We'll Always Have Holby : pt 1
Title : We'll Always Have Holby
Author : Jen
Rating : no higher than 12. Ish.
Summary : standing on that rooftop, willing it not to end, Maggie and Charlie's lives are about to be forever changed
Well, the one shot piece was fun, but this is much more my forté. Welcome to my series fic. Welcome to the ride. Buckle in, bring the tissues, and I promise I'll make it worth your while.
For Em, my patient and wise beta.
"Whatever happens," he said, holding her face while she fixed those deep eyes he'd always loved on his, "we'll always have Holby."
She couldn't help but laugh; it was so cheesy and yet so perfect. Asked her a week ago and she'd have said chat up lines from a film would always put her off. Now she realised that he could say anything to her, even quote the Holby phone directory, and she'd lap it up, loving every word.
He kissed the tip of her nose and she felt the familiar shivers that run down your spine when you're completely in love and completely happy. When he kissed her again it just confirmed everything; she loved him.
That had snuck up on her. When she'd woken up this morning she'd had no idea that she'd end the day here, on the roof of the hospital, sharing a spine-tingling kiss with the man she loved.
Mind you, she had been a bit distracted this morning. And for several weeks beforehand. Several weeks in which he'd been her rock, by her side, keeping her spirits up. How could she not love him? Had she always loved him?
"You OK?"
Charlie's concern was real and present and she snapped out of her thoughts.
"Maggie?"
"Just thinking."
"About...?"
"You. This."
"Second thoughts about leaving?" he asked hopefully.
"This is real, you know that?" she replied. "Us I mean."
"I was getting that impression."
"I mean it, Charlie. I love you."
He smiled. "I love you too."
"I'd figured that bit out," she said, kissing him gently.
"You hungry?"
The shift in topic made her consider the idea and she nodded. "Starving."
"Dinner?"
"Love some."
"You can come over if you want," he said. "Can't promise Louis won't be there but..."
"Sounds good to me."
"OK," he said, taking her hand and heading over to the stairwell.
"Just need to go home first. I want to shower and change and just... Get rid of that place."
"Give me a chance to whip something up then," he said. As he held open the door for her they shared a warm smile. "Be a good way to end the day."
"Be exactly what I need."
~~
She showered quickly and changed into something a lot more comfortable and a lot less formal. The suit was dismissed into the linen basket to be dealt with later. It was over. It was all over. As she grabbed the bottle of perfume from the dresser and liberally sprayed some she caught sight of herself in the mirror. When she met her own eyes and saw the spark, she couldn't help but smile. So different to this morning when she'd worried about her job, her reputation, her entire life in Holby. All hanging by a thread because of Simon and Marilyn and...
Kris. There was a young man dead, his family grieving, and here she was, giddily preparing for a dinner like a teenager going on a first date. How was this fair? After everything that had come out today, the deception, the lies, the surprise revelation of Sean and Zoe's affair... Here she was, getting on with things as if it were just another day.
Her mobile beeped with a new message, snapping her from her doldrums. Pulling it from her bag she opened up the message, unable to stop herself smiling when she saw it was from Charlie.
You've got ten minutes until dinner's ready. Don't let it go cold. x
Life goes on. How many times had she heard it, said it herself? Tragedy and bad things happen, lives get messed up. But it doesn't mean that everything else has to be messed up and stop around it.
~~
She parked behind his car, turning the engine off and just sitting there for a moment. The house was lit up with signs of life and she could just imagine Charlie and Louis inside, bustling about in the Fairhead manner, getting dinner together and trying to make it perfect. Two men who were definitely cut from the same cloth but wouldn't recognise it.
Was this fair? She still had every intention of leaving, she was still going to take Natasa back to Serbia. She was still going to have to say goodbye to him. There would be tears at the airport, she just knew it. Tears and hugs and lots of long distance phonecalls.
Getting herself together she got out of the car and locked the door. For a moment she wondered if she should take it in with her, but deciding against it she headed for the door. There was plenty of time to get it later, should it be required. Her heels clicked along the pavement but the sound was drowned out by the blood rushing in her ears. She could feel her heart beginning to race and as she climbed the steps to the front door she wondered what she was going to do if Charlie answered; could she trust herself not to jump him? In the end she was saved as Louis opened the door.
