It was while Sarah was luxuriating in a bubble bath and having her hair very gently washed by Al, that she suddenly realised that she didn’t feel at all self-conscious in his presence.  In all the years with Andy, she had avoided any wandering around barely clothed, and averted her eyes at the sight of his pale, spindly body.  Any sex that had taken place in their early years was carried out in the dark and with a minimum of affection. Clutching a towel to her face in order to avoid getting the dressing wet, she smiled and closed her eyes as Al massaged her head, and the warm water washed the shampoo and conditioner away.

“How come you have so many nice things like bubble bath in your house Al?”

“Maggie’s fault.  She has always been keen on me finding someone new, and as a consequence makes sure that there are some girly things around in the house.  I have been known to have a bubble bath myself, although I am a shower man really. I’ll get a quick one while you’re getting dressed.”

He wrapped her hair up in a towel and checked that the dressing was still intact and dry, then held out a large bath sheet to wrap the rest of Sarah up in. She looked up at him, and felt a surge of happiness as he helped her out of the bath, and hugged her. It was another of those moments where time became irrelevant as he kissed her, and all thought of getting dressed was abandoned.

“We’ll have to ration this sort of thing if we’re going to get anything done.” she said, feeling very glad that Al’s bathroom floor was mostly covered with a large fluffy rug, and a slightly damp bath sheet.

“Ration?” Al pulled a disappointed face but kissed her nevertheless.

“You know exactly what I mean Al.  At the moment, I would be perfectly happy tucked up on the sofa with you, or in bed, or on the bathroom floor, or anywhere as long as it’s just you and me.  We have to get dressed and feed Buster though. I also think that we need to go back to work tomorrow before the media blows this story out of all proportion.”

“I must admit that the thought of shutting us both away from the world for a couple of weeks sounds wonderful, I’d been thinking that maybe time off should wait under the circumstances.  I’ve worked with Oliver’s mob for long enough to know how quickly situations escalate once the gossips start.”

“Are you worried about them gossiping about us?” she asked, feeling a little disappointed.  “Oliver knows, which means that it’s common knowledge now.”

“Not about us my love, about the incident; how it was handled by security, how much of it relates to Oliver’s show.  Don’t be surprised if they ask you to do an interview for radio or TV. Your reaction last night made me wonder if you needed to stay away a bit longer?”

“I was a bit freaky, wasn’t I?” Sarah grimaced at the memory. “Things have changed though Al; I can’t pretend that it didn’t happen, or that I haven’t got a cut on my face.  If we are talking media, I need to work with the company as to what I can and can’t say, so going back into work tomorrow is the best thing to do.  How about you though?  There are bound to be nudges and winks all over the place.”

“If you can cope with it, then so can I.  You said last night that we make a good team?”

“If you hadn’t understood me so well, you wouldn’t have realised what I was trying to communicate to you when I was opening and closing my eyes. You trusted me to know what I was doing, and you gave me the courage to do it.  All Andy ever did was undermine me, and treat me like a naughty child.  Anyway, I’m going to get dressed and contact Jenny and Oliver. I’ll leave you to your shower.”

Sarah gave him a swift kiss and hurried off to the bedroom.  Al stood in the bathroom, slightly stunned but revelling in that same rush of happiness.

Not surprisingly, Jenny and Oliver were very happy about Sarah and Al returning to work so soon.  Al’s boss was even more relieved at not having to juggle an already overstretched workforce at a difficult time.   Buster was almost pleased to see them when they walked into Millie’s flat.  There was still no sign of Millie though. 

‘If we’re both going in to work tomorrow, should we use two cars or one?  Should we go from the cottage, or do you want to stay here?  Not in Tom’s little room of course. I’m not trying to make life more complicated, but I have to know what clothes I’ll need, and what you need if …”

“Sarah,” he said very calmly.  “Come here and take a few deep breaths.”

She sat down on the sofa and leaned against him, feeling the moments of panic ebb away as he put his arms around her.

“We can stay here if you prefer.  I’ll need to nip home and get my uniform and stuff; you can have a playfight with Buster, and update Jude.  We can go to work in my car and leave a parking space for someone else. At the end of tomorrow, we can make a decision about which home to spend the night in.  Variety is the spice of life and I haven’t even looked in your bedroom here yet.”

