Taking one final look in the mirror, Molly Dawes ran outside, her black kitten heels splashing in the huge puddle just outside the block of flats in which she still lived with her parents and siblings. The rain has subsided earlier but the rememants could be seen dripping everywhere.

Hopping into the taxi which was waiting at the side of the road for her, Molly sat back and watched London whizz past before her eyes.

She was so excited. It had been a month since Two Section had returned from Afghan and Molly hadn't realised how much she's missed everyone until she got a text from Mansfield inviting her for a reunion on the other side of London.

Of course, she has kept in touch with everyone as much as possible. James had needed to stay over in Afghan while he recovered from his injuries but the pair of them had been writing letters. However the topic of 'them' hadn't yet been approached.

Molly couldn't wait to see him. The Bossman had finally flown home last week and headed straight to Bath to visit his family. Apparently, one of the boys had managed to get hold of him and supposedly he was planning to meet them at the pub.

Nervously, Molly pulled on the hem of her scarlet skirt. Since joining the army, the tight, tarty dresses that filled her half of the wardrobe had found their way to the charity shop and had been replaced by skirts and dresses that ran down to just above her knee or lower.

The outfit she had picked for tonight was bright and colourful; Molly had to find some way to stand out against the rest of the rabble. On top she wore a black lacy blouse through which you could just glimpse her skin - still tanned from the huge Afghan sun.

The taxi turned the corner and pulled up beside a grand building. There was a sign over the top reading 'The Red Lion' next to which was an old-fashioned sign with the roaring head of the beast painted on it, reminding Molly a little of Aslan from the Chronicles of Nania, one of the only books she ever read from cover to cover.

Shoving the money into the waiting hand if the driver, Molly jumped out and, taking a deep breath, strode through the door.

Almost immediately she was attacked by four burly ex-army blokes crashing her into a hug with their screams of "Molly!"

"Bloody hell, guys! Are you trying to give me a bleedin' heart attack?"

"It just shows how much we missed you, Molls," said Dangleberries, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Of course you did; I'm the only girl that will ever come to visit you lot by choice except your mum!"

They laughed and one by one pulled her in for a hug. As Mansfield Mike joined them, Molly said that she was surprised they had a train line in somewhere as shitty as Mansfield.

It was while she was throwing her head back with laughter that she saw him, out of the corner of her eye.

James.

How she'd missed him! In her dream she had imagined this reunion over and over again, rushing into his open arms like something from a cheesy eighties rom-com.

Her face lit up with a bright smile as he walked towards them. But he was moving too slowly.

And then she remembered the crutch.

Having only heard about it from his letters, Molly hadn't realised that he would still be using it. She hated to see a man so sporty, so athletic, confined by the restrictions of a walking stick. The doctor were uncertain whether he would ever be free of it, but Molly knew he would.

The bullet wound from the mission with Badrai had been worse than she had first suspected. It had lodged itself against James' femur and after a couple of operations to remove it, his leg still wouldn't work to the same compacity as before.

Hopefully, one day, it would.

Molly approached him, for once unsure of herself and of what to say. Thankfully, she didn't need to.

"Molly Dawes, the woman without whom I would be dead." He smiled and pulled her into a warm hug, the very hug that Molly had been waiting for for the last, arduous month.

Around them, drawing Molly out of the romantic atmosphere that Captain James created with his presence alone, the boys cheered.

"It was nothing," Molly said, humbled.

"Miss Molly Dawes, modest?" James chuckled.

"Don't go thinking you're special, Captain. I woulda done it for any of you," she said, looking at the rest of them. "Except maybe for Fingers!"

Laughing, the group led her through the bar entrance and around the back. There Molly found herself in a small area tightly packed with about a dozen chairs and two circular tables, each littered with empty or half-drunken glasses.

She was greeted with hugs from the rest of Two Section who couldn't be bothered to meet her at the door before taking the seat opposite James.

