A week later, Jacob was insisting that they return to England. Connie and Grace had spent most of the time in hospital with him; save for a few shopping trips and Grace's supervised visit to the ice cream shop with two of Jacob's friends one extremely hot afternoon. The wound was healing well, and although she didn't want to think of this as a priority over Jacob when it wasn't, she had taken a week off work now, and she doubted that her sudden departure would have been received kindly.

"You know," Jacob struggled to pull his belt over him as they settles onto the plane, wincing as he turned over some of the bandages. "They find you terrifying."

"Who?"

"Tom and the others."

"Good." At this, he chuckled, and she hit his wrist gently before checking her other side to make sure Grace had her belt sorted. She then leant her head onto Jacob's shoulder, and he put an arm around her, taking a deep breath as he did, earning a stern glare at which he raised an eyebrow.

"See?"

"You shouldn't be doing anything to make it hurt."

"It's fine, Con-"

"It's not-"

"If you're going to do this the entire way to England, please can I move seats?" Grace rolled her eyes at her mother before turning around her, eyeing prospective spaces. "You'll argue for ages, then start kissing and that's all you've done this week, I can't watch it in a confined space as well."

Jacob nodded hishead. "Listen to your daughter and stop picking on me."

"I wasn't-" Connie began, but when both Grace and Jacob raised their eyebrows, she just gave a sigh and rested back in her seat, shutting her eyes. She hadn't slept well in the last week as she'd only slept in bursts, not trusting anyone else to look after Jacob, so as soon as her eyes shut she was asleep.

"Do you think she'll calm down now we're on the way home and you're no longer looking so pathetic?" Grace questioned before emitting a giggle as Jacob mimicked Connie's raised eyebrow expression.

"Who knows, firecracker. What I do know is that the ED is going to be a mess, so she's probably going to have to be at work a lot, and that means you and I need to make sure she looks after herself." Jacob replied as the plane began to roll down the runway.

"When are you going to propose?"

"You need to learn to mind your own business, Miss Beauchamp." Jacob smiled, resting back in his seat. "Now stop bothering me, I'm old and injured."

Smiling to herself, Grace slid on headphones and shut her eyes.

Three hours later, they were home. Connie didn't dare turn her phone on again, dreading the influx of emails and calls that would have to be dealt with soon; she couldn't avoid them forever. Grace helped Jacob to the sofa, who protested despite his obvious struggle getting from the car to the front door after a day of travelling. Grace gave him her best firm stare, and he eventually relented, and was sleeping a mere twenty minutes later.

"Mum?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"How long will Jacob be off for?"

"He'll have to be assessed, Gracie. But I will have to work, and you will have to go to school, so don't go looking at me like that." Grace sighed, before going back into the front room and standing in the doorway.

"Grace, do you want some pasta or something?" Connie called through, coming to stand next to her daughter when she received no response. "Gracie?"

"I like the one Jacob makes."

"Darling, I don't think Jacob's up to making you fancy-schmancy tagliatelle."

"Can't we just get-"

"Er, no."

Grace sighed and looked at her mother with large eyes. "But what about something from Jacob's favourite restaurant?"

"stop looking at me like that, young lady. you've had enough take away this week to last you the year. So, it's pasta or..." Connie opened the fridge and wrinkled her nose at the state of the food in there. "..Take away it is!"

...

The next morning life was back to usual. Well, almost. Grace had argued about going to school, Connie was up early beginning paperwork that Charlie had arrived with the night before, but Jacob stayed fast asleep. He'd barely moved from the sofa since they arrived back, as his medication made him sleepy. When he did wake, he was disoriented and his footsteps stumbled as he walked towards the sound of Connie on the phone.

When she saw him in the doorway, Connie covered the phone. "Are you okay?"

Jacob nodded, rubbing his face sleepily as he entered the room, flicking through the files that now rested on the desk that mimicked Connie's office desk perfectly. "You're not going in?"

"And leave you here alone to go to the gym or something ridiculous?" Connie questioned, waving his hand away from the work she was sorted through before she snapped at the person on the phone.

Smiling to himself, Jacob bent to drop a kiss to her head. Connie Beauchamp was back.

"That's not going to work." She motioned with her hands in order to emphasise the futility of the point the other person was making, before standing up and moving to the window. He watched as she paced about the room in agitation, making up for the fact that she couldn't stalk through the ED, barking at staff and at the person on the other end of the line simultaneously. "Yes, you've got two minutes." She then brought the phone away fro her ear, sighing in frustration, looking at Jacob as he beckoned her over.

"Sit down." He gestured to his lap, and she raised her eyebrow.

"Don't go getting any ideas. You're not up for it."

"Ssh. Just sit down." She sighed again, as he now reached to her waist and pulled her forcibly down onto his legs. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips before bringing the phone back to her ear. She closed her eyes, her head shaking as the person continued to say all of the wrong things.

