ninewood: Thank you (smiles). And I'll extend that same offer to you.

kaelang12: Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much

A/N: This chapter contains a little bit of nudity and some sexual content. Just a warning for those who might need it. And feel free to leave a review, the door is always open.

ooOoo

Is it a warning? Is it an evil sign? Is it a people, who have lost their mind? Is it the darkness? Is it a memory's sign? Is it a best friend, leaving you behind? Is it ever going to stop? Will they ever let you go? You're in a rush, they don't care enough, cause their lives are very slow. Time is ticking on, you don't get a second shot, and when you sell your soul for a leading role, will the lost souls be forgot?

I Can't Hear The Music- James Blunt

ooOoo

Jamie awoke to the sensation of cool air blasting in his ear. Startled, he turned to see Carol smiling at him.

"Good morning, Daddy," she whispered.

"Good morning love," he answered, then stretched and looked at the clock. "It's only half six, what are you doing up this early?"

"School bus comes at eight," she whispered. "Can we have breakfast?"

Jamie groaned, maneuvering slowly so as to not disturb Bridget. "Alright, ye go get dressed."

"But what about Alex?"

"I'll wake your brother," Jamie sighed. "If he's anything like me, he doesna like the mornings." He looked to see Carol still at his side. "Well go on. Time t' go get dressed, off wi' ye."

Carol bounded up the stairs.

"Quietly! Let yer mum sleep."

"Okay…" Carol went back to her room as Jamie climbed the stairs and knocked on Alex's door, opening it.

"Alex, it's half past six. Time t' get up."

The nine year old, in typical fashion, groaned and rolled over.

"Don't make me throw water on ye. Up!"

"Can I throw water on him, Daddy?" Carol appeared at Jamie's side already dressed in her school clothes.

"Carol, get ye downstairs."

Alex groaned again.

Losing patience, Jamie walked into Alex's room and pulled the blanket off his son. "I'll not tell ye again. Up and get dressed."

Alex mumbled incoherently, got up, and made his way to the bathroom.

Packing them each a quick lunch, Jamie got them out the door to the school bus, marveling how Bridget did it every morning. In a way, he supposed he'd unofficially declared it to be 'Mum's day off.' She'd had a huge shock, and the best way to recover was to rest. Luckily, he noticed that she didn't have to go into work that day, and he had no lessons to teach. Might as well get the chore of mucking out the stalls and feeding the horses done before she woke up, and they could spend the day together.

ooOoo

Bridget awoke to the sound of Jamie kicking off his boots and hanging up his coat. He'd just been out to feed the horses, and, from the lack of noise in the house, the kids were already at school.

She got up, and went up the stairs to the children's bedrooms. Seeing that, of course, neither of them had made their beds up, she took to doing them up herself. If nothing else, it would keep her busy, at least for a little while.

"So how long are you going to stand there?" she muttered, not turning around.

"Till ye decided t' speak t' me," she could hear the smirk in his voice.

"I've told them time and time again they need to make their bed before they go off to school, but do they listen to me? Nope. I'm just Mum, what I ask for doesn't matter…" she fluffed Carol's pillow and threw it back on the bed with unnecessary force.

"This hasna bothered ye before…"

"What? Just because I haven't said anything you think it hasn't bothered me?" she nearly yelled. "Because it has, Jamie. Every time I walk by and I see that they haven't made their beds I want to scream! It bothers me to no end!" she tucked the blanket into the end of the bed and pushed both hands down into the mattress.

As she went back out into the hall, she brushed past Jamie's extended hand. Not getting very far, her knees gave out from underneath her, and she collapsed, sobbing.

Getting to his knees behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close.

"It's alright, a nighean," he whispered, smoothing her hair away from her face and kissing her cheek.

"Make it okay, Jamie," she sobbed. "Please, I don't want to feel the hurt."

Jamie maneuvered her enough to pick her up and carry her down the hallway toward the bedroom.

"I'll do whatever I can."

Laying her on the bed, he kissed her gently, not wishing to startle her. Slowly, piece by piece, he undressed her, till she lay in only her bra and panties. Tracing a finger down her stomach, he trailed kisses down her body, stopping to prepare her properly, stripping off her panties last.

