TIES THAT BIND

A/N: I love saga's and family drama's and I have borrowed characters from Our Girl and put them into a completely fictious AU world. Maybe this should be a crossover rather than an OG story. Like Reckless Moments I have used phases from the Pilot and the Series, just to see if I could. They are scattered through the story and hope you spot them. There are some sad bits and I haven't been too descriptive as I had to use the internet for some of the things that will happen and sometimes that's not always as accurate as you thought, but hopefully I have written a piece of fiction that is not so far-fetched you're wondering what passes through my nut and I must be barking, well I was born two stops down. I hope you like it anyway.

A/N2: The story is written and complete but I'm not sure if anyone is still out there, so will leave this up and see if anyone wants more, if not it would work as an epilogue to Reckless Moments.

-OG-

Chapter 1

Molly had given him a bit of a lecture when he swung his legs over the side of the bed stretching his arms up, rolling his shoulders, years of training to wake quickly, be alert and ready to start the day never leaving him as he stood up. Opening one of her eyes to note the ungodly hour on the bedside clock before reminding him that Teddy was getting on a bit, probably only needed to go for a quick stroll, a fucking stroll, well perhaps Jack should have got her a grey hound instead of that bloody great furball, there was a flash of sadness before she covered it up, closing her eyes briefly as she tried to laugh, the words out of his mouth before he even thought, even after all this time it still hurt her, the unfounded guilt she had never quite managed to quash, no matter how many times he told her, no matter what he said, what anyone said, no matter how many years passed that guilt lurked deep in her very soul. He understood, he really did, he'd felt it himself, a funeral in Wales and a mother's words forever in his head, could he have done anything different, would he have seen anything if he had been in the first truck, would it, could it have changed the outcome, transported back to a time he had doubts about his own decisions.

He sighed wishing he had thought before bringing up Ted and her brother "Don't you know nothing, a bleedin greyhound can only do a short sprint, there was no way it could do a 5K run round the forest" she retorted "it would probably just come home again when it had done its 500 meters", raising her eyebrows as she grinned knowingly, her final comment "get him home before it gets too hot, he don't like it" rolling over "and don't call him a furball". "Tell that to all the vacuums we've had to replace" he sniggered "Sometimes I wonder if you love that dog more than me" he'd huffed "It's a close-run thing mate" she'd giggled "Now piss off and let me get back to sleep" pulling the quilt up higher, he could see her grinning as he bent to kiss her head.

He snorted a laugh as he left their bedroom walking across to Sams room and looking in, still fast to sleep, spread eagled across the bed with his leg dangling over the side, he gently lifted it up putting it back under the covers, he smiled at Sam who didn't stir before leaving the room shaking his head at another that didn't like early mornings, had to be cajoled to get up for school, but tell him there was football practice or that he could come with him and Elvis to Rugby, or even a lads only camping trip and he was up with the lark, although both Bones and Elvis had son's a bit older than him, Sam thoroughly enjoyed the stories from his uncle Elvis and Bones, hunkering down, cooking on an open fire, running around with the boys trying to find firewood. Was he the only one in this house apart from the dog that actually liked being up and about early.

Showered and dressed in joggers and a t-shirt he moved to the kitchen and started making a coffee to take with him, getting his flask from the cupboard and filling another bottle with water for Ted. Her reminder of exactly what Ted had done when he had tried to run with him when they first moved here, had him smiling again. He must have spent 30 minutes of shear panic when he couldn't find him, finally making his way home, she would kill him or see to it that vital bits were removed with a spoon, dreading telling Molly he had lost the bloody dog only to find him in the kitchen lying on his bed, grinning at him, a look of total satisfaction that he would only run if he felt like it, and he most certainly didn't and he absolutely wasn't going to do anything he said even if he was a Captain. Molly had seen him sitting at the gates and let him in. Apparently, he had jumped up and pushed the buzzer.

Nope Ted wasn't stupid, not by a long shot, he'd go so far to say that Ted had worked out for himself exactly how to get what he wanted and he had willing servants in Molly and Sam. Somehow that furball could tell the time and would just turn around to go home when he knew it was nearly time for Sam's breakfast, nothing had really changed over the years.

