Time Lapse

I hope you've been enjoying the story so far I know it's not had any action yet but this relationship really needs to be explained for my story arch to work thorough so just bear with me for a little bit, have you pieced together where I'm going or have I actually managed to keep a large enough shroud over my shoulder to stop you all knowing but here's the next part I hope you enjoy and as always I don't own COD but I do own Anchor.

It took about another week for me to get enough time to go out with Ashley for a bit again, we didn't even speak about the military we just had a nice lunch at some swanky café near the centre of Birmingham, the kinda place where students and all the other people of the world seem to sit in. I actually wore normal clothes which I managed to pick up at a shop in the town centre previously. By this point my family had gone back to Essex but I was still in Birmingham for my physiotherapy, the stump hurt less to move in I guess I was getting used to it now.

I felt more at home around Ashley the instant my family went home, which made conversations flow when we were out. It went a lot better no fight no awkward silences it was great. We walked back to the hospital together and even ended up sitting and talking in the canteen until she had to get back to work.

About three days later I linked up with a set of ex-marines who were injured in an IED attack in the Middle East. We spent time reminiscing about Lymstone, when I mentioned I was returning to Lymstone they had the jealousy of school boys, once a marine always a marine. I think being booted was hard for them, they seemed to genuinely just want to get back to it, like they hadn't even been wounded. You could feel hatred towards the people that had taken away their dream and some of our fellow marines but for now I had to wait.

Another week past and I felt like I was on the way up, I had my full morale back I just wanted to push myself to the limit, I kept up my hours at the gym building my body back to where it was before I hit Lymstone as the old breed of marine.

I spent an hour alone with Ashley on Monday but I couldn't bring the balls up to make my move, I only had two weeks before I shipped back to Lymstone and I wanted to tell her how I felt but my balls were nowhere to be seen. I was living on bought time with her.

Friday of my second to last week I finally made the plunge with Ashley, I walked her to the bus after work and finally I overcame my gut and sprang on her, but it was reciprocal. It felt great it was out there in the open now and I think she was dealing with that I was going back to be a marine but a non-combatant.

It was my second to last day in physio and I wanted to spend the day with Ashley but she had agreed to take me home the night after so I could deal with just seeing the Doc and the team on getting me fit to go back to Lymstone.

The hours ticked down til' I could get to see Ashley, I was up early to hit the gym before anyone would actually be there. I liked the quiet which surrounded me for a little while before my marine mates joined me for a quick weights session, I finished the session feeling exhausted but ready for my day.

I spent the day just waiting around not actually seeing Ashley at all, I had lunch with Doc he told me to "Keep your head on a swivel, times are changing," which I didn't really get his meaning, was it about Ashley or was it about myself, personally my focus really wasn't on what we were doing.

The time eventually came it was go time for me I stood outside the office where Ashley was working, I felt like I was first in line for a static jump the same adrenaline fuelled endorphin coursed through my veins I had my bag ready over my shoulders I was just stood there waiting for the door to open so I could plunge.

At precisely five o'clock the door to the office flew open with an Ashley stood in the doorway with her satchel over her right shoulder and her colourful coat on over the top of her nursing clothes. She smiled at me as I waved at her nervously, she approached me and I hugged her tightly her coat was still wet from the walk in.

"It better not rain while we wait for the bus," I told her whilst I we continued to hug, she looked up at me grinning to which I lowered my head and she raised hers, meeting in the middle we kissed. I heard a whistle from down the hallway, when I looked up I realised it was one of the marines who gave me a wink and then continued on his way.

"It shouldn't do," Ashley smiled and then looked where the marine had been, "what was that about?" She asked me as I took her hand and started to walk towards the exit of the hospital.

"He was making fun of my situation, not many marines get classy girls," I told her which made her cheeks suddenly turn a bright red. I decided to shut up for now until we reached the bus stop. There was very little conversation but once we got on the bus I had no idea where I was going, I just knew it was outside the city. "so where is it you live?" I asked her to break the silence of the bus, no one was talking not even the OAP's which was odd.

"Lichfield, it's about twenty minutes outside the City," She smiled expecting me to generally know how far that would be, I did not however.

"Right that doesn't mean a lot to me," I laughed to her as I gazed out of the window we were sat next to.

"It's not far, it's a small country town not far from Stafford, and it's actually in Staffordshire not the west midlands."

"Okay, still not sure where that it, I know of London and Essex, that's about it," I said jokingly although it's about true.

"What about where you have been around the world?" She asked me as we continued to ride the bus.

"What about them?" I asked her back.

"Did you not see some amazing places?"

"Not really we tended to arrive at night and leave that same night," I replied just looking straight at her. However I felt I was making her uncomfortable so I decided to change the conversation, "So where have you seen in the world?"

"Probably nowhere near as much as you but I've been to Kenya to climb Mount Kenya and America just to see Silicon Valley," She chuckled.

"I've always wanted to do that," I said to her.

"You've never climbed a mountain?" She asked confused, "I thought that's what you trained doing?"