She gasped at the invasion of his fingers, pinching her eyes shut, still trying to find him in the swirl of confusion running through her head.

"I'm here, a nighean," she heard him whisper, stopping and grabbing her hand. "See? Feel that? That's m' heart."

She nodded, whimpering at the loss of contact. "Please…"

"Yes Bridget," he reached down between her legs, touched flesh he hadn't touched for well over a week and a half. "It's completely up t' you. You tell me how this will go."

"Curl your fingers," she begged him, waited till he obliged. "Yeah, that's it," she arched, bit back a scream as his fingers moved quickly. "Don't stop, please, don't stop!"

There was a level of desperate pleading in her voice. This wasn't just to comfort her, she truly wanted whatever contact she could have, and he'd oblige her.

"Oh my God!" she cried, tightening around his fingers.

Smiling now, Jamie moved further, rolling away and undoing his belt.

"I still need you, Jamie," she managed between deep breaths. "Please… I want you inside me…"

"Aye, a nighean, always…" he carefully climbed back onto the bed, ready, and very slowly, granted her wish. She took him inch by inch, for he would not move until she gave him permission to do so.

"Don't stop now…"

He didn't, and when she arched once again, this time with him, she pulled him close.

"No… no, don't move," she laid his head on her chest. "Stay…" she breathed. "Please… stay inside just a little longer."

If that was what it took, to lay on top of her and protect her from all possible harm (though he could not fathom any sort of harm coming to her in their bedroom), then he would.

He felt her tighten around him ever so slightly, making him gasp.

"Have I told you lately how good you feel?" he asked, his arms wrapped around her back, holding her tight.

"How?"

"I can't really describe it, it's like…" he paused. "When we're joined, it's like I dinna exist without ye."

"Me neither," she sighed, rubber limbed.

"Are ye alright, a nighean? Can I move off ye now?"

"So long as you hold me," she answered as he rolled over, settled on his back, and pulled her close.

Curling into his chest, he felt her shoulders start to shake.

"What's the matter, love?"

"I don't know," she insisted. "I honestly don't know why I'm crying over someone who didn't love me in the first place."

"Aye, but there must be a part of ye that loved him."

"I don't know, I really don't," she repeated. "How do you love someone who beat and raped you almost every night?"

"Was there ever a time when ye did something special together?"

"You mean when you and Carol have 'tea' together?"

"Aye, like that."

"Um… I think there was this one time where he took me to the playground, and he would catch me at the bottom of the slide and throw me in the air laughing."

"And were ye laughing too?"

"Yeah."

"See, that's a good memory. How old were you?"

"I think about six."

"An' at that point, there was a little girl that knew her daddy loved her an' would be there for her."

"But that all changed when I hit puberty and his friend raped me. Even after he threatened him off with a gun, I don't understand what would cause him to 'continue the trend', so to speak."

"That I canna answer."

"Exactly, and I can't forgive him for that."

"Not t' make ye feel worse, but ye need t' do that in order t' heal."

"Do you know how hard that is, Jamie? To know that I have to forgive him, and I can't. Even if I'd gotten a one line note with an 'I'm sorry' on it, it would be much easier. I never got anything even close to that. Do you know what he told me?"

"No, what?"

"When he finished, he whispered 'You're as tight as your mother' in my ear."

Jamie's eyes bulged.

"He didna!"

"That, and he called me whore, good for nothing slag, bitch, and any other foul name he could think of at the time. Every time he came, he'd kiss my forehead so forcefully it left bruises. Do you know how that feels? To be treated like a whore when you should be enjoying your childhood?"

He shook his head.

"Exactly. So don't tell me I need to forgive him for something so horrible. I swear there must be a seventh circle of Hell reserved for people like him. Do you see now why I jumped into bed with anyone and everyone? It was all I could do to forget."

"And ye couldna tell me this before?"

"It's not exactly the easiest thing to say, is it?"

"No, it isna," he agreed, holding her close and running his hand down her arm. "But I'm yer husband, an' I love ye no matter what. I'll nae judge ye for mistakes an' decisions past. What he did was disgusting, ye canna blame yourself."

"But there's no one to claim him."

"Claim the body. The soul is now in God's hands an' will be judged for its sins."

"You mean he'll go to Hell?"

