Chapter One- Gone too long.

Dan travels a lot with his job, especially with the world in the state that it is in at the moment. I hate it when he goes but I know that he does an important job and I also know that it means a lot for him to do that job. This time Dan had been away for a whole year. His team was tasked over in the Middle East, working towards something or other that I wasn't allowed to know about. It was a strange year to say the least. Only being able to talk to him for five or ten minutes at a time but the worst thing by far was not being able to answer my children's questions as to when he would be back. Anthony, being 10 and the eldest, understood to some extent that what his father was doing was important but Fliss just wanted her daddy home.

Anyway, Dan came back, very tanned but our Dan none the less. The kids were ecstatic to have their dad home and I got my husband back.

"Daddy?" asked Fliss, playing with her toys. I was lay across his lap, watching her play and Anthony was doing his science project for school.

"Yes, Fliss?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Why did you go away?"

Dan paused for a moment. I could see the cogs turning in his brain. I sat up.

"Do you know what Daddy does, Felicity?"

She nodded, "Daddy works for a puter company, helping to fix poorly puters."

Dan looked at her again. "Come here Fliss." She walked over and sat on his knee. "You too Anthony!" he called over to the dining room table. Anthony came and climbed onto my lap. "Do you guys want to know what Daddy really does?"

Both Fliss and Anthony nodded earnestly. Dan looked at me and I shrugged. I wasn't sure how well this would go down but if he wanted to tell his kids what he really did, then I was there to support him.

Dan looked down at his kids and smiled. "Daddy works for the government, like Grandad Mike."

"But Grandad Sherlock says that Grandad Mike is the government."

Dan laughed. "Yes!" he smiled, "That is very true. However, I work for an institution called MI5."

Anthony and Fliss just stared at Dan, willing him to go on. Obviously, MI5 didn't mean anything to them at this stage.

Dan continued, "My job involves countering terrorism…"

"Like the people behind the Westminster Attack in 2017?" asked Anthony. "I remember that happening and you having to leave the house really quickly."

"Exactly! When something bad happens or there's an increased terror threat, my team will call me in. Other than that, I work a normal job."

"But why do you go away, Daddy? You haven't explained why you go away!" Fliss stated.

"Sometimes, my job requires me to go abroad. To help with international terror sects or to help other governments be able to counter these units on their own. I try not to go away very often because I hate leaving my babies and mummy, but I don't have a lot of choice."

Fliss looked at him, trying to understand.

"The main point is, I go away to help people. Like Uncle John does sometimes."

"But he's a doctor. That's his job!" said Fliss, matter of factly.

Daniel sighed. This had been harder than he had thought. "It's my job too, Fliss. As rarely as it happens, it's a part of my job too."

"But you're not a doctor!" Fliss argued.

"Baby girl, its not just doctors that help people…" Daniel began.

"I don't see why you have to go away to help people, when Grandad Mikey stays here and helps people too!" Fliss sat with her arms folded.

"Grandad Mikey has a slightly different role. Let me explain it like this, Felicity. You know in the Army, you have different ranks?"

She nodded, allowing him to continue.

"Well, Grandad Mike is like the general. He is in charge of all the foot soldiers, like me and I have to do what the General tells me to do otherwise I get in trouble."

"How much trouble?" asked Anthony, rejoining the conversation.

"A lot. I could lose my job if I didn't go and then Mummy would have to go back to work, and you like having mum around during the day don't you, Fliss?"

Again, Fliss nodded.

"So, you see, Daddy has to go away sometimes because that is what he is told."

Fliss sat and thought for a minute and then said, "Ok, but that doesn't mean that I like you going."

Daniel hugged her and smiled, "Daddy doesn't like going. And definitely not for as long as he has been away."

"Yes, please don't go away for a year again!" I smiled at him. Dan flashed a smile back.

"I won't." he replied, "I promise."

We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and playing with the kids. Dan then took them out for a walk while I cooked dinner. It was strange having four to cook for again, but it was a nice strange. We all sat and ate round the table as a family and Dan was busy telling the kids where he had been on his trips. It was going to be nice, not having to lie to them anymore about what Dad was doing and where he was when he wasn't at home. They might also understand why, when something bad happens, he leaves in a rush and forgets to say goodbye. He was usually pretty good with birthdays, trying not to miss one. Or if he was away, he would make sure he was back, even for a few hours.

It was going to be nice, not being the only parent in the house for a few weeks before Dan went back to work. Harry had been kind and gave Dan 4 weeks off, as he had been away for so long. He rang me from the airport and made a list of all the things that he wanted to do with the children. Fortunately, for the first week of his time off, Anthony and Fliss were on school holiday, February half term. Originally, Dan had wanted to go away, somewhere in the UK, but just get away from London and be a family. But then he got home and realised how much he had missed being here, so we decided to stay and do things locally. I knew that Dan would want to see his Dad and his grandparents, so we made plans to head down to Kent to see them. Seeing as they only lived half an hour away from Canterbury, we thought we would take them over to the city and do the cathedral. I had applied to do my degree at Canterbury but with Dan working out of London, I took the London offer. We were also going to do a trip out with Dad, Molly, Hamish and Christopher, but not going too far as Molly was expecting again. Despite living in the Greater London area, there were still a number of places that we hadn't been in the city.

But that's getting ahead of things.

Tonight, I had my husband back.

We put Fliss to bed just after seven in the evening and Anthony stayed up for another half hour before heading to bed. He curled into his Dad and read his book. He was re-reading the Hobbit for what seemed like the hundredth time. I swear he knew the book word perfect by now, but he was enjoying it, which was the point. He let Dan take him up to bed and I put the kettle on, making myself and Dan a cup of tea. I didn't hear him come down the stairs and I almost screamed when he wrapped his arms round my waist.

I hit his shoulder, "You scared me!"

Dan chuckled softly, nestling his head in my neck, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean too!" he started to kiss my shoulder.

I moaned softly, "Mmm, that's ok."

Dan moved my hair to expose my neck and he kissed it, "I've missed you!"

Abandoning the tea making, I turned to face him, "I've missed you too!" I said, kissing him softly, my hands getting lost in his hair.

Dan returned the kiss, smiling slightly. "I didn't know how I was going to cope, not being able to be with you for a whole year!"

"You survived then?" I said, kissing the nape of his neck.

"Barely!" he said, pulling down the side of my top.

"I can tell!" I said, lifting his top off.

We carried on until both of us were in our underwear.

"We should take this upstairs…" Dan said, cupping my face gently.

I nodded and, taking Dan's hand, I followed him upstairs…