Thank you for every single word you have all written in review. It means so much to me. This is the final chapter. THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL! So ya know, don't kill me. I shall start posting that after new years.

This fic has been a blast to write. Its not the most cheerful, but so far it is one of my favorites.

To Jax, who never fails to amaze me with her loyal friendship and patience with me. And to GrazB who always manages to review first. Thank you.

There was so much Elsie wanted to do in life. So many hopes and dreams that she had collected over the years. Many dreams would never come true, now less so than ever. She wanted to display her stuff in a famous gallery, she wanted to see the world. She had always wanted to fall in love, and have the fairy tale romance that so many young girls dream about. She had fallen in love, deeply and truly. But she had learnt that with love comes pain. A pain that can take your breath away, the same way joy could.

She didn't love easily. She loved her closest friends and her sister and that was about it. But both Joe and Charles had somehow been special. But like all humans, they both had their faults.

Joe's fault had not even been his own. She knew that Becky was not something to be taken on lightly, and she once she got past the heartache of losing him she had understood why he had done it. There was no point in denying it, despite the guilt, there had been moments when she herself had wished could run away from it all as well.

In a way, Charles had given that to her. A place to run to. When she was with him she didn't have to worry. It was him and her and nothing else mattered. She knew that she could turn up at his doorstep, tears pouring down her face because she had an argument with her sister or Thomas and he would let her in no questions asked. He loved her and she loved him.

Nothing would ever be the same, this she knew. She knew she would never be the same. Apart from the scars that would remain on her body forever, there were also two very deep scars on her heart, where two people she had loved were ripped away from her in a blink of an eye. It would change her into someone that nobody knew. The question was would he be able to adapt with her? Especially when she didn't know who she would be when she woke up.

(())(())

"Why do you love me?" She asked, leaning against him her legs stretched out in front of her on her couch. Becky was home, so it was a risky move, but she was asleep and Elsie prayed that she wouldn't have a nightmare and come downstairs. Charles stroked her hair as he pondered his answer. "that hard huh?" she asked with a smirk

"I was trying to put it into words" he answered softly, jabbing her softly in the ribs to make her laugh. "I love you for so many things Elsie." He said, suddenly turning serious again "I love how you chew your lip when you're nervous and how you insist that freezing chocolate makes it last longer. I love how particular you are about a cup of tea yet you'll drink any old glass of wine. I love when you fuss over your untidy hair, and how the colours of your eyes change depending on your mood. I love how I can say your name twenty times when you're reading and you won't hear a thing. I love the line of concentration you get right here" he touched her forehead "when you paint. I love how you see the world, not how it is, but in a variety of colours and shades. I love how protective you are over your friends, and over Becky, even when it's me you're protecting them from. I love how you're never rude to anyone, even the telesales people. And I love how you love me."

Elsie sat up and turned to face him, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Charles?"

"But it's more than that." He continued as though she had never spoken "there's something deep inside my chest, which came to life when I saw you at the hotel that day. I knew I loved you right then and there, and I can't tell you how or why. I love you Elsie, even though you're not the only person in the world who freezes chocolate. Something inside of me knows that no matter what, I will always love you."

Unable to speak, she had thrown herself into his arms, crying so hard that he began to worry.

"Elsie? Are you okay?"

She hiccuped herself back into control and nodded

"I'm fine Charles." She said softly, threading her fingers through the dark curls at the nape of his neck. "I love you. I love you so much. And I don't ever want to lose you."

(())(())

It was the memories that came first, the ones where she had never felt happier in her life. Climbing the hills with Becky when they were young lasses and feeling as though they were at the top of the world as they gazed down on everyone else.

The pride she felt when she wandered into a bookstore and saw one of the ones she had illustrated on display. The times when she finished a painting and looked up to discover that it was three in the morning, and her shoulders were aching but it was done and it was beautiful.

The hours she had spent with Beryl, cooking, baking or simply chatting. The memories they shared, the times they had laughed so hard that they felt sick afterwards. The hours of gossip and nagging from both sides, even the explosive arguments they had shared, were something to be looked back on with a smile.

The joy she had felt as she watched Thomas slowly coming back to life, instead of being the broken shell of a man that she had first met. Watching him fall in love ad accept who he really was.

The fear of god Isobel had put into her, when she had threatened to stop the treatment for the cancer, even though the beautiful tall doctor probably had another fifty patients to worry about. The disturbing amount of tequila shots they had downed when they went out to celebrate her health. How they had laughed about what happened in oncall rooms, and mimicked people they didn't like.

And him. The half smile he would give her when he was trying so hard to remain professional, the smoldering looks he would send her way when he thought no one was looking. The three page long emails he would send when he was away, most of it full of facts about where he was staying but there was always something written in them that was distinctly him. The way he would kiss her, so gently one moment, as though she might break and then kissing her as though he wanted to consume her. His deeply dry sense of humor, his sarcasm that could cut through steel if he so chose. Everything that made him who he was. Charles Edward Carson. The man she loved.

The pain came next, a burning that started at her toes and worked its way up until every inch of her body screamed in pain. Her vision faltered, and everything turned dark. She was dizzy, everything seemed to be spinning and she had no idea which end was up.

Her hearing came back. She could hear the machines she was attached to, the sound of his breathing, the quiet whispering of the nurses. Her fingers twitched, and his breath hitched. She tried to open her eyes, but the blinding light forced her to close them again. She tried again, slowly this time allowing her vision to adjust. She took a breath, and felt it burn her lungs. Her mouth was dry, so very dry but the thought of water made her want to close her eyes again. She swallowed. Once. Twice. The chair next to her creaked and suddenly his face came into view. His large nose, kind hazel eyes and the bushy eyebrows she loved so much.

"Elsie?"

The End.