"No, I meant I want to go to Silicon Valley," I laughed at her as she looked back at me even more confused.

"Why?" She recoiled at me.

"I don't know, just to see what it's like in the epicentre of the lowest brain cell count per capita in the world."

She laughed almost uncontrollably, "I thought you were being serious for a second!"

"I was," I told her with a blank expression which just caused her to laugh more.

Ashley reached over to the pole on the bus and pushed the stop button which was situated about half way up the pipe. "Let's go," She smiled.

I looked out of the window as the bus pulled up, there was very little around, I could see fields and field but no buildings. However suddenly the town sprang on us, rows and rows of these perfectly arranged houses on perfect little streets, I guess I had been away from town and civie life for so long that it now seemed alien.

The bus rolled up to the stop and the doors slid open, Ashley as I climbed off. She dragged me in a seemingly random direction but it was obviously the direction that she lived in. We came across Essington Close, which was a small cul-de-sac with about twenty houses on it, they seemed nice enough but they looked like three or four bed houses, which slightly confused me.

"Here we are number seventeen," Ashley said as she stopped outside a house which was semi-detached, just a brick front and had a plastic and glass front door.

"Okay, are we going in?" I asked her as we just stood outside the building.

"Yeah my housemate is a bit crazy, if she quizzes you don't be afraid she doesn't mean to be as bad as she is she's just," She paused for a minute, "Erm… passionate," She laughed as I looked back at her nervously, "You'll be fine, you're meant to be the big bad marine after all."

"Yeah but I'd take contact over being pressured by someone," I laughed back at her.

We walked up to the door and Ashley slid the key into the door which she didn't actually get to turn before the door was yanked open exposing a short haired woman who wore denim shorts with a black tank top. She smiled at Ashley then scowled at me.

"Come on Bailey play nice," Ashley said as she pushed her way past the woman dragging me behind her.

"You two play nicely," Bailey shouted behind us as Ashley quickly wisped me upstairs. Her accent was most definitely foreign but I couldn't put my finger on where it was from.

"This is my room," Ashley said shakily as she opened her room door. She quickly darted inside and I had to follow her through morbid curiosity, her room however was immaculate and extremely pink and girly. Ashley was just stood in the middle of her room with her bright red cheeks almost glowing.

"Well this was unexpected," I laughed as she turned even redder.

"Yeah," She smiled coyly; I dumped my bag down in the corner of the room and walked over to her. I placed my hands on her hips and she buried her head into my chest, we must have just stood there in silence for about ten minutes but Bailey decided to come up and knock on the door.

"Was just checking to make sure the pommie bootnecker hasn't murdered you yet!" She shouted through the door at us.

"Nah, I'm still breathing," Ashley replied in a breathy voice.

"I don't wanna know," Bailey replied laughing.

"Not like that Roo," She smiled as she walked over to the door and opened it.

"You wanna go get take away?" Bailey said as the door opened exposing her grinning face. She looked past Ashley and looked at me. "You're a marine you eat everything right?"

"Damn right," I smiled back which got a small grin out of her.

"Good, let's go get take away then," She told Ashley not giving her an option.

"Well I guess it's takeaway then," Ashley said as she took my hand and we left the room.

On the way down the stairs I noticed that Bailey had a tattoo on the back of her neck it was a name just Mason, maybe an ex-boyfriend or husband but she wasn't old enough to really be married and divorced really at her age?

I put it to the back of my mind and continued down the stairs, when we reached the bottom Bailey went into her room to retrieve a coat, leaving Ashley and I outside the door.

"Do you know who Mason is?" I asked Ashley as I looked at each other.

"What are you on about?" She replied as I looked back in confusion.

"The tattoo on the back of Bailey's neck, it says Mason," I told her as the door to Bailey's room opened.

"Mason," Bailey simply said as she left the room, Ashley and I just stood there stunned by not knowing what the connection with this Mason was. "He was….." She paused, "he was my husband."

"Husband?" Ashley outburst suddenly, "I thought you were, you know…. A erm…. Not like me," Ashley said nervously.

"If you're just saying I'm from the correct way up, then yeah I'm not like you," Bailey laughed, "Mason was my husband, he died in Afghanistan, he was a bootneck like you but he stepped on a landmine and lost an arm and both legs which cost him his life, literally an arm and leg."

"Aye, what does that mean for you?" I asked her as she smiled at me maniacally.

"It means I'm a thirty year old widow who had to move across the globe to get a job to survive and escape the "Oh I'm so sorry for you BS"," She said to me.

"So you're an Aussie?" I asked her as she shifted her weight onto one leg.

"Yeah, what's it to you, Pommie," She replied sarcastically.

"Nothing by it I thought you'd just have a barbeque attached to your ass at all times," I laughed at her and she chuckled back.

"But I thought you were gay!" Ashley just shouted not quite knowing what the whole conversation had been about.

"What the fuck?" Bailey looked at Ashley in confusion.

"You know the whole short hair, not very feminine clothes and boisterous attitude," Ashley shrugged.