Slowly, everyone settled into their own conversations while Molly and Brains volunteered to get the next round of drinks. The bar was overcrowded and the pair of them had to push their way to the front.

Whilst they were waiting for their drinks, Molly finally plucked up the courage to ask the one question playing at the forefront of her mind. "Any word from Smurf?"

Brains just shook his head solemnly.

After the incident with Badrai, Molly and Smurf had hardly said two words to each other save from 'fuck' and 'off.' The only exception was in the waiting room of the hospital where Smurf had attempted to apologise to Molly. Even now she could hardly remember a word she had said to him through her tears, yet she was ninty-nine per cent sure that it was anything but polite.

Despite her hundreds of text messages and phone calls - none of which had gotten a reply - Molly still hadn't spoken to him since they left Afghan. All she wanted to do was to say sorry for all the horrible and unfair things she must have said to him.

"I told him when and where, Molls," Brains told her. "It's his choice." He smiled. "Knowing Smurf, he's probably scared you'll thump him."

Laughing, half-heartedly on Molly's account, the pair of them carried two trays of drinks back to the rest of the platoon, slopping the liquid a little over the edges. They sat down and quickly stepped back out of the way as everyone dived for their glass.

Then began the conversation. It was light and funny. However it only made Molly realise just how much she had missed them all.

Ever since returning home, Molly had felt out of place. It had gotten better with time, but no one at home, none of her friends, understood her anymore. Of course, she still had fun, but every so often someone would say something, something that either reminded her of Afghan or something that she'd missed while over there. That's when she felt out of place, like she didn't belong.

With these boys, she could never feel like that. They shared something extra special, something no one else would ever understand.

The night was getting rowdier as the boys drank more and more. Every so often she would catch Captain James' gaze and they would simultaneously roll their eyes as Mansfield began to dance.

Honestly, she couldn't wait to get a quiet word alone with him, although it probably wouldn't happen tonight. She remembered the mission to capture Badrai, when he had told her he want her to be the last thing her saw.

Ditto.

She recalled the feel of his soft lips on hers, his hands running through her hair and hers around his neck. The way he-

"Come on, Molls!" Nude Nut exclaimed, standing up. "Who's the lucky fellow who gets the first dance with you tonight then?" He raised his eyebrow and began showing her some of his 'moves.'

"Not you! None of you are at my high level of dance," Molly returned with a cocky smile. She stood up and began following about four or five of the boys onto the tiny dance floor.

"Is that a challenge?" asked Kinders.

"You bet!"

/()\

Molly danced with everyone in turn, taking one small break after doing the macerana with Dangleberries and Baz. The only person who refused to dance was the Bossman, although due to his knee, Molly tried not to take it personally.

"Please, Sir!" she begged. "I'm sure, even with your leg, you've got better moves than this lot!"

The group of soldiers behind her, ignoring her insult, were also egging him on. "Bossman! Bossman! Bossman!"

Molly grinned cheekily and tugged on her Captain's hand, batting her eyelids too.

"Bossman! Bossman! Boss-"

Cut of by their own cheering as James finally gave in and heaved himself to his feet, Two Section stepped aside to let Molly lead him onto the dance floor.

"If this is what I have to do to shut you cockwombles up, then so be it! But I'm warning you, I'll only show you up!"

Planting James in the middle of the dance floor, Molly stood on her tiptoes and shouted in his ear over the music. "Wait here a second. I've got a surprise."

Wiggling her hips in time to the closing beats of the current song, Molly made her way over the the DJ stationed in the corner. She shouted something to him - at which point he nodded - and she strolled back over to James. Just as the song ended, she reached him.

Then opening beats of the next song came on and James couldn't help himself from breaking into a grin.

"Our song," he whispered to himself.

Don't go breaking my heart.

"I couldn't if I tried," echoed Molly, gripping tightly onto the boss's hands and pulling him towards her. Smiling, she could see the slight discomfort in his eyes as Molly tried in vain to make the Captain danced. She began to dance herself, pulling his hands with her in the hopes that he joined in too.

