A/N: Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, looks like it's going to be a nice one if today is anything to go by, about time! Thank you for your kind words and I hope you enjoy this as Charles begins to find out a bit more about her. Chapter 6 as soon as I've finished it.

Chapter Five

It was the smell that got to him first. The outside of the building wasn't exactly prepossessing so he hadn't got particularly high hopes of the place. Once he'd got inside it was almost exactly what he'd expected, a shabby down at heel shit-hole, not that anyone would have known what he was thinking from his demeanour or the expression on his face as he looked around to see if he could see her anywhere because he was used to hiding his emotions and reactions behind a stern and impenetrable mask. But the smell was enough to make anyone gag. However used he was to FOBs crowded with sweaty men or the stink of poor sanitation in places like Afghan, he hadn't expected the overpowering stench of unwashed bodies and filthy clothes mixed with an underlying smell of stale booze together with a faint suggestion of vomit and urine and strong disinfectant, in fact the whole place smelt so foul it made his eyes start to water.

He was only here on a whim. The last few weeks he'd found himself increasingly attracted to this gobby little cockney who took no shit from anyone and who was not only incredibly pretty with long dark hair and beautiful eyes, but had a big mouth which meant she gave as good as she got. She had no respect for his rank, well she wasn't in the army so there was no reason why she should, and he didn't actually know whether she knew what rank he was, not that she'd care, or even what his actual name was come to that, apart from Bossman. But she had this way of making him laugh so that he'd woken up to a sudden realisation of how much he'd missed the feeling that you get when you really look forward to seeing someone, to spending time in their company and of just how much he'd missed having fun.

Everything had been fine until last Saturday when Lauren had casually informed him that Molly wasn't going to be there at the bar because she'd gone to the pictures with her brother Jamie instead. To say he'd been a bit disappointed would have been putting it mildly because she was the reason he was there himself and as soon as she'd told him he'd made up his mind to push off early and leave the lads to it, they'd more than likely be heartily relieved to see the back of him for once because as Smurf had remarked ad nauseum he'd spent a lot of time out with them recently so that the Welsh squaddie may well have been dropping hints that they'd had more than enough of him. On the whole they were a pretty good bunch of lads and he was fond of them but having your boss around all the time was bound to be having an effect on their enjoyment of their down time.

But she'd turned up after all. Admittedly very late, but had been there all the same, and then bloody Jamie had put his hand on her. The jealousy had almost overwhelmed him but it was anyone's guess what the fuck he thought he'd been doing when he'd started to try and punish her by being a total prick. It wasn't as though it was the first time that his jealous streak had reared its ugly head but it had been years since he'd last longed to tell some arsehole to take his bloody hand off a girl and just as soon as he'd calmed down a bit, he'd had to accept that he'd had absolutely no right to be jealous or to behave the way he had in trying to make her feel as bad as he did, she was free to go out with anyone she liked. It was none of his fucking business.

He hadn't seen her since. There hadn't been any evenings out since the karaoke and no-one had said anything to him about plans to get together in the near future so that his need to put things right had led to him taking a chance on her being in the place Jamie had been talking about and a quick check on-line had told him where it was. He didn't know whether she'd even be there, but if she was he could try to make some sort of amends, maybe even apologise, although he wasn't sure what he could say without making a total prat of himself or even whether she'd want to hear it.

Standing there with her now in a stinking grubby shit-hole all he really wanted to do was to grab her and get her out of there instead of which they were apparently indulging in a nice civilised chat about whether or not Jamie was her boyfriend, which he wasn't apparently, and now ….. now ….. they'd moved onto having a nice cosy little chat about what films they liked for fuck sake.

"Christ Almighty it stinks in here"

"I know, does a bit doesn't it? It's a bit worse than usual tonight cos it's wet outside, always smells horrible when people come in who are a bit damp, I'd go if I was you"

"I will in a minute, is that coffee over there?"

"Yeah, well it's a bit debateable actually but that's what we call it anyhow, can't guarantee it tastes like coffee though"

"Can I get you something to drink as well?"

"What, you sayin' you're gonna drink it? You're brave"

"Of course I'm brave, hadn't you noticed I'm a member of Her Majesty's armed forces"

"What, the Queen expects you to drink that shit does she? Will she give you a medal if you do?"

