Molly never told Charles what happened in that coffee shop that morning. She didn't want to worry him, after all. She had left the bathroom a short time later, pretending to the happiest girl on the planet again. When he had asked, Molly had made some bullshit excuse about PMS making her hormonal and emotional.

Charles had caught her out instantly – he'd lived with another woman for nearly 5 years, after all. He knew that she was lying and that there was something else, but he made the decision not to press it any further. If she wanted to talk to him about it, she would when she was ready.

It was a few weeks later now, and Molly and Charles had got into a routine of spending the weekend together in alternate cities. Last weekend, however, Charles and Molly had decided to stay in a small B&B close to her home to give them some space from her family. God love them, but sometimes they were too much. Especially her dad.

Charles' first meeting with Molly's dad was an awkward one to say the least. Dave had a major hangover and he really didn't seem in interested in what Charles had to say about his daughter. He barely even made eye contact with him and didn't take Charles' offered hand.

Molly and Belinda had both reassured him that this was nothing personal against him and Dave just needed time to adjust to him. Molly had tried to joke it was probably just because he didn't support West Ham, but Charles wasn't too sure.

Meanwhile, Molly had met his parents and had been more successful. She had been extremely nervous as she walked into the restaurant to meet his parents – the same restaurant Molly and Charles had been on their first official date.

Susan, Charles' mother, seemed like a kind woman. She was a petite blonde lady, smartly dressed in designer clothes. A Chanel bag hung on her arm - Molly was sure it was real Chanel, not like the ones you could buy off the markets in London. She had soft eyes, and had hugged tightly Molly when she first walked through the door. Molly was initially surprised by her display of affection, but she welcomed it.

His father, William, had been a little more difficult for Molly to converse with at first. He was a serious looking man, a stern look on his face, the kind that intimidated average people like Molly. He barely answered her questions. That was, until Charles slyly mentioned her love of football, and they ended up bonding over discussing the previous days' results.

Molly found out his parents were both specialist surgeons. When she wondered where he had gained his love for the army, Charles had explained his Grandfather had served for many decades eventually reaching the rank of Major General, and that his Grandfather's work had been what drove him to aim for army since he was very young.

His parents had shared stories of Charles' childhood – both good and bad – and Susan had promised to show Molly embarrassing photos from his rebellious teenage years later. As they laughed, Charles and Molly locked eyes. He reached his hand under the table to give her a reassuring squeeze. The nerves had all been for nothing.

They had returned back to the James' beautiful home later that afternoon. As Charles and his father William worked to start the fire in the front room, Molly decided to go find his mother in the kitchen in an effort to get to know her better.

"Can I help you with the tea at all?" Molly asked politely, finding Susan with her back to Molly.

The small blonde woman sniffed before she turned around. "Oh Molly dear. That would be lovely."

"You alright?" Molly asked, looking at her slightly glassy eyes.

"Yes I am. I'm just glad to see Charles so happy. William and I have noticed such a change in him lately," Susan explained, busying herself with the tea.

Molly opened a cupboard to pull out four mugs. "I'm glad you think that, Mrs James. You should've seen him in Afghan though – sometimes he could be so miserable that all our section would say-"

Molly was interrupted by arms enveloping around her neck. Molly stilled for a second as she waited for Mrs James to speak.

"Thank you," she said quietly, nearly whispering it. Her voice sounded as if she was trying hard to hold back tears.

Molly looked at her. "For what?"

"You saved him. You saved my baby."

Molly's heart thumped in her chest. A lump grew in her throat and she tried to push back the tears. In her mind, a vision conjured from his mother's perspective.

She had saved her son's life.

Molly placed her hand on Susan's. "It was nothing," she tried to explain. "It was my duty. I would've done it for anyone."

"I know," she said, pulling away from Molly. She wiped at her eyes and she gave Molly a warm smile. "I'm sorry," she apologised, laughing a little. "I just can't ever forget. There was a knock at the door; they told us Charles had been shot twice. One in his leg and one in his stomach. They said he'd been resuscitated twice in the Medevac... They told me he was going straight into theatre for emergency surgery. They said it was very serious. In fact, he was lucky to be alive at all."