Instead he winced.

"Oh god!" Molly remembered, kicking herself for being so stupid. "Your leg, are you okay?"

"It's fine, Mol. Really," he assured her when she wasn't convinced. As if to prove to her - and to himself - that his leg really was alright, his dancing became more outlandish. Soon it was him pulling her across the floor, belting out the lyrics at the top of his boys with the rest if the boys joining in soon after.

As the song finished, James pulled Molly off the dance floor to the space between the bar and their tables.

"I'd forgotten how much fun that was," said James, the grin still not leaving his face. "Thank you."

"It's nothing, Boss. Do you wanna sit down, or-?"

"Cause not, Dawey. I'm as fit as a fiddle," he laughed perkily.

"Good." Molly paused, taking a deep breath before continuing."When you... When Badrai shot you I thought...I thought it was the end. There were so many things that I wanted to say and I was scared that I...I wouldn't have the chance. I..."

Not knowing what else to say, how to express her feelings in words, Molly stopped and looked at her feet. What if he doesn't feel the same? Have I just completely embarrassed myself?

Slowly, James placed a finger under Molly's chin and lifted it up so that her eyes looked into his. That's when he spoke. "As I fell to the ground, after I'd been hit, I thought I was dead. Surely I should have thought about Alfie - my son - or my parents. But I didn't. I thought of you.

I had to make sure you were alright, that you were safe. When I saw your face gazing down at me, I wanted you to stay there, just incase something happened...I wanted you to be the last thing I saw. I still want you to be, if that's what you still want too."

Now it was the Captain's turn to look bashful. His eyes darted around the room, staring at anything but the girl in front of him.

Cupping his check with her hand, Molly forced his gaze towards her.

"That's more like it. For a second I thought you were only going to say 'ditto'."

"Molly," James began tentatively. "I love-"

"Molly?" A glare appearing in her eye, Molly turned around to confront whoever had interrupted her moment with the Captain, fully intending to clobber them, even if it wasn't one of the boys.

However, all the fight in her disappeared as soon as she came face to face with her opponent.

"Molly! It is you!"

"Artan!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" As she spoke, her eyes widened and she wondered if for once in her life she would be stunned into silence.

"I was meeting a few mates but the evenings been lame. How have you been, Molls? I heard you'd moved to some army gaff."

All of a sudden, Molly felt the watchful eyes of two section on her, all wondering who this 'Artan' was and how he knew Molly. Ignoring them, she answered the question. "Yeah, I was posted in Afhgan for a few months. This was my Captain and my section," she told Artan, gesturing around her and hoping that no one had picked up on the awkwardness of her voice.

Nodding in turn to the soldiers around him, Artan leaned closer to Molly, she hoped it was to be heard over the music. Behind her she felt James tense.

"Molls, can we talk? In private?" he asked, his accent still as thick as she remembered it. "We left some important things unsaid."

He reached for her hand and to the rest of the Sections amazement, she didn't slap it away. The boys crowded in closer, James hoisting himself to his feet, waiting earnestly for her answer.

"Alright," she said quietly, unable to look anyone the eye except Artan. He began to lead her towards the door.

"Are you sure, Dawes?" James asked, noticing the worry and ounce of fear in her eyes.

She only nodded. Then she left. The boys watched, their gaze shifting nervously to one another.

/()\

The cold air nipped at Molly's bare legs as she left the warm, happy atmosphere of the pub, causing goosebumps to appear on her skin. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, rubbing her hands up and down in a half-hearted attempt to warm them up as she followed Artan around the corner.

They found themselves in a secluded alcove big enough for the pub bins and them to stand in. Through the window behind her, Molly watched the boys casting worried glances out of the window or towards the door.

Molly smiled. She would never tire of that feeling, the feeling of having eleven other people who care for you, even risk their lives for yours. That's eleven if you include Smurf. Molly wasn't sure if she could anymore.