"Yup"

"Okay, well, best of luck then … but I think I'll have tea, milk but no sugar, ta"

Suddenly and even though she still wasn't sure what he was doing there, they were both laughing exactly as they had before it had all got so shitty and Molly could feel the grin on her face staying put as he walked away. She was suddenly happy as she watched him go to where the coffee and tea urns were sitting on trestle tables, rows of thick white mugs were set out at the ready with big sticky bowls of sugar dotted about here and there. He stood out like a sore thumb because all the rest looked shit compared with him as they queued up for a hot meal or to have a shower or, like he was a lot of them were just getting themselves a cuppa so that they could sit on a chair at a table to drink it rather than sit in some damp scuzzy shop doorway and keep getting moved on. He looked incredibly healthy and even taller than usual because of holding himself upright and not being stooped over like he was carrying a whole load of shit on his shoulders like so many of the rest of them and his skin wasn't that funny greyish colour like theirs. He just looked fit as if he was used to being outside, well, like they were but in a healthy sort of way not like them. He didn't look as if everything he did he did on the streets, as though he lived his whole life out there.

-OG-

"Hello Molly, how are you darlin'?"

"I'm fine Frank, you okay?"

"Let's have a little drink"

He pulled an open can of the cheapest extra strong lager out from under his coat spilling some down his leg and onto the floor as he did it and splashing her trainers with it which added to the acrid smell surrounding him as he wiped the top with his dirty hand before proffering it in her direction. He was already standing far too close to her as he swayed a bit backwards and forwards making Molly shake her head at him as he put out one hand and clutched hold of her elbow to steady himself.

"Come on Frank, you know what the rules are in 'ere, no booze and no touchin' either, I'm s'posed to report you, you know that as well as I do, so just stop being a dick or I'll have to do it 'n then you'll get yourself thrown out on your bleeding arse 'n I think it's raining" Molly sniffed the air surrounding them "And you stink, mate, get a shower and some clean stuff 'n it'll make you feel a whole lot better 'n then get yourself a cuppa and a burger cos that'll make you feel better as well, even if you're not that 'ungry a hot meal will do you more good than ' aving any more of that shit"

He put his out hand towards her to steady himself again as he waved the can in the air and wobbled a bit as the movement ruined his precarious balance. He put out his hand again to try and touch her, making her sway back away from him.

"Bloody women, nag, nag, nag, always effing nagging, come on ….. pretty girl like you needs to relax, have a little drink and stop being so effing miserable"

"No thanks" She looked down to where he'd managed to clutch hold of her arm again, although she had the feeling that he was holding onto her more to keep himself upright than for any other reason "Get your 'and off Frank"

"Feisty 'n all, I like that"

"Go and stand somewhere else" Charles' voice was low but he sounded and looked stern as if he meant business so that there was no room for any sort of discussion or argument about it as he partially stepped in between Molly and the drunk holding two cups in his hands as he faced Frank and looked meaningfully at his filthy hand where it was touching her arm "Go on, you heard the lady, she asked nicely so let go of her and go away and leave her alone"

"Who are you? It's none of your effing business is it?"

Frank made no attempt to move away although he took his hand off her arm straight away despite being full of booze fuelled bravado.

"I wouldn't stick around to find out if I was you"

His face stayed stern and expressionless as he watched Frank think better of carrying on a disagreement with him and stumble away, before turning round to hand Molly her cup of dark brown and very stewed looking tea and did his best to smile at her while he struggled to bring his massive surge of anger under some sort of control. He sniffed dubiously at his own so-called coffee, a tepid, pale khaki liquid which didn't even smell like coffee although he wasn't sure you'd be able to smell anything above the all-pervading stink in the room which had just been added to by the smell of the booze that Frank had spilled on the floor by Molly's feet.

"Fuck sake, Molly, what was that all about? Surely you're not supposed to put yourself in jeopardy like that, does that sort of thing go on all the time?"

"Course not, 'n I weren't in danger, weren't in any jeopardy" She smirked then giggled as she aped his tone and choice of word "He weren't gonna hurt me probably wouldn't even have touched me if he weren't stopping himself from falling over, he knows what the bleeding rules are. Stupid arse is just a bit hammered that's all, and we're not s'posed to judge people 'ere, Boss" She sipped at her tea then giggled at the expression on his face as he sipped at his coffee and the way he grimaced at the taste or lack of it and then looked around for somewhere to put the cup down "I warned you about drinking that shit, didn't I, didn't listen to me, did you?"