"No, you know what, I'll just sort it myself. Don't trouble yourself." She then hung up, and tossed the phone behind her onto a pile of cushions.

"You're extremely attractive when you get angry."

"Oh, so I'm not terrifying anymore?"

"Attractive and terrifying. I like the combination. In fact-"

"Behave." She kissed him again, her hands curling around his head before she slipped from his legs, laughing as he groaned, not from pain but from loss of contact.

"Connie..."

"I don't do pity. You brought this on yourself, I'm not going to give in that easily, Masters."

"What do you think of that name?" Jacob questioned as Connie returned to the desk to find the staff rota.

"Hmm?" Connie asked, blowing the fringe from her eyes so she could see better.

"What do you think of the name Masters?" Jacob repeated.

Connie froze then, Grace's words about marriage quickly coming back to her. "It suits you." Connie finally replied, keeping her back to Jacob.

"Come back and sit with me for a minute."

"I've got work to do, Jacob, and I need to go out and get some food because there's nothing in the fridge. And I need to book you an ap-" Connie's list was cut off by Jacob's lips pressing to hers.

"5 minutes, and then you can get on with your list."

Sighing, Connie let Jacob lead her back to the couch. "If this is just to kiss, then I'm going back to work because you just fall asleep on me as soon as I get all hot and bothered."

Jacob gave a laugh as he sat down, pulling Connie back onto his lap. "I just want to say thank you."

"For what?" Connie questioned, lifting his top to check his dressing, making him tutt and pull down his top.

"For finding me."

"You know I would have-"

"I'm not talking about Spain, Connie." At this, she blew out a long breath before meeting his eyes again. She didn't know what to say, what to tell him. This man had saved her. He had saved her effectively from herself, from destroying her relationships with her daughter, with her staff... He had pulled her out of being the person she had begun to hate. As ever, she couldn't force the words out, constantly acting in the manner of self preservation, no matter what the cost. But he knew that.

"I didn't find you, Jacob." She eventually spoke, quietly, and just as her head began to drop he brought his fingers to her chin so that she was looking directly at him. He then slowly released his hold, tracing his fingers slowly down her jaw and then her neck, curling around in her hair.

"Do you remember the time, when I asked you out for dinner?" His fingers trailed across her collarbone and she gave a soft laugh. Of course she remembered. "And you said-"

"I'm sorry but, I think I'll have to say no." She looked up at him, and this time he laughed, before pressing a kiss into her hair. "You then said that you don't ask twice."

"Mhm." He murmured into her hair, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the small, velvet box that he had been carrying ever since they arrived back home, waiting for the occasion to arrive. "Well, I suppose I kept to my word, because I haven't actually asked yet, right?"

"Jacob.." Connie whispered, shaking her head a little and looking worried. Their current relationship was perfect. What if marriage changed things? What if-

"Let me say it, and then you can say whatever you need to." Jacob assured her, smiling when Connie let out a shaking breath and nodded. "I've never met someone like you, Constance Beauchamp. I wanted to make this perfect for you, I had everything planned down to the last detail, but this last week has made me realise that it's not the asking or the day that matter, it's the years we might spend together that are need to be perfect. All that right now needs is a smile on your lips when I say...Queen B, will you marry me?"

Connie brushed tears from her cheeks and gave a soft laugh as she then moved the hand to cup jacob's cheek "Did you mean that to rhyme?"

"You know I didn't." Jacob smiled back widely.

"I already told you my answer." Connie whispered before dropping a gentle kiss to Jacob's lips.

"Tell me again." He urged.

Connie nibbled her lip then, and Jacob saw a flash of the old, panicked Connie across her face before a smile lit her lips once more. "You want to marry me even though I'm from Peckham?"

"Well, we can keep that detail just between us. I have a reputation to keep up." Jacob replied.

Laughing now, Connie nodded her head, still smiling as tears fell. "Of course I will marry you."

"Well, that is a relief..." He playfully pushed her face away from his, stroking the tears from her cheeks as he did so. "Don't cry, sweet cheeks. I'm trying to make you happy. I've been told explicitly to recount every detail of this proposal to your daughter the minute she arrives home, she would never forgive me if-"

"I am happy. I'm, I'm so happy." He laughed as she spoke in between her tears, holding her as she cried softly into his shoulder.

"So...Do you want to see it?" He held her back as he opened the box, before snapping it shut. He took her left hand, placing it on the left side of his chest, slipping the ring onto her finger. He had barely fitted it before her lips descended onto his, smiling despite the tears that continued to run down her face.

"Oh, just one thing." He pulled away suddenly, grinning. "I'm not to expect any competition at the altar? I'm not exactly fighting fit for a tussle with Mr Beauchamp-" He was silenced as she pulled her leg over him, and pushed her lips to his. He groaned, in pain as well as with pleasure as his chest strained underneath her.

"Married, divorced, from Peckham and a child... Whatever have you let yourself in for, Muscles?"