"Molly, I," Artan began before glancing up at her, watching as she rubbed her arms. "Are you cold, Molly? Here, let me."

Molly started to shake her head but before she realised what was happening, Artan was removing his leather jacket and draping it around her shoulders. Slowly she relaxed into it, snuggling into the fur and sighing as it hugged her skin.

"Molly, I wanted to say I'm sorry, for what happened before. I should never have pushed you like that." He looked at the floor, shame filling his eyes. "Say something."

"Well," started Molly, laughing internally as she realised how much this conversation would have been to her a year ago. Artan looked at her hopefully. "I can't deny what you did. You shouldne have pushed me, and nor should me dad."

Molly intended to leave there and then but the strange look splashed on Artan's face stopped her. Was that...disappointment?

"I suppose, your apology is accepted, you prannit," she joked.

Quick as a flash, his head flicked up. He smiled. "Listen, Molly, I was thinking, it's gotta be fate tonight, meeting up here. Maybe we could give it another go." Reaching for her hand, Artan took hers in his and stroked each finger in turn.

"You're a year older, I'm a year older, more mature," he continued, his accent pronouncing each letter. His hand slid up her neck and Artan traced the edge of her face. "We could make a real go of it."

Molly shoved hm backwards. "What? With your shagging my best friend every other night? I don't think so!"

Spinning around, the jacket slipping off her shoulder and falling in a heap on the wet ground, Molly went to storm back inside.

Without even taking a step, something stopped her: a tight hand on her shoulder.

"No, Molly!" he snapped, jerking her around so that she faced him and pulling her back towards him. "Don't you see I've missed you. I need you."

"But I haven't missed you! Except joining that lot in there, leaving you was the best thing I've ever done." Molly tried to loosen his grip but Artan's hand was locked firmly around her wrist.

"You don't mean that, Molly. You are my love, my heart. Without you I'm not me, not whole." Pinning her up against the wall, just too far to the left of the window so that they couldn't be seen, even if Molly had been able to outstretch her arm.

Leaning in close, Artan whispered to her. "Come on, Molly. I know you want this as well."

Choking on the foul smell of fags that emanated from his breath, instead of screaming - which, in retrospect would have been the smart thing up do - Molly just snapped back: "I wouldn't get together with you if you were the last animal on earth. Christ! I'd rather get together with bleedin' Mansfield!"

If Molly had thought the smell of fags was bad, the taste was worse.

Closing his fingers around her neck, Artan forced his tongue between her lips. His body was pressed up against hers, trapping her between the wall and him.

Violently, she struggled and kicked, trying desperately to free her hands, which were clasped underneath one of his. She tried in vain to pull her mouth away from his, hoping to grasp enough time to scream.

Removing itself from her neck, Artan's other hand began to explore, groping at her clothes, her skirt in particular.

Trying to sidestep away, either to break free of his grasp or at least be in view of the window so that someone could come to her aid, Molly pulled to her left. Her foot slipped, falling into a shallow hole, probably a drain. It twisted and had Artan's lips not been covering hers, they would have let rip a vicious shriek.

Unable to move, Molly's struggles became weaker, allowing Artan's hands even more freedom to wander. Tugging at the hem of her t-shirt which was tucked in to her skirt, his hands found a way beneath.

Molly could feel each finger running across her waist, slithering upwards until the reached her bra. The scuttled along the hem at the bottom, around the front until they reached the back.

Battling with every ounce of her energy, using all her will power to fight him off, Molly tried to squeak and whimper whenever he gave her the chance. She felt his hands scrabbling at her bra strap, fumbling at the clasp. She pushed harder.

And then she felt it.

Click.

The hook had popped open.

Molly gasped as his hand grappled at her back, moving around where her bra usually sat.

A tear dripped down her face and her hands dropped to her side.

This was it.

Suddenly the weight that forced her against the door was gone. Molly, limp and in a flurry of tear dropped to the ground in a heap. When she looked ahead of her, she saw the figure of Artan draped across the ground, eleven pairs of boots standing in a circle around him.