-OG-

It was early summer, he had always had trouble sleeping once the sun broke through the darkness, his years of army training ingrained and the habit unwilling to leave him, that the day started at dawn, that inherently it was the best part of the day, quiet and peaceful before the rigors of the day took over. He was sat on the bench with Teddy panting by his feet, it was already starting to get warm as he took a sip from his flask of coffee and opened the bottle of water tipping it towards Ted who lapped it up. That's what Molly had called the ball of fluff that was a 10 week old Bernese Mountain Dog, thought he looked like one, he's beautiful she'd said, completely ignoring the fact he would eventually grow up into a huge great wall of muscle that could quite easily follow his heritage to pull a cart of milk churns up the side of a Swiss mountain, the one now currently sat on his foot and leaning heavily against his leg, making sure his intent was known, this was as far as he was prepared to walk today. He had always refused to shout Teddy when trying to attract his singular and very short attention span and only ever referred to him as Ted and much to Molly's consternation the furball. Huffing a small laugh, perhaps Mansfield might have been a better name, although he had to concede that Ted's attention span probably was marginally more than Mansfield's but like him totally governed by his stomach, the things he had to haul him off as he tried to eat it or worse roll in it, he shivered inwardly, didn't bare thinking about. Great guard and always barked if anyone came near the house, but a thunder storm or fireworks and he was up those stairs like a bloody bullet, on their bed in the middle panting heavily and invariably his chest that he had to lie on, with Molly on the other side, stroking him, telling him it would be alright. It was like trying to get to sleep on a trampoline the way Ted shook the bed his weight making sure they both knew he was stressed with the bangs, not that he could make the stairs now, he'd nearly crippled himself trying to carry him up last time there was a storm, now one of them slept downstairs if he started howling at the noise. It was the only thing over the years he hadn't been able to solve, if anything, with old age he had got worse, his eyes slightly cloudy but his hearing obviously undiminished. Even Sam was joining in with insisting he had to stay with Teddy as he was the biggest and could look after him, they had a big sofa, but even so it wasn't the most comfortable place to spend the night if the thunderstorm went on for hours. He wondered if it was Molly that had given Ted this fear, the times he had got out of bed when finding it empty to see her staring out the window when there were strong winds, the trees, she always told him, they might all fall down.

Once Sam was born, Ted's inbuilt clock saw to it that they were always home at breakfast time, there would be scraps, Sam would see to that, anything that was accidently dropped was swiftly eaten, much to Sam's amusement. Today, of course was a school day so it would be boiled Egg and Marmite soldiers, Ted liked them, Sam was very generous, always slipped him a couple of slices when he thought no one was looking, even if it was a bit soggy because Sam liked to lick the Marmite off first, it was a never-ending battle getting him to stop feeding the dog, he had his own food. Ted learnt quickly exactly who in this house would feed him what he wanted and he had never been fussy. Anything dropped didn't even get an opportunity for the five second rule, he'd already licked it, meaning it was now his.

-OG-

Charles continued sitting on the bench, it was beautiful here, the trees, the lake, the sun shimmering on the surface, that low level mist as the sun warmed the dewy ground. It was peaceful, quiet only the odd bird twittering or dog walker waving a hello in recognition, it was one of his favourite places to sit, if he came out running he would pick this place to stretch and warm up. Today it gave Ted a bit of a rest before setting off home again. He wished he hadn't mentioned Jack this morning, it was rare these days that Gary or Molly spoke of their brother, the pain still evident, the memory of what happened. This was exactly why Ted was getting acupuncture, physio and hydro therapy, anything and everything she read or heard of to keep his legs going, to keep him mobile. Ted put his head on his leg, almost grinning at him that they didn't have to go any further and he had won again, he couldn't help but stroke his velvety ears as he thought of some of the dogs he had come across on his tours of Iraq and Afghanistan "you would have been totally bloody useless" he grinned as he stroked Ted's head "you probably could have sniffed the IED then either rolled in it or tried to eat the bloody thing" Ted just arched his eyebrows tilting his head as if he understood wagging his tail and picking up a shed load of debris as it waved across the dry ground. He couldn't help but keep grinning at the devoted look Ted gave him but at the same time knowing he was going to deposit leaves, twigs and dust all over the floor when he got home. Well possibly, maybe, unless he did what he did last time he brought him here and threw himself into the lake in which case he was going to come home smelling like a swamp and decorate the walls with duck weed and muddy water. Another thing that Ted seemed incapable of differentiating, the hydro pool and a bloody filthy lake.

Charles had been quite surprised when talking with one of the dog handlers during some down time at Bastion about their boisterous Berner that at six months was almost the size of a fucking pit pony and spoilt rotten by his wife. Remembering the man he had met on one of his last tours of Afghan, another Welshman, like Geraint and Smurf, with dreams of what he would do after, when he finished with the army, hoped he could keep working with dogs. What was his bloody name as he tried to remember, closing his eyes to place the face, Evans, that was it, Corporal Evans. Wonder what happened to him, did he and his dog get through it all, he'd left the army and never seen him again. Told him Bernese were supposed to be intelligent, "good all-rounders as farm dogs go", he'd told him "Herders, guards and muscular enough to pull heavy loads, but you couldn't treat them like a bunch of squaddies and put them on latrine clean, punish them if they didn't do as they were told. You'll end up with a highly strung massive problem if you do" Evans had told him "They just want to please so patience and consistency, he'll get the 'ang of it". "Not a long-lived breed, lovely dogs though" he'd continued. When he had got back from tour he put into practice the advice he had been given, Ted learned to walk to heel, he didn't jump up at you, flattening you against the front door. Unless it was 'au de fox' he had pretty much stopped him from rolling in everything he found on their walks including a rather surprising find of a rotting fish in the middle of a field. Where the hell had that come from.