"Hey," she greeted as he stepped back to let her in. "You off somewhere?" she asked, noticing his jacket was on.
"Dad paid me to leave," he said bluntly.
"Right."
"So don't worry, you'll have the place to yourselves."
"Louis..."
"It's fine," he interrupted. "I approve. Even happy for you guys. Dad deserves to be happy and I know he really likes you."
"Well I really like him."
"I should..." he said, gesturing towards the open door. "Have fun." He then realised what he was alluding to and made a face.
"Just... go," Maggie laughed, half pushing him out the door. "Hey, what time did your dad say you had to be home by?"
"He didn't," Louis replied, already halfway down the steps.
Maggie gave him a look.
"Two."
There was a further look.
"Midnight," Louis admitted.
"And how much has he paid you to go out?"
"Twenty quid. Cheapskate."
"If you're back on time I'll double your money," she said.
"Want me to interrupt your evening?" he asked.
"No, I want you to not give your dad any more hassle. We have a deal?"
"Deal," he said.
As she turned around, closing the door behind her, she caught sight of Charlie standing at the end of the hallway.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi yourself."
"So... Paying your son to go out for the night?" she teased, heading down towards him.
"I just... I mean, I thought..." he stumbled, trying to find a way to explain it.
"Shut up," she laughed, kissing him softly. "It's fine, really. Actually appreciate the gesture. Much as I love your son..."
She trailed off as she noticed the table. Candles, perfect setting... and takeaway cartons.
"Yeah," he said. "Didn't have much time to cook."
"Charlie... You're worrying about this too much."
He shrugged slightly.
"You really are worried about this, aren't you?" she realised.
"Just a bit out of practice."
"You and me both," she said. "But we're going to tie ourselves up in knots if we start
obsessing over every last detail. You and I need to just... relax. Take it as it comes."
"Go with the flow?" he suggested, remembering something Louis had said to him once.
Maggie laughed. "Something like that. Now can we eat? I'm starved."
tbc...
Author : Jen
Rating : no higher than 12. Ish.
Summary : standing on that rooftop, willing it not to end, Maggie and Charlie's lives are about to be forever changed
Well, the one shot piece was fun, but this is much more my forté. Welcome to my series fic. Welcome to the ride. Buckle in, bring the tissues, and I promise I'll make it worth your while.
For Em, my patient and wise beta.
"Whatever happens," he said, holding her face while she fixed those deep eyes he'd always loved on his, "we'll always have Holby."
She couldn't help but laugh; it was so cheesy and yet so perfect. Asked her a week ago and she'd have said chat up lines from a film would always put her off. Now she realised that he could say anything to her, even quote the Holby phone directory, and she'd lap it up, loving every word.
He kissed the tip of her nose and she felt the familiar shivers that run down your spine when you're completely in love and completely happy. When he kissed her again it just confirmed everything; she loved him.
That had snuck up on her. When she'd woken up this morning she'd had no idea that she'd end the day here, on the roof of the hospital, sharing a spine-tingling kiss with the man she loved.
Mind you, she had been a bit distracted this morning. And for several weeks beforehand. Several weeks in which he'd been her rock, by her side, keeping her spirits up. How could she not love him? Had she always loved him?
"You OK?"
Charlie's concern was real and present and she snapped out of her thoughts.
"Maggie?"
"Just thinking."
"About...?"
"You. This."
"Second thoughts about leaving?" he asked hopefully.
"This is real, you know that?" she replied. "Us I mean."
"I was getting that impression."
"I mean it, Charlie. I love you."
He smiled. "I love you too."
"I'd figured that bit out," she said, kissing him gently.
"You hungry?"
The shift in topic made her consider the idea and she nodded. "Starving."
"Dinner?"
"Love some."
"You can come over if you want," he said. "Can't promise Louis won't be there but..."
"Sounds good to me."
"OK," he said, taking her hand and heading over to the stairwell.
"Just need to go home first. I want to shower and change and just... Get rid of that place."