Her eyes skimmed upwards until she was gazing up into the faces of Two Section, the eyes of all of them focused solely on her.

Bending down beside her, Captain James looked at her anxiously. "Molly? Are you alright, Molly?"

In and out. In and out. Desperately Molly tried to catch her heaving breath to reply to her captain. To assure him that she was okay.

In the end, she just fell into his arms, tears pouring out of her eyes and streaming down her face creating black streaks of mascara on her cheeks.

Captain James wrapped his arms around her, stopping as she flinched slightly before placing his palms on her back. Immediately her felt her dishevelled clothes and the gap between each hook of her bra.

"Moll? Are you...? Did he...? What happened...?"

There was no reply except for her incessant sobbing. Then, in a hushed voice that only he could hear: "You called me 'Moll.'"

Everyone could have stayed frozen like that for five seconds or five minutes or five hours. None of them could tell. Either way, it didn't matter.

Eventually, Molly removed her shaking hands from around her captain's neck and slowly, leaning on him a little for support, rose, quivering, to her feet.

Beneath her chest, she felt her heart pounding and she tried to take more deep breaths to help to calm them. The tall walls of the small alley were beginning to close in around her and loom above, trapping her in this horrible place.

She had to get out.

Not fully realising what she was doing, Molly elbowed past Captain James and ran out of the recess behind the pub, ignoring the agony in her twisted ankle.

Acid forced its way up her throat and vomit gurgled its way out. Under her t-shirt, Molly slid the pin of her bra back together and tried to right her clothes.

Yet she could still feel his slimy hands on her body, dripping around her neck, her back her hips.

Still shuddering, Molly wiped away the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly, she turned to face her comrades. They were looking at her with anxious, terrified and slightly angry expressions.

Then she saw him.

"Smurf?" Molly started to run across the gap between them but her ankle jolted her and she was forced to limp the remainder of the journey. Smurf moved closer and Molly's arms wrapped themselves around him, squeezing him check that he was definitely there. "What are you doing here? I thought...I thought you hated me."

"Molls? I could never hate you. And why is it you comforting me? What about you, are you alright?"

Pulling back Molly glanced down at her feet, noticing the pain in her ankle again. "I'm...I'm fine. Just a little-"

Halting mid-sentence, Molly whipped her head around as she heard a groan from the floor. Artan had regained consciousness. Her eyes scoured his slack figure and bloodied face - the red liquid was thanks to a firm punch directly on the jaw from one of Two Section.

Smurf placed his hand on either of her shoulders and went to push her back. "Come on, Molls. Lets get you inside, get a drink for the shock. Yeah?"

Even the light weight of his hands forced her to take a couple of tentative steps backwards before she arrived at her senses. No, she thought, I need to see this through.

Stopping abruptly in the middle of her step, Molly swung her head back up to look past Smurf, past the huddle of soldiers, past her precious Captain, to the body on the ground. Jerkingly, it was beginning to groan.

Sidestepping around Smurf, Molly walked steadily towards Artan. The rest of the boys were calling her name, asking desperately if she was alright, telling her to stay back and warning her of the danger she maybe putting herself in. Molly ignored them all.

Cautiously she leaned over the cowering, barely awake figure. An arm shot out across her torso, forcing her back.

"Molly, what are you doing?" James stared at her, eyes filled with panic and fear for the young medic.

"Please," she begged. "I have to finish this. I don't, and I might gonna be glancing over my shoulder for the rest my life. Please, Bossman."

Tentatively, he nodded.

Molly by-passed her beloved captain and crouched down beside the frail carcass of Artan. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of James standing beside her, protecting her.

"Molly?" asked the thick accent lying on the floor. "My love, you came back for me. You couldn't resist," he said grinning. Feeling him tense, Molly stole a short glance at Captain James and the rest of her Section as the all gritted their teeth and clench their fists, preparing to pounce if he tried anything.