Jamie nodded.

"Good."

There was really nothing left to say. The two of them lay together silently, listening to the sounds of the house around them. Even with Alex and Carol at school, the walls echoed with laughter, their school pictures adding a cheeky air to the living room, their books and stuffed animals making themselves known at all times.

"I'd say we're doing alright," Bridget remarked, getting up and dressing again.

"Aye, I agree. Yer a fine wife, an' a great mother."

"Stop it, you're making me blush."

"I dinna say things that aren't true," he answered, dressing at the same time as she.

Smiling, she kissed him once, before hearing the front door open and the sound of children kicking off shoes and throwing backpacks in the corner.

"I did not!"

Bridget rolled her eyes. "Now what?"

She went downstairs to see Carol and Alex standing nearly nose to nose. "I didn't do it, an' you know it!"

"What didn't you do?"

"I didn't put leaves down his shorts, Mum! I didn't!"

Bridget suppressed the urge to laugh.

"We were walking home from the bus stop alone! Who else would it have been?"

"A ghost!"

Bridget put a hand to her forehead. "I'm going to let your father sort this one out. Daddy!" she called up the stairs. In front of the children, they called each other Mummy and Daddy, for the sake of simplicity.

Jamie came down the stairs adjusting the hem of his shirt. "Now who put leaves down whose shorts?"

"Carol did, Dad. I'm still picking leaves out of my butt!"

Jamie bent down to Carol's level. "An' why did ye do that?"

"I dunno, just 'cause," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders.

"Ye canna put leaves down your brother's shorts just because you feel like it," Jamie scolded her. "Now, ye say sorry t' yer brother an' go t' yer room."

"But Daddy…"

"Now!"

Carol mumbled an apology to Alex and went up the stairs to her room. As Alex sat down at the kitchen table to his homework, they heard a familiar wheezing noise.

"What's that?" Alex asked.

Jamie and Bridget looked at each other.

"Ye dinna think…"

Bridget went to the door, her hand on the knob, and looked out the window.

"Doctor!" she opened the door and held out her arms.

"Hello my dear," he smiled, pulling her close for a quick hug.

"Come in, come in," she let go and led him into the kitchen.

Smiling, Jamie shook the man's hand and sat him down in the living room. They heard a door opening cautiously and Carol's small voice asking if she could come back downstairs, after all she'd been upstairs long enough, and if they had a visitor she wanted to meet them too.

Of course, once she'd been allowed back downstairs, Alex immediately leapt up, grabbed a wooden spoon, and challenged his younger sister to a duel. Shouting 'Creag an tuire!' at each other, they ran around the house screaming as Bridget set down a tea tray.

She set her jaw and turned around. "Alex! Carol! If you two don't stop that this instant, I'll ground you for a month!"

The shouting immediately stopped, and the children froze in place.

"That's better," Bridget poured two cups of tea and sat down on the couch.

"Mum?"

She turned to see both Alex and Carol frozen on the stairs. "I'm not going to make you stand there all night, I just don't want you chasing each other like that. Come and say hello to the Doctor."

Carol couldn't bring herself to move.

"Hey hey, it's alright," Jamie picked her up and walked over to where the Doctor sat., Alex climbing on to the couch beside Bridget. "I know ye dinna remember the Doctor, but it's alright. Can ye say hello?"

Carol buried her face in her father's shoulder.

"Oh now dinna fash," Jamie kissed her temple. "The Doctor is a good friend of mine and yer mum's. Dinna fash."

Carol turned her head and gave the Doctor a shy smile.

"Hello dear girl," the Doctor smiled at her and held out his hand. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"'M Carol," she answered. Of course he knew her name, but he found that children were normally much more at ease if they introduced themselves to him.

"It's lovely to meet you, my dear," he didn't move, but waited to see if she would come to him.

"Are ye going to say hello t' the Doctor?" Jamie prompted.

Carol took a deep breath. "'Lo," she said, a hint of defiant bravery in her voice.

Jamie kissed his daughter's cheek. "Good girl. Now go sit wi' yer mum. She'll pour ye some tea." He set Carol down and let her walk over to the couch, standing alone with the Doctor.

"So can I ask what brings ye back, Doctor?"

The Doctor stared at him in disbelief.