Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated in so long! This took me much longer than I expected to write. Because most of the other chapters are quite short ones, I've done an extra-long one for you all because I'm nice, and there's just so many Bernadoc feels I've got cooped up inside me that I need to express. Fyi, Ive only been to the place they go in this once, so I hope i've described what it would be like in those times fairly well! Anyway, I hope to be updating the next chapter in less than a week, maybe even this weekend. Hope you enjoy!

Shelagh nervously straightened her cardigan as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Never before had she been this conscious of how she looked. It was an alien feeling to her.

She still couldn't get used to herself without her habit and in nurses uniform instead, let alone this.

She was wearing a green and yellow floral dress that swayed when she walked. She had not gone as far as to wear high heels, she had found a pair of sandals that would suit her nicely.

Shelagh walked to the window and looked out.

It was a warm sunny evening and she could see Sister Evangelina leaving on the scooter and Chummy on a bike. She remembered it was Conchita Warren's 24th pregnancy, and Sister Julienne didn't want Chummy to go alone.

Shelagh stared at her new self in the mirror and smiled. She knew she had made the right decision to leave the order, and marry Patrick. His little boy needed a mother. And Patrick needed a wife.

She no longer felt frightened, or unsure of what she should feel, or what she wanted to feel. Now she knew, she loved Patrick Turner, and his little boy. And she was going to be part of their family.

"It's five to seven," Shelagh thought, looking at her mothers watch on her wrist, "Doctor Turner, no, Patrick, she had to stop calling him that, would be there soon."

She took one last glance at herself in the mirror, grabbed her bag, which contained her purse, her glasses and some lip-balm, and left her room, the door clicking shut behind her.

At precisely 7pm, the doorbell of Nonnatus House rang loudly.

For Shelagh, it seem to be ten times louder than usual.

She got to the hallway, where all the young midwives were huddled grinning at each other. Shelagh noticed with a blow that Sister Julienne's gracing presence was very absent from this scene. Trixie squealed and nudged Jenny who laughed and pushed the anxious dressed-up scot further towards the doors.

Shelagh hesitated and glanced back at Cynthia, who hurried towards her, giving her hand a squeeze followed by a reassuring nod.

Shelagh took a deep breath, then opened the doors.

The beaming face of Patrick Turner greeted her. She heard some more giggling from behind her so she called goodbye to the girls and stepped out into the cool summer air.

"Hello Patrick." she spoke.

"Hello, Shelagh." he replied with a smile.

"Nice evening, isn't it?"

"Quite. Shall we go then?" Patrick reached to take her hand, then seemed to think the better of it, and linked his arm through hers.

Shelagh's heart leapt.

"Where are we going?" she asked Patrick, her voice and expression full of curiosity.

"Ah, that I cannot tell you. It's top secret. I would have to kill you if I told you anything."

Shelagh laughed. She had been laughing lots more recently. It felt good, her insides felt warm and open. She had laughed so little in her last months of being Sister Bernadette.

Patrick gazed at her. 'I daren't look at his expression,' she thought, 'no, no, I can. I will. I am not Sister Bernadette anymore. I am not weak. I am not afraid. I am bold. I am strong. I am selfish. I am brave. I am Shelagh.' She turned towards him, her heart thumping deafeningly loudly. She wanted him to hear it beating for him. She looked up at his face, and she melted, her expression as full of love and affection as she could manage. His face changed from caution to shock to amazement to love. He was caught off-guard by her sudden show of emotion, but he loved it. She could feel his love, their love, radiating in the air around them.

Before they knew it they were at the bus stop. Shelagh looked up at Patrick and smiled broadly. "We're going into town?" He nodded. "Yes. I thought you might like it!" Shelagh felt as though she could jump up and down with excitement, as she did when she was a young lass.

They waited for the bus for five minutes, standing and chatting about general stuff. Finally, Shelagh spotted the bus turn the corner into their street.

"First time you've ever been early for anything, eh Patrick?" Shelagh laughed.

Patrick went crimson and said quietly, "it was hard, I mean, being on my own, having to do everything, what with looking after Timothy and working often overlapping each other." Shelagh's heart went out to that poor man and his little boy.

"I know, Patrick, I know, I was just joking, I'm sorry." She murmured.

"Oh, Shelagh, that's ok, I know you meant no harm."

They hopped on the bus in silence.

Patrick glanced down at Shelagh as she glanced up at him. Their eyes met, and they blushed. Patrick smiled and took her hand. Shelagh's heart leapt and her insides lit on fire. Her hand was burning at his touch and she knew she had only felt that self-conscious twice in her life, when he had kissed her hand and when he had examined her. She no longer felt irritated that he meant so much to her, she finally felt able to accept their love.