"Bloody hell, you're reminding me of Smurf! And that ain't a good thing. I ain't thought of you for a year and I aint ever gonna think of you again, because I'll never need to think of anyone that I thought I once loved ever again. You are full of more shit than all of this lot put together, you wanking cockwomble, and if I never see you again, my life will be complete."

Heaving on her thighs as she went to stand up, Molly froze midway and as a second thought, added, "Actually, I do want to think of you again, Artie," she said, batting her eyelashes and using the pet name she had used while they were together. The rest of the guys looked at her strangely. "I wanna remember this."

With that statement, the 'sweet' smile faded from Molly's face and was replaced with the cheeky smiled that James loved so much.

The her fist connected with Artan's face, wiping the smug smirk off of his face.

/()\

"Are you sure you're alright, Molls?" asked Captain James. The police have arrived about five minutes ago and taken Artan away for questioning at the station and a pair of sergeants were interviewing the rest of the boys in turn. Once they had finished there, they planned to speak to Molly and Captain James. Her parent were on their way.

"If anyone asks me that question one more time I swear to god I'll kick you in the balls so hard they'll drop off!"

"Sorry, I was just checking." James held his hands up in a mock surrender.

Molly smiled. "I forgive you. I think I'm just a little shaken up. I might gonna need Mansfield to do something stupid to make me laugh."

"What about me?" asked James in mock offence.

"You aren't exactly one to joke though are you, Sir."

"Perhaps not but I bet I can make you laugh." Holding out his hand, James wiggled his fingers in the hope that Molly would shake it. Smiling, she took the bet. "Well," continued Captain James, "has anyone ever told you my first name?" Molly shook her head. "Charles."

"What?" she exclaimed, astounded and smirking slightly. "Charles! Really?" A loud laugh burst between her lips.

"Yeah, alright, laugh it up. This is why I never tell the boys on tour. That lot of piss-taking bastards would never have let me live it down. "

"True," admitted Molly. "I think I'll just stick to Bossman."

"Well you can't call me Bossman for the rest of our lives, can you?" Charles pointed out, the remnants of his grin still on her face.

"You think we'll know each other from that long. I'll probably have tired of you by then. 'Charles who?' I'll say."

Suddenly, the smile on Captain James' face dropped away and was replaced by a frown. "Don't even joke about something as serious as that, Dawes. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Ditto."

The small table that seemed to separate them suddenly vanished and the gap between their lips parted.

The kiss was everything Molly remembered: warm and passionate, safe and dangerous, conserved and addictive. She didn't want it to end.

Unfortunately, Baz Vegas and Dangleberries had other ideas and the plundered over to the couple and began singing. "Dawesy and Bossman sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Shut up you dickheads!" yelled James and Molly simultaneously.

"Guys," calmed Smurf, to everyone's surprise,"it would be more than kissing of we weren't here so..."

Molly elbowed him but she was still beaming. "By the way guys, I don't think I said thank you, for earlier. If you lot hadn't have-"

"Molly," Brains began, "we would've done it for anyone, even if it weren't you and that...what's his bleeding face? Artan?"

"Blimey, Moll! I still can't believe that you and him were together," Mansfield told her.

"Nor can I," Molly replied. "He's a well dodgy geezer."

Captain James smiled. "If I knew what one of them were, I'd probably agree."

"But still, thank you."

"Molly," Smurf told her. "We'd never let anything happen to you. You're our girl."

Smiling, Molly looked around at each of them in turn, looking at nine of the best blokes ever, her best friend and the love of her life.

"And you're my boys."

Hey, I hoped you enjoyed my first Our Girl Fanfic. If you all desperately want me to continue this story, I've had some ideas about how Molly copes afterwards.

If not, I'm also planning to write one about Molly returning home from Afghan to Charles's joy. However, she doesn't return in the best circumstances! It will probably be in three parts.

Review please!

Indigofrog :)