Twenty minutes later, most of which was spent trying to rinse the Afghan crime out of Mrs James' spotlessly clean shower, she tiptoed across the hall to the door that was slightly ajar. She felt a bit awkward, standing there in his parents house, wearing his clothes that absolutely drowned her. She hesitantly pushed the door open a little bit further, praying she'd got the right room and wasn't about to walk in on his parents, much to her relief he was laying there on the bed looking like he might fall asleep any moment.

"Sorry, am I keeping you awake?" She asked, a smile playing on her lips.

He rubbed at his face and sat up a little, trying to shake off the feeling of exhaustion that had hit him like a train the second he'd sat down. He shook his head in answer to her question. "No, of course not. Are you hungry still?" He changed the subject before she could make herself feel guilty for calling him.

She shook her head, shifting awkwardly in the doorway. She'd lost her appetite while she was stood in the shower mulling over what had happened, but she also wasn't ready to go to bed and be alone with her thoughts.

"I can show you where the spare room is if you're tired?" He asked, starting to stand up.

Molly shook her head and he stopped in his tracks. "Do you mind if I just sit with you for a while? I'm not ready to go to sleep yet." She asked timidly. Her heart was in her mouth, the fear of rejection taking over her.

He relaxed back down on the bed, patting the empty space beside him. "Of course you can Dawes. Make yourself comfortable." He smiled.

She felt her heart skip a beat as she walked around and climbed on to the bed beside him. As much as she hated to admit it, all she really wanted to make herself feel better was to be close to him. She couldn't help but wonder how things might've turned out if she hadn't pushed him away and taken that tour- would they be curled up on the sofa in a house of their own by now? A part of her wished they were.

But she'd done the right thing, that was what she'd kept reminding herself while she'd been missing him when she was away. If she'd let herself just fall into a relationship with him things would never have worked out, she was too messed up after what happened with Artan to be able to trust someone properly again. She needed the time to heal.

She thought that was what she'd done, those months in the Afghan desert thinking things through over and over again as she laid in that tiny little bunk had allowed her to put Artan in a tiny little box and shove him to the back of her mind where she didn't have to think about him anymore. That was until he'd been stood there right in front of her, then that bloody box had opened itself again and dragged everything up again.

"Penny for your thoughts Dawes?" He asked, rolling onto his side with his head propped up by his arm so he could look at her. "Never seen you this quiet in my life, I didn't even know you could manage it!"

She attempted a smile, turning her body a little so she was lying down facing him. He looked exhausted, despite his attempt to deny it, he could barely keep his eyes open and she wondered how long it would take for him to fall asleep if she started talking.

"Something happened earlier." She started slowly, it was too late to turn back now. She was going to have to tell him. "When I phoned you."

"I guessed as much." He said quietly, battling with his body to try and stay awake. He'd never forgive himself if the moment she finally decided to open up he fell asleep while she was talking.

"Mum and Dad were really pissing me off- I don't know what she said to you, but I know she told you to go and I'm really sorry." She paused glancing up at him. He nodded and smiled understandingly, silently encouraging her to carry on. "I sort of stormed out and just started walking, I used to walk around London all the time to escape them two so it was just like I was on autopilot. I sat there for a bit, just like thinking about things, and then I got up to leave and he was just there."

"Who?" His sleep deprived mind didn't get there at first. "Artan?!"

Molly nodded, biting her lip. "I think it was just a coincidence, we used to walk down that way together all the time when we lived in London. It just never even crossed my mind that he might be in London. But I suppose all his family is there, his whole life was there until I dragged him to the other end of the country when I joined the army. It makes sense for him to go back there."

"Did he say anything to you?" Charles asked, he was suddenly much more awake now she'd dropped that bombshell on him.

He knew the answer already from the way she hesitated and avoided meeting his eyes.

"What did he say to you Molly?" He asked, trying to remind himself to keep calm. What he actually wanted to do was get back in the car and drive all the way back to London so he could put Artan in his place.

"It's fine, really." She mumbled. "It was just a shock, seeing him there like that."

"Molly, what did he say?" He was getting stern with her now. Hearing his voice like that made her feel like she was back in the ops tent listening to him bollocking the under fives all over again. She missed them.

"He just made some comment about me being out on my own, that's all." She sighed. "Said you'd obviously realised what a filthy little slut I really am and that I was nowhere near good enough for you and left me." She regretted saying it as soon as the words left her mouth. She watched as his face turned deadly serious and his fists clenched the bed sheets as he struggled to calm himself down.

"Did he say anything else to you?" He asked, making an effort to keep his voice calm and level.

She shook her head. "No, I left." She answered quickly.

He'd got a feeling she wasn't telling him the truth, but one thing he'd learned with her was the harder he pushed the more she shut him out.

"He's wrong you know." He said quietly, reaching out slowly to put a hand on her arm, afraid he might startle her.

"What?" She looked at him in confusion. She didn't know what she'd been expecting him to say but it wasn't that.

"Well everything he says is wrong, he's full of shit." He smiled to himself. "But I could never get bored of you Molly, and you know that I want to be there for you- and if that's just as friends then that's fine, but if you ever decide you're ready to trust me and you want something more then I'll be here."

She felt her eyes welling up as he spoke, and she scooted across the bed to close the distance between them, burying her face in his chest so he wouldn't see she was crying. He closed his arms around her and held her tightly, and she felt safe and comforted- something she'd never once felt with Artan.

Charles was right, she could trust him with her life- she had done in Afghanistan when he was her Captain- but this was different. She knew he'd never do anything to deliberately hurt her, that she could tell him how she felt without fear of being punished. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that this amazing man- who was now snoring in her ear- actually wanted to be with her, Molly Dawes.

But yet she could still heat Artan in the back of her head telling her she'd never be good enough and that she didn't deserve to be happy.