Molly smiled sadly at Susan.

"They said it was a female medic who'd saved his life. She put herself in danger when there was still an active enemy shooting at them. Her quick and selfless actions stopped him from bleeding out. She gave him a chance to live."

The moment when she thought Charles was going to die flashed through Molly's mind. She couldn't stop herself from crying anymore and her tears streamed freely.

"And I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Molly told her, no word of a lie.

"I can't ever thank you enough for what you did. And now I've finally met you, I can understand why you mean so much to him."

"Thank you. That means a lot," Molly told her honestly. Both woman were crying together, more with happiness and relief than sadness. It was such a traumatic event and Molly was glad she had someone who could understand what she had been through.

Just then, Charles walked through the door, completely oblivious to the world. He saw the two woman in his life crying together and looked at them, concerned.

"What's happened?" he asked.

Both woman looked at Charles and then back at each other, before laughing together. They both sniffed and wiped the tears from their eyes.

"Mum? Molly? Seriously what happened?"

Susan walked over to her son and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Everything's perfectly alright now, love."

He raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced.

"Now go sit down; Molly and I will bring the tea in a minute."

Later that night, Molly and James lay in bed together. Molly rested her head on his bare chest and their legs were tangled together. She traced small circles on his chest as he gently stroked her hair.

"So are you ever going to say what happened in the kitchen earlier?" he asked quietly.

"Wasn't planning on," she teased.

"Molly," he pleaded, curiously getting the better of him.

"Fine," she said, not being able to resist. "We were just talking about when you were injured… it just got a bit emotional. Remembering it and all, you know?"

"Oh," he said. "Sorry. I didn't realise."

"Don't worry," she said, tilting her head to kiss his lips softly.

A sombre mood hung in the air as they were both lost in their individual thoughts. Charles decided to change the subject to a happier one.

"Oh I didn't tell you – Sam's coming for the day tomorrow. Maybe we could go to Longleat? He's been begging me for weeks."

"Really?" Molly asked, excited. She had wanted to see Sam again since she first met him in Birmingham Hospital. She knew he was a huge part of Charles' life.

"Yeah," he said. "I mean you got on really well with my parents – May as well spend time with the whole family."

The next morning, Charles left to go pick up Sam from Rebecca's while Molly stayed behind and helped clear up after breakfast. Charles' parents had left a short while ago to go visit some friends in Hampshire for a few days. Susan had hugged Molly tightly again, telling her to visit soon, and William had even offered her a short hug.

"Oh Molly," Susan called, as she put her bag in the car. "We're hosting a charity gala next month. Love for you to come."

"Of course I will," Molly told her, even though she wasn't too sure what a gala was. She couldn't turn down an invite from his parents. She waved goodbye and shut the door behind her.

Molly was in a good mood today. She hummed along to Radio 1 as she danced around the kitchen, cleaning up as she went. She had put the event of a few weeks ago in the back of her mind, shut away next to the Afghan box.

Just as she washed the last plate, the door opened and lively chattering came from the hallway. Molly turned down the radio and smoothed her skirt, ready to see Sam again.

Sam and Charles walked into the kitchen together, Sam looking cuter than ever. Molly had never noticed how incredibly similar the two looked.

"Sam, you remember Molly?" Charles asked, crouching down to Sam's eye level.

Sam giggled and pointed at Molly. "Yeah. She's the funny one from the hospital."

"That's right," Charles said. "Remember what I said in the car? That she's very special to me and I care about her a lot."

"Yeah I know," Sam told his Dad, still looking at Molly. "Are you coming to the Zoo with us?"

Molly grinned at the two of them. "You betcha!"

Molly had never been to Longleat before. In fact, she wasn't sure if she'd ever been to a zoo before. She made a mental note to ensure she took her younger siblings one day next summer to experience it, as it had been an amazing day. They had seen so many different animals, played together in the parks and had eaten lots of junk food.