"Give me a chance to whip something up then," he said. As he held open the door for her they shared a warm smile. "Be a good way to end the day."
"Be exactly what I need."
~~
She showered quickly and changed into something a lot more comfortable and a lot less formal. The suit was dismissed into the linen basket to be dealt with later. It was over. It was all over. As she grabbed the bottle of perfume from the dresser and liberally sprayed some she caught sight of herself in the mirror. When she met her own eyes and saw the spark, she couldn't help but smile. So different to this morning when she'd worried about her job, her reputation, her entire life in Holby. All hanging by a thread because of Simon and Marilyn and...
Kris. There was a young man dead, his family grieving, and here she was, giddily preparing for a dinner like a teenager going on a first date. How was this fair? After everything that had come out today, the deception, the lies, the surprise revelation of Sean and Zoe's affair... Here she was, getting on with things as if it were just another day.
Her mobile beeped with a new message, snapping her from her doldrums. Pulling it from her bag she opened up the message, unable to stop herself smiling when she saw it was from Charlie.
You've got ten minutes until dinner's ready. Don't let it go cold. x
Life goes on. How many times had she heard it, said it herself? Tragedy and bad things happen, lives get messed up. But it doesn't mean that everything else has to be messed up and stop around it.
~~
She parked behind his car, turning the engine off and just sitting there for a moment. The house was lit up with signs of life and she could just imagine Charlie and Louis inside, bustling about in the Fairhead manner, getting dinner together and trying to make it perfect. Two men who were definitely cut from the same cloth but wouldn't recognise it.
Was this fair? She still had every intention of leaving, she was still going to take Natasa back to Serbia. She was still going to have to say goodbye to him. There would be tears at the airport, she just knew it. Tears and hugs and lots of long distance phonecalls.
Getting herself together she got out of the car and locked the door. For a moment she wondered if she should take it in with her, but deciding against it she headed for the door. There was plenty of time to get it later, should it be required. Her heels clicked along the pavement but the sound was drowned out by the blood rushing in her ears. She could feel her heart beginning to race and as she climbed the steps to the front door she wondered what she was going to do if Charlie answered; could she trust herself not to jump him? In the end she was saved as Louis opened the door.
"Hey," she greeted as he stepped back to let her in. "You off somewhere?" she asked, noticing his jacket was on.
"Dad paid me to leave," he said bluntly.
"Right."
"So don't worry, you'll have the place to yourselves."
"Louis..."
"It's fine," he interrupted. "I approve. Even happy for you guys. Dad deserves to be happy and I know he really likes you."
"Well I really like him."
"I should..." he said, gesturing towards the open door. "Have fun." He then realised what he was alluding to and made a face.
"Just... go," Maggie laughed, half pushing him out the door. "Hey, what time did your dad say you had to be home by?"
"He didn't," Louis replied, already halfway down the steps.
Maggie gave him a look.
"Two."
There was a further look.
"Midnight," Louis admitted.
"And how much has he paid you to go out?"
"Twenty quid. Cheapskate."
"If you're back on time I'll double your money," she said.
"Want me to interrupt your evening?" he asked.
"No, I want you to not give your dad any more hassle. We have a deal?"
"Deal," he said.
As she turned around, closing the door behind her, she caught sight of Charlie standing at the end of the hallway.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi yourself."
"So... Paying your son to go out for the night?" she teased, heading down towards him.
"I just... I mean, I thought..." he stumbled, trying to find a way to explain it.
"Shut up," she laughed, kissing him softly. "It's fine, really. Actually appreciate the gesture. Much as I love your son..."
She trailed off as she noticed the table. Candles, perfect setting... and takeaway cartons.
"Yeah," he said. "Didn't have much time to cook."
"Charlie... You're worrying about this too much."
He shrugged slightly.
"You really are worried about this, aren't you?" she realised.
"Just a bit out of practice."
"You and me both," she said. "But we're going to tie ourselves up in knots if we start
obsessing over every last detail. You and I need to just... relax. Take it as it comes."
"Go with the flow?" he suggested, remembering something Louis had said to him once.
Maggie laughed. "Something like that. Now can we eat? I'm starved."
tbc...