"That's just how I am, I'm not gay," Bailey laughed, she was seeming more like the person who would take everything smiling compared to the person who she first gave off the impression of being she was actually quite nice.

"So, we heading for Pizza or Kebab or Chinese?" I asked to break some of the awkwardness.

"It's up to Ashley, she's the fussy one," Bailey said laughing causing Ashley to blush.

"Please say kebab, I haven't had one since before I lost my leg," I said to Ashley as I could almost taste the doner meat.

"Okay kebabs it is then," Ashley shrugged and smiled at me.

Bailey opened the door and we wandered out into the rapidly darkening street, it was only around seven but it was already starting to get dark but that is late autumn for you I guess, we reached the high-street of Lichfield with its cathedral towering above all the other buildings along the road.

"That's one big arse church," I said as I gazed up at the towering decorated spire of the cathedral.

"Yeah St. Chad is a big old bitch," Bailey said as she looked over to me.

"What the fuck is Saint Chad?" I asked Ashley who was clinging to me trying to shield herself from the cold.

"You would know if you were a Mercian like me," She smiled, "He was a Saxon who was the abbot of a bunch of monasteries around Mercia."

"Mercia used to cover west Essex which is where I'm from so I'm as much a Mercian as you although I wouldn't associate myself with that crap hat regiment," I smiled at her although I think I shocked both her and Bailey with my actual intelligent response.

"The Bootneck has a brain after all," Bailey poked at me as we continued to walked through the street.

"What can I say I had time to read on deployment," I told them, "My offo lent me a book just before he was killed called "A short history of Essex" which I ready thoroughly and returned to him on his coffin whilst he was in the C-130."

"Well that's one way to learn some history," Ashley told me solemnly.

"Yeah I know but at least it made me read the book cover to cover three times I wanted to know everything that my home county and that of my CO had been and how we were adding to that history." We stopped just outside the kebab shop and I could smell the cooking meat from inside, "Let's go get some good grub shall we?" I asked as I completely killed off my story which everyone seemed fine with.

"Bailey, what you having?" Ashley asked as the man behind the counter looked at us.

"Small chicken with chips," She smiled as we warmed our hands on the edge of the counter, to which the man nodded and wrote down.

Ashley then turned her head to me she didn't even need to ask me the question, "XL doner with salad, chilly and chips," I grinned as the bloke wrote that down as well.

"And I'll take a shish with salad and chips too, please," She said to the man, we took a seat while she paid and it took about ten minutes to get our order cooked.

"Wanna go to the park to eat up?" Ashley asked as I started to scoff my chips down.

"Yeah that sounds good," I said through my mouthful of food.

We slowly walked to the park just talking not doing anything in particular just enjoying the setting sun, when we sat down on a park bench I had to roll up my trouser to check on my leg, luckily it was fine. However as I rolled my leg down a group of kids, well they were probably about fourteen to fifteen, walked past and one who obviously thought he was billy big balls.

He turned around and shouted at me, "Hey look it's a real peg legged pirate," He laughed as he got a few chuckles from his friends.

"Yeah what of it?" I said to him as I relaxed back in my seat.

"I…I….I bet you….." he mumbled.

"What are you going to say?" Bailey asked calmly as we continued to be stared at by the kids.

"Err…." He stuttered and his friends dragged him away.

"Well that was awkward," Ashley said as she stood up.

"They're just kids, they won't laugh when they step on a grenade," I replied to her as I stood up. "Shall we go back to yours?" I asked her.

"Yeah let's head back we need to get you in early tomorrow don't we?" she pointed out to me.

"Yeah I guess I need discharging at some point."

We wound up back at Ashley's house and we both headed upstairs leaving Bailey to go into her room, Ashley unlocked her door and we entered her room which still had my bag dumped in the corner. Ashley dumped her coat on the floor and flopped down on her bed, I sat on the very edge of her bed just looking at her whilst she did the same to me.

"So….." I started but she did not continue the sentence we just sat there not doing a lot.

"Yeah," She exhaled as she laid down on her back and pretty much starfished in the middle of her bed. I just looked down at my prosthetic which I was afraid of taking off infront of her now even though she had seen it multiple times when I was in the hospital. "You don't have to feel ashamed of it, you know?" She told me calmly as she placed one of her hands across my shoulders.

"I know but…." I replied as she hugged up to me and I continued to look down at it.

"But what?" She continued my sentence, "Like it or not it's a part of you now and I personally don't mind it, I…" She stopped suddenly.

"What's up?" I asked as I turned my head to meet her face in close quarters.

"I love you," She whispered to me before her lips gently met mine.

She pulled away slowly but not very far just far enough for me to open my mouth, "I love you too." After which I released my leg and laid back next to her.

Honestly nothing else happened in that night or did it?

I hope you enjoyed the chapter I will be starting on the next one very soon, as for that last question I think you know the answer but I'm keeping things hush for a little bit next time we'll see how the new DI copes at Lympstone. Until then….PEACE!