding his emotions, but Molly had lived with him for what felt like a lifetime. She knew about everyone of his little habits, one of which was squinting when he was irritated. So, before anybody else could catch onto the deeper meaning behind her remark, the idea for a quick exit flew into Molly's mind. "Bet you can't beat me to the quarter." Once again, Molly ambushed Clark and went sprinting off into the distance that she had just come hurtling into Fingers from.

"I'm gonna kill her." Clark waved at Fingers clumsily, even though they hadn't had a proper introduction before he went running after Molly for the second time that morning.

Charlie watched Molly and her fellow soldier run off into and felt a jealous longing grow in the depths of his chest. Her faint laughter blended into the sound of the wind and he so desperately wished for her to come back, for her to laugh like that like she once had with him.

"Go get ready, Fingers." Despite Charles' cold tone, Fingers hesitated a little. He had seen the effect that the separation from Molly had had on Captain James. He was sterner, sadder. And yes, he had always been pretty stern but the Captain who once did karaoke with his platoon was gone. There was never a ghost of a smile on his face or the hopefulness that arose in everybody at the end of a tour. It was evident that Charles James had lost all purpose after Molly Dawes had walked out of his life.

"Sir-" The earlier mocking tone that Fingers had possessed with Molly had disappeared and he tried his best to be a good friend. He was going to ask Charlie if he was okay but before he could, Charlie shut him down again.

"Now!" And this time, Fingers didn't argue back to Charles' order. He walked away wordlessly, leaving the two reigning captains, Charles, and Michael Adams, alone. The two men walked silently towards the ops room until Adams cleared his throat and began registering the elephant in the room.

"Look Captain James, I don't mean to be forward, but I would like to address this topic before we get into the more serious business." Michael knew he was treading on thin ice regarding Molly and Charles' marriage and was attempting to be careful with his choice of words. The last thing he wanted to do was piss off another CO but at the end of the day, his priority was his section and that meant prioritising Molly's wellbeing. "Molly is an asset to my team and I care for her. I would like to know now if us working together is going to be an issue."

"I can assure you, Captain, Molly and I are adults and capable of being nothing but professional." At least that was the plan but deep down, Charles knew that was probably unlikely. His everlasting stare down with Molly had been proof of that. They hadn't seen each other in over a year and there wasn't a chance that he was going to just act like she was another one of the lads. They still needed to have a conversation and it was most likely going to occur soon. He needed to talk to her, to apologise; to see what she was feeling. He hadn't been able to put a hold on his feelings during their first tour and the next three months in Israel would realistically turn out to be the same.

"She's at the forefront of this mission, James, and I don't want your marital issues to put anyone in danger, understood?"

"If you don't mind me asking, Sir, why is Molly so important to this mission?" Molly's ability to get herself into trouble had always worried Charlie. She had a knack for landing herself in difficult situations and it was something he thought about often. But, unlike Molly's previous reverie, Charlie's wasn't one that reminisced on the good memories. It was something he thought about way too often, something that always made his blood run cold and his heart pound profoundly from within him – the time he almost lost her.

It was a good few years ago and as a result of his injuries in Afghan during their first tour together, Charlie's deployments had been stilted up until his and Molly's wedding. Most of his days were spent idly gardening and renovating the old home that he'd grown up in, just waiting for her to come back. And he'd been doing exactly that when he'd gotten the call. A call that every soldier's family feared getting. Since their engagement, Molly had changed her emergency contact from Belinda to Charles, meaning that he was the first person they called if something went wrong.

"May I speak to Captain Charles James?" The monotone voice on the phone was enough to send Charles into a panic. He was all too familiar with the tone of voice that Mrs Smith had used to talk to him about Garent's funeral once upon a time.

"Speaking." Charles replied back with a need for urgency that made him hold the stairway bannister for support. "Is everything okay? Molly-"

"Miss Dawes' section was shot at on their way to Bastion during the early hours of this morning. She sustained a bullet wound to her left side. She is currently in a stable condition as of right now and will be sent home if she continues to do so for an early recovery." As the emotionless voice spoke about all of the technicalities that were required of Charlie, he found himself falling onto a step. His breathing was laboured and there was a loud ringing in his ear. He was still listening intently, but the burning image of a bloody and alone Molly was all he could see.

"Bring her back to me." Charles had pleaded at the end of the call, not like a soldier himself but like Molly's heartbroken fiancé.

And true to their word, Molly had flown back to England within the space of three days. Belinda along with the whole of Molly's clan were at the airport with Charles as they unloaded Molly off the aircraft in a stretcher. She looked absolutely miserable but there was a visible glint in her eyes as she spotted her family – Charles. As soon as paramedics were out of the way, he had seized her hand with silent tears forming in his eyes.

"Oi, you muppet, stop it, I'm fine." She had stroked his hand with her thumb like he had done to her many a time; her usual unphased grin unloading the heavy weight he'd been harbouring for what felt like an eternity.