"Never mind about the bloody coffee, if that's even what it is, what the fuck did he think he was doing touching you like that and what the fuck did you think you were doing putting up with it? Oh, and I'm not your boss Molly" He thought for a second "Believe me if I was then what just happened here would never have happened"

"Just as well that you're not then innit? And I know you're not me boss, it's just a name and it's what everyone calls you, and it bloody suits you too cos you are a bit bossy" She grinned at him trying to take the sting out of her words "There was nothing for you to get all ….. steamed up about, honestly it was nothing and I can handle it, I can look after meself"

"I am not bossy, and that's not what it looked like to me" He swallowed hard before saying anything else "I don't mean that you couldn't look after yourself" He smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes "I'm sure that you can, and my name's Charles"

"Is it? Bloody hell, that sounds well posh. So listen … Charles" She giggled as she made an attempt to say his name as if she'd got a load of marbles in her mouth "This place is for rough sleepers, I mean they don't sleep 'ere or nothin' but they come in to get off of the street for a bit cos not all of them want to go to a hostel, they think that hostels are bloody dangerous places cos they're so full of shitty people what can't be trusted" She paused and giggled, fully aware of the anomaly of her words "But really it's cos they're usually pissed out their nuts like Frank, or maybe they're high as a kite, or both, so that they won't get in any of the bleeding hostels anyway. They won't 'ave 'em if they turn up rat-arsed or anything, won't even let them in the door, mind you they're not allowed to drink in 'ere either so he knew he was breaking the rules bringing booze in like that, daft sod will get himself barred if he gets caught with it"

"What is it you do here?"

"Me? What anyone asks me to do, whatever's needed … a bit of cooking sometimes or I clear up, make tea or shit coffee for people who are not as bleeding fussy as you, sit and chat sometimes if someone wants to, nothing much, play pool sometimes, we all just do what we can. Sometimes I just listen cos a lot of the time that's all people want is for someone to listen to 'em, and you know what, Charles, a lot of them 'ere are ex-army, you know like the lads was talking about the other night, but I don't see everyone rushing 'ere to 'elp out, do you?"

"Nope" He made another huge effort to change the subject "So, this is where you learned to be a pool shark is it?"

He nodded in the direction of the pool table on the other side of the room making a reference to what she'd said about playing pool, but really at a loss to know exactly what to say to this pretty girl with the long hair tied back in a braid and the beautiful blue-green eyes that were huge and full of defiance as she'd looked at him and tried to defend herself from what she obviously saw as his criticism and had then done her best to explain it so that he would get it, making him realise that he didn't really know her at all.

"You bloody don't believe me that I'm not a pool shark, do you?" She grinned and then relented "Why don't you believe me? Nah, it's alright it don't matter, look, I learned to play pool when I was a little kid. The pub was right by where we lived, well me dad was in there so often it was where he lived or it might as well have been, but I learned to play and he used to take me with him a lot cos I was bloody good at it so he made money out of me. Not that I ever saw any of it, or me mum neither, it always got pissed straight up against the wall" She tutted and shook her head "He's bloody lucky actually, cos if it weren't for me mum putting a stop to some of 'is rubbish he could well have ended up somewhere like this" She looked around the room "Still could I s'pose"

"I'm sorry"

"Why, what you done now?"

"Nothing as far as I know, so, what time do you finish up here? What time does this place close?"

"Usually around midnight. They're not allowed to let anyone kip in 'ere cos they haven't got the right licenses or some'ing, so usually I get away just after that, you know, after we've cleared up 'n washed up 'n that"

"Did you drive here tonight?"

"Nah, can't drive can I?"

"So how will you get home then if you don't finish till midnight?"

"Sometimes one of the others will give me a lift, but if not I'll walk up to the main road 'n get the night bus"

"What on your own … at that time of night …. around here?" He swallowed hard "Tell me, Molly, have you got a fucking death wish or something?"

"Only if you keep trying to scare me to bloody death, so just stop it, it's not dangerous, I'll be fine …. I'm used to it"

-OG-

Despite the way she'd just made it plain that she could look after herself and had told him in no uncertain terms that it was none of his business what she did and that, anyway none of it posed any sort of danger to her whatsoever, he found himself watching her carefully to make sure one particular drunk didn't go anywhere near her as she helped to dish up the soup which was all that was left for the new arrivals. He didn't know whether what she'd said to him was really what she believed or whether it was just some sort of bravado but he couldn't help thinking that what she was doing was foolhardy in the extreme.

Despite the horrendous smell which was still sticking in the back of his throat and making it hard for him to breathe deeply, he was going to wait out for her and give her a lift home so that he could try to have another go at persuading her to be a bit more … conscious of her safety.

-OG-

"You still ere?"

"Of course, I thought I'd wait for you and give you a lift home"

"That's nice of you, I thought you'd 'ave had enough 'ours ago" Molly smirked then giggled as she tucked her hand through his arm "Come on then, let's get out of 'ere 'n get some fresh air"

-OG-