Molly's brow creased into the beginnings of a frown as her eyes ran over the concluding paragraph of her final medical report. She, along with the remaining members of 2 section, had just returned from a gruelling three month tour of Africa and this was the last remaining task she had to complete before her leave could officially begin. Having spent the first week back home in Newham surrounded by the chaos of her family, Molly had been unable to get as much work done as she had liked. Here in Charles's home in Bath, she had the solitude she craved in order to get the job done. As much as she loved her family, it was nice to have the space to breath, to take a minute to reflect on events of the past few months with somebody who understood.

It still amazed Molly how much her life had changed since joining the Army. She could still vividly recall the mouthy, yet vulnerable, girl she was when she first stood up in front of a room full of new recruits convinced she had her entire life mapped out before her. Her shitty little life waiting to happen. Her hitting middle age and being confined to a little Lego house stuck picking up toys and cans of cheap Polish larger, whilst her tosspot boyfriend pisses on any dreams she may have had.

The Army had changed all that. Finally, for the first time in her life she had a fresh start. She was a Tabula rasa. She had a purpose and an opportunity to do something meaningful with her life. To be something to somebody. She recalled Chris Ingram's throwaway comment about the Army. How he was convinced they wanted to break you down and rebuilt you back up to how they wanted. In a way that was exactly what had happened to Molly. In the beginning she was downtrodden and disillusioned by the hand life had dealt her. She found solace in the Army; a chance to forge a new path on her own terms. It didn't matter that she didn't have any GCSE's, that she had made mistakes. The Army had given her a second chance. One she was eternally grateful for.

Molly was brought out of her musings by a soft voice coming from the doorway.

"Dawes I have a request."

Molly's eyes flew from the laptop to the open doorway of the cosy living room. There Charles stood leaning casually against the door frame, arms crossed, a mischievous twinkle in his eye and the beginning of a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. Uh oh, this can't be good. She shifted her position and met his gaze. "Boss?" she asked questioningly with a raised eyebrow. Charles chuckled softly and moved into the room until he was towering above Molly. He knelt down on one knee, grasping her exposed wrist in his warm palm whilst reaching into his pocket to pull out a felt tip.

"Oi, you can't be out of Rosabaya capsules already, we only went shopping last week. Think it's time you cut back on your caffeine fix Boss man." Molly sniggered. When Charles remained silent Molly lowered her gaze to her exposed arm and watched curiously as the curves and swirls started to form words that had no relevance to her boyfriend's preferred morning beverage.

W

I

L

L

Y

O

U

Molly's heart rate began to pick up. The heavy thumping of her heartbeat echoed in her ears as her eyes darted up to his face. He refused to meet her gaze. Instead chocolate eyes remained focused on the slow steady movements of his hand as they accurately forming those four important words. Outwardly he was the image of the cool calm Captain he was trained to be. Focused. Alert. Alive.

M

A

R

R

Y

M

E

?

As he finished the dot on the question mark Molly could see the slight tremor of his hand. The only outward sign of his nerves as he asked one of the most important questions of his life. Molly stared wide eyed at the words etched on her arm. She was still amazed at how lucky she was to have a man like Charles in her life. Someone she trusted and respected, who understood her completely. Some days he knew what she was thinking and feeling before she did. He was always there with encouragement and support when she needed it the most. Lady Luck was definitely smiling down on her this time.

When she decided to return to Afgan for a second tour he didn't demand she stay behind with him whilst he completed his rehab. Instead, he urged her to go and be brilliant. He gave her the time and space Molly desperately needed to sort her life out. In Afgan she could finally square away the grief of Smurf's death and the guilt in her role in removing Bashira from her family. In Kabul she was able to finally see first-hand that Bashira was safe and happy in her new life. The small cog she was so convinced she had irrevocably broken was fixed and she could finally shut the door on that chapter of her life and return home to start a new one. With Charles.

Tears slowly trailed down her cheeks as she softly traced the letters on her arm with a shaking finger. Looking up into those warm brown eyes, shining with love and a hint of uncertainty, Molly drew a breath and whispered one word.

"Yes."

All the uncertainty drained from Charles' face as it split into a relieved grin. He lent forward and wrapped his arms around her waist before slanting his lips over hers in a deep kiss. Molly slid her arms around his neck pulling him in closer, savouring the warmth his strong embrace before pulling back. "How long have you been planning that?" She asked with a giggle.

"Oh you know a while. Took me ages to pluck up the courage to ask your dad." He replied with a grin.

"Seriously! You asked me dad?" Molly asked, the surprise evident on her face.

"Yes. I drove up to London whilst you were away and we had a nice chat over a few pints. After I promised him that yes I was in fact very serious about marrying you and persuaded him I would treat you right and take care of you he finally agreed. I think he could see how nervous I was and let me off the hook." Charles looked pleased with himself as he finally confessed the secret he had been keeping for the last 3 months.

"Aww you muppet," laughed Molly relaxing against his chest. They sat in contented silence. The gentle crackle of the fireplace the only sound to be heard. Molly shifted so she could look up into Charles' face. "I love you," she whispered gently.

Charles reached up and cradled her face in his hands as though she was made of glass. The flickering light of the fire cast golden shadow across her features and her eyes danced and sparkled in the light as they met his.

"Ditto," he replied before slowly lowering his forehead to meet hers.