"Right old boy" he started patting Ted "you ready to head home then" giving a quick flick of his head Ted's ever watching eyes wanting to follow as he slowly stood, swaying from side to side as his arthritic legs sort purchase from the uneven ground as he padded towards home. "Don't even think about lobbing yourself in that bloody lake or I'll put you on the lead" as Ted turned his head to look at him. A conversation popping into his mind, years ago now, so many years, on a balcony in an apartment in East London, "you sure about this Charlie, with someone like me, with a black heart". He could feel his eyes well with tears as he watched Ted slowly walking back home, back to Molly and Sam, not sure if it was Molly trying to keep him going or Ted just trying to please, they hadn't come far today and had a sit down before going back. Perhaps he should have a chat with Gary, see what he thought, maybe they could give a united front, the three of them, she listened to Jackie, tell Molly she needs to start to accept that Ted is coming to the end of his life and that no amount of Green Lipped Mussels, hydrotherapy, homeopathic remedies, or anything else she had read about was going to improve his legs or his heart. He remembered Evans telling him that Bernese weren't normally long lived, maybe 7 or 8 years and Ted was well past that now, he was pretty attached to Ted himself and then there was Sam, how do they explain to a 7 year old. He sighed again, stopping to wait for Ted to catch him up and slowing his pace.

Not many people got to see what he saw, Gary, Jackie, her parents and after all these years perhaps Georgie and Elvis saw beneath that cold hard exterior to the warm and loving person that she worked so hard to pretend didn't exist. "Hard as nails me" she had always insisted and he had seen firsthand for himself exactly what she could do. He'd heard her tell some over exuberant drunk punter that if he touched one of the girls like that again she would see to it he spent the next couple of weeks coughing up his balls and his wife would be told what a dickhead she had married. Then there was that copper, he knew she had been involved along with her brothers making sure he never bothered her again. She'd made her club into a place to be seen at, anyone trying to muscle in and sell drugs were swiftly dealt with and never returned. She knew exactly what she wanted, and she'd done it, proved to everyone that she could, her Dad, her brothers proud of what she had achieved, not once asking them to bail her out, she would sort it and she had. As an employer she had a reputation for being firm but fair. Never seeking to be their friend but if they were in trouble, they were never in any doubt that she stood in their corner. He huffed another laugh making Ted turn to look at him, in some ways she would have made a bloody good officer. Elvis had said that after a few beers during decompression in Cyprus, both of them there after returning from their respective tours. "if it weren't for the fact she would never obey an order herself without gobbing off, she would be a bloody fantastic officer, she could get anyone to follow her anywhere" smirked Elvis. He wasn't wrong, because he knew for sure, he would be one of the ones following. He didn't care how cheesy she said he was, he only ever wanted her to be happy and he was sure she was now.

He punched in the code to get through the gates and was met with a smiling Molly, he didn't think he would ever tire of that smile as he grinned back at her, there was a time he didn't think she would ever smile like that again, that she actually believed she didn't deserve to be happy.

"I forgot to mention last night that I spoke with Dad, he wants a big get together out in Spain" she kissed him on the cheek "I got distracted" she whispered close to his ear, grinning before bending to stroke Ted and kissing him on the head "Celebrate Mums birthday he says, you got anything on the go, can I tell him we'll be there"

"Nothing that can't be put off" he smiled back a benefit of owning his own business, kissing her on the forehead. Belinda; another that had struggled over the years.

"Colin and Lil say they will stay here so Ted don't have to go into kennels"

He sighed, Ted, she still wasn't ready, didn't want to see, he really did need to speak with Gary, if this trip was for Belinda's birthday then he had six weeks, six weeks to help her, that it was time to let go, that the past was the past, it couldn't be changed and no matter how much he wished he had a Tardis, he couldn't make this any better or easier for her, bring her brother back, that her love for Ted was all tied up with him being the last thing Jack gave her. Putting mats and rugs all over the tiled floor so Ted didn't slip over was not going to change anything, he was old, his legs were failing so was his heart. It wasn't just her, there was Sam, Ted had always been here, his whole life and he adored him, how would they explain it to him, and he desperately wanted to protect him from that, wished he was a bit older before he had to learn just how cruel life can be sometimes.

He had a vague recollection as a child, of his own father telling him to stop wishing his life away, that he would be the right age to join the cadets, he would be old enough for uni and then Sandhurst. That life would start to speed up as he got older, by the time he was 40 a six week school summer holiday would be gone in a flash. He was right, all of a sudden, he was old enough and he had done all the things he had been dreaming of, impatient at the length of time he had to wait a distant memory, as the years started speeding by. Sometimes it felt like yesterday that they had come back from their holiday and Jack was sitting in their flat with that huge smirk on his face, a ball of fluff in his arms as Gary rolled his eyes standing next to him

"It aint nothing to do with me" huffed Gary "It was all him, the bloody Muppet"