"I thought I'd lost you." Charles all but chocked the words out. He'd had nightmares everyday since that phone call. He tried to envision a life without Molly and he simply couldn't. He couldn't fathom a world where she just didn't exist.

"Ditto."

"Marry me."

"I am marrying you, you weirdo." As if to prove a point, Molly pushed her chin in towards her chest to show off the string necklace that held his engagement ring on it. Unlike the string with Smurf's ring, Charles' was longer, the string stopping rather cornily on the same level as her heart.

"I mean now." Charles walked alongside Molly's gurney as they helped move her into a wheelchair for added comfort. Once she was done with slobbery kisses from the kids and a long hug from her Mum, Charles asked her again, this time, taking the ring from around her neck and slipping it onto her rightful finger. "Marry me, Molly Dawes."

"I'm not marrying you now. I stink." Molly crinkled her nose and Charles all but dropped to his knees in prayer at the fact that she seemed to be like her normal, comedic self, despite the gaping wound to her torso.

Nevertheless, Molly's flesh wound had been eye opener for the pair. They clung to one another for the first couple of days until Molly had an epiphany. She didn't know why they were waiting out for a summer wedding. She hated getting her hair done in the overbearing heat and she didn't even want to get started on all the insects that would be flying around. So, they pulled the wedding date forward. In a matter of weeks, she went from being injured and lying flat on a bed to being Mrs Molly James. And Charles' rapid need to get married had consolidated something for Molly's in those weeks, she had learnt that her stupidity on the field had consequences for both herself and now Charlie.

But as Charlie thought over that fact in his head, he realised that she probably no longer thought of him when she made rapid decisions on duty. He was no longer the last one that she wanted to see and that made him nervous. It made him worry for her safety even more than before. Because Molly had always been impulsive and strong willed and without any serious ties back in the UK, she was free to be as reckless as she had been when she'd ran through a minefield to get to an injured Smurf. "Has Molly been compromised?"

"Doesn't matter, Captain. I just need to know that you have her safety in mind rather than whatever's going on behind closed doors."

"With all due respect, Sir, I know I've been a shitty husband, but I want you to know that I'd never compromise Molly's safety, ever."

"Good to hear, James." The two men who had obvious soft spots for Molly nodded in agreement before stepping into the mess hall that was gradually filling up with members of two section and section six. Charles sat on the side with a cup of his trusty coffee whilst he let Captain Adams get ready. He was the Captain heading these upcoming missions, despite their equal titles and for now, Charles was just like the rest of the Privates, oblivious.

"You alright, cockwombles?" Molly's presence was announced before she entered the dining room and she was instantly attacked by the group of men from two section. They all crowded her with a hug but as they pulled away, she remembered how cockwombles had been a term that Charles had used, and she cleared her throat awkwardly before perching herself - much to two section's protest - amongst her new platoon. Section six greeted her with equally as open arms, Clark and a soldier nicknamed Stones, slinging their arms around her shoulders.

"At ease, Privates. Now that our little reunions are over with." Captain Adams ushered to Molly with a mocking squint to his eye. "Shall we get down to business?"

"Sir." The room resonated with a collective agreement as everyone's professional personas came to play.

"Until we receive word from US Intelligence on what comes next, work here will continue as intended. That means mock exercises on base and a few of you out with locals in order to help with medical and sanitary care." In summary, the humanitarian work didn't require two platoons' undivided attention and for some, Adam's orders seemed like a light days work. But Adams being Adams was quick to snub that thought out of everyone's minds. "That doesn't mean we'll tolerate any slackers. We could be called out onto duty at any time which means I need you clued on at all times of the day. Are we understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Now go get yourselves fed and prepped for obstacle courses in an hour." The male centric room cheered gleefully at the mention of food, all of them turning towards the buffet set up behind them. "Dawes, a word, please." Captain Adams used his pointer finger to signal her over and she chuckled at his luring gesture with a roll of her eyes.

"Sir?"

"How you doing Dawes?" Molly looked at Captain Adams funnily, her mind not really comprehending his question. "After everything, yesterday?"

"I'm fine, Captain." Molly tried to sound reassuring, a fake smile plastered across her face brightly. Truthfully, she wasn't all that fine. She obviously hadn't been able to sleep, and Charles had thrown a spanner into the works. She had moments where she thought of Chana's death and she felt helpless. And then she'd think of Charles again and the way his presence also made her feel helpless. It was a frenzy of unwanted emotions all at once.

"Look, I'm giving you a free pass today." Captain Adams, like any other good Commanding Officer, understood the importance of both physical and mental health when in the army. "I just want you to spend some time with two section's medic. Talk about everything or nothing if that's what'll do ya. Just take it easy before everything goes tits up, okay?"

Molly was going to protest but she held her mouth. She knew if she protested it would be a greater sign of her incapability to join the field again, something which she couldn't afford. If everything in her life was making her feel helpless, she was going to have to do something about it. And that meant getting justice for Chana and all the other children like her - that was the only thing that Molly had left.