A while later, the bus stopped, but this time, unlike the others before somewhat un-noticed by Shelagh, Patrick announced that this was their stop. He hopped off first, holding his hand out for her to take as she stepped down elegantly.

They walked quite a way, but of course Shelagh didn't complain. She silently thanked God that she'd worn her nice comfortable sandals, not the painful-looking high heels she'd often seen some of the younger midwives parade round in.

Together the couple strolled through the lit-up streets of the west end, grasping their hands together. Shelagh still couldn't believe this was really happening. It was like magic, what they had, their love. They were in love. She felt her insides melt at the thought.

"It's not too far now." Patrick told her, "Just around this corner I think."

Shelagh was full of curiosity and excitement.

"What is it, Patrick?" She asked again.

"You'll see." He smirked, clearly enjoying this.

"Oh, go on, tell me!"

"No, Shelagh, it's a surprise!" he said firmly, squeezing her hand. If anything would shut her up it was that.

Tentatively, they turned the corner, and their faces lit up with the brightness of flashing lights everywhere. They were outside a theatre! A proper, west-end, huge, intricate, expensive theatre! Shelagh gasped.

"Oh, Patrick," she exclaimed, "It's wonderful!" Shelagh looked up at him, with an expression that could only be described as sheer joy, "You brought me here?"

Patrick nodded and grinned. Shelagh noticed how much younger he looked now, how much more he looked like Timothy when he smiled.

"Shall we go then?" Patrick said for the second time that evening.

"Of course."

The couple walked towards the door, Patrick showing the ticket man their tickets as they passed through.

Once they had got into their seats, Shelagh planned to interrogate Patrick about what they were going to see. The pair looked around the massive auditorium with awe. The ceiling seemed to stretch up to the heavens above, yet there was little light in the room. At one point Shelagh trod rather heavily on Patrick's foot, blushing and apologising sincerely.

After what seemed like an age they finally sat down in their extremely comfortable red velvet seats. With a strange flash, Shelagh was reminded of her childhood bed at home in Scotland.

"You okay?" Patrick asked her.

"Yeah, I feel wonderful!" She answered him truthfully.

"It's going to start any minute!" He informed her, looking at his watch.

Shelagh caught his eye, and instead of looking away awkwardly, as she would have done only a few months ago, she grinned at him and he grinned back, again reminding her of Timothy.

Suddenly all the lights went out and the red curtains opened dramatically. The theatre was instantly silent. It would almost be eerie, Shelagh thought, if there was not the warmth of hundreds, if not thousands of bodies surrounding her, especially Patrick's.

The play was Macbeth. Even though Shelagh had grown up in Scotland, she had never seen it before, thanks to an cold she caught on the day her family had tickets to see it. Her Pa, brother and sister had ended up going while her Ma stayed at home looking after Shelagh.

The play was long, but thankfully it did not drag on. Every part of it was interesting, and Shelagh felt as if she would miss everything if she got distracted for even a minute.

Throughout Shelagh was enchanted by the stunning performances of the actors and actresses and the intricacy of the sets and the costumes. To her delight Patrick was enchanted too. As Shelagh and Patrick began to get closer they found they were more and more alike.

This warmed Shelagh's heart. She felt as if they really were made for each other.

When the play finished, and people started to leave, Shelagh yawned, sat up and gasped. She hasn't even realised her and Patrick's hands were entwined. Knowing this she blushed rather furiously and hurriedly picked up her bag. The lights had come back on so Shelagh could see the way out.

By the time they got out of the theatre it was dark, and quite cold. Practically the second they stepped out of the door Patrick offered Shelagh his coat. She started to decline but he insisted. The look she saw on his face when their eyes met decided it. Slightly reluctantly, Shelagh put on the coat, and instantly felt warmer.

They walked to the bus stop, conversing about work and patients and Timothy and a book they had both read, and barely had to wait five minutes before the bus to Poplar arrived. They sat on the bus together, holding hands all the way home.

Not that much later, Patrick and Shelagh came to a halt outside Nonnatus House. She looked up at him lovingly and said, "Thank you so much Patrick, that was... wonderful."

"You're welcome Shelagh, my love, I had a wonderful time, and I hope you did too. We should definitely go out again together, very soon."

"Yes, we definitely should."

That night they both lay in their beds thinking over that evening and how perfect it had been. Shelagh felt as if she was glowing inside. Patrick could honestly believe that he had never been happier. They were both completely certain. This was all they had ever wanted.

And that's a wrap! As usual, please review if you have the time. Next chapter will be up asap.