Molly was initially worried about Sam – it was so important he liked her. After all he was such a huge part of Charles' life. But she didn't have to worry. The two got on so well. Sam had even insisted Molly held his hand and not Charles as they walked through the park.

Charles smiled to himself as he drove the three of them home. The image of seeing his son and the woman he loved walk hand in hand… it made him so happy. Stopping at a red light, he turned his head to look at Molly. She was staring out the window, into the darkness of the countryside. He briefly wondered if they'd ever have children of their own. Molly caught his eye in the reflection of the window.

"What are you looking at?"

Charles smirked. "Nothing. Good day?"

"Yeah, I loved it," Molly told him. She lowered her voice and indicated to Sam, who dozed in the back seat. "I was worried he wouldn't like me."

"He adored you – I could tell. You're so good with kids."

"Probably 'cause Mum had so many of the little bleeders," Molly said, and Charles laughed.

They arrived back home a short while later, Sam stirring as they pulled up.

"Daddy?" he mumbled, as Charles picked him up out of the car seat.

"It's bed time, scamp," Charles told him, carrying him inside.

"Is Molly coming too?" Sam asked sleepily.

"Yes, she's coming too. You'll see her in the morning."

"Good," Sam mumbled, eyes closed.

Charles turned to Molly. "I'm just going to put him to bed. Maybe you can make some tea?"

Molly busied herself in the kitchen, preparing tea for them both. She decided to change into her pajamas herself while she waited for Charles to return. As she wandered down the hall, she heard voices coming from the room at the end. Molly bit her lip. It was bad to snoop but she couldn't help herself. She silently positioned herself outside the door.

"There you go, all tucked up," she heard Charles say.

"Thank you Daddy."

She heard footsteps and turned to hurry away; but then they stopped.

"Daddy?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you I like Molly," she heard Sam say adorably, her heart swelling with joy at the words.

"You do? I'm glad. I like her too. She's very special to me."

"Mm. She's very pretty. And funny."

She heard Charles laugh.

"She is isn't she?"

"Will she be here a long time? I want her too."

Molly rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes, listening for Charles' answer.

"Yeah. She'll be with us for a long time. Now, bedtime."

Molly heard a bed creek and she moved quickly, dashing in the direction of Charles' grand bedroom.

He walked through the door a few minutes later, just as Molly was pulling on her oversized West Ham shirt. She smiled as he walked in.

"Alright?" she asked him casually, as if she hadn't just been spying on him, as he took his own shirt off. She had to take a breath to control herself at the sight of his toned body.

"I knew you were listening."

Molly looked away, blood rushing to her face with embarrassment.

"You think you could actually spy on someone who's been on four tours? Multiple secret missions?"

"Sorry," she managed, twisting her hands. "I didn't mean to snoop I just-"

Charles laughed, interrupting her. "It's fine love, really."

"You don't need to be so insecure," he told her, moving to stroke her face.

She shrugged, looking away.

"Sam adores you. My parents loved you; especially my mum. And as for me," he said, pausing to tilt her chin up so she looked into his eyes. "You know I love you."

"I know, you do," she told him. She took the hand from her chin and held it delicately in front of her. She leaned in for a sweet kiss. "And I love you too."

He squeezed her hand. "And that's all that matters."

Hello again guys! Just a couple notes. I forgot to include Charles and Dave meeting last chapter and I felt like I couldn't include it in this one properly. I may go back and edit last chapter to include the meeting in full length. Also apologies not much happens in this chapter, I felt it was more of a filler chapter but I wanted to put in the interaction with Molly and his mum.

Next chapter the story will develop. Teaser: our favourite couple run into problems with both of their exes. I'm predicting the rating will rise also just to warn you all! And I really really won't be able to write until end of November (I say this now) just because that's when all my deadlines are.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their amazing support and all the reviews/follows/favourites. They mean so much to me. Any ideas/opinions are always so welcome!