“Do you have time to have a look now or shall we leave that to later?”

“All the time in the world for you. Not Buster though.  He keeps giving me funny looks.”

After eventually waving Al off from the balcony, Sarah sent a text to Jude asking if she was free for a chat.  The answer came back very swiftly.

Yes, yes, and double yes!

It was a relief to be able to tell Jude about what had happened, and that included the progression of Sarah and Al’s relationship, which Jude found extremely romantic, and just what Sarah deserved after all those years of living with Andy’s commandments.

“Are you happy Sarah?  Apart from being wounded in the line of duty?”

Sarah laughed.  “That’s what Al called it.  Did I tell you that he’s an ex-policeman?”

“A couple of times, but that doesn’t seem to be his major attribute as far as you are concerned. What happens now?”

“We are both going into work tomorrow.  Ever eager to milk some positive publicity, Oliver has asked Jenny to set up a press call for the morning. In a way it’s good, because it gives us a chance to tell our side of the story – within reason because of the pending charges against Marta and Natasha – rather than have the trashy tabloids get the wrong end of the stick.  I’ve no doubt that they’ll make a big thing about me and Al, and how I’ve fell for my ‘rescuer’ on that fateful night. The fact that Al and I have been out on dates already, and according to Al, I rescued myself, he just helped. Thank goodness we did that self-defence course years ago.  In the short term, we have to wait for Millie to return from India; I may need to find alternative accommodation…”

“…Al’s cottage maybe?”

“I feel so comfortable there Jude; you and Dan will love it.  It’s far more your kind of place than Andy’s house or even Millie’s flat.  I can’t go into it at the moment but there’s trouble brewing regarding the show, and I might be looking for a job again.  Al’s okay because he works for the main security company rather than just the show.  The press call tomorrow will do his company the world of good too.  There are things I need to ask you though Jude; you are the only really happily married woman that I know.”

“Would this be anything to do with the fact that you and Al can’t keep your hands off each other by chance?”

“How did you know?”

“I know you, sweetheart! You skimmed over what actually happened when Al took you back home after the hospital, but I had a feeling that you two became – how can we put it politely? Intimate?”

“Very intimate, and not just the once either.”

“Enough!  Dan and I still have our moments, even with three demanding daughters.  I am very glad that you’ve finally found what you’ve been missing out on all this time.  I was afraid to tell you in case it made you even more miserable with Andy.”

“I guess Al and I are both making up for lost time then?  Tell me though, when Dan’s out of the house, do you worry in case he’s involved in a car accident?”

“Even after all this time together – yes!  I still get butterflies when I hear his key in the door.  Sound familiar? I take it that Andy never had that effect on you?”

“I don’t remember ever feeling this way before.  When Andy took me under his wing, I felt protected from everything that was falling down around me. In retrospect I should have escaped once I realised what was going on, but at the time it seemed easier to just immerse myself in work, and let him sort everything out.  With Al, I feel that I can make my own decisions; he makes me feel strong Jude.  That’s good, isn’t it?”

“If he makes you feel that way, as well as giving you butterflies when you’re with him, I would say that the future looks pretty rosy.  Good luck for tomorrow.  I shall watch the news with interest.”

Deciding that keeping busy was the best thing that she could do while waiting for Al to return, Sarah stripped and changed Millie and Tom’s beds.  Buster wasn’t that pleased, and had to be reassured with some treats.  He disappeared and Sarah found him curled up on her bed.  She smiled at his contentment, but her face reminded her that it was time for more painkillers, and food.  The cupboards and fridge looked a little bare, and Sarah wondered if she could cope with a supermarket trip if wearing a huge scarf around her face.  She was just beginning to get seriously worried about Al, when the door buzzed, and the butterflies started up again as she heard his voice on the intercom.

She rushed to open the door, and was about to fling her arms around him when she realised, that not only did he have a bag of work clothes and equipment, he also had several bags of shopping. He put them down gently in the hallway.

“I missed you!” she said.  “I was convinced that you’d been in a fatal car accident.  Jude said that was a perfectly normal thing, and that she feels the same every time Dan is a bit late home.  It gets a bit easier apparently.”

He picked her up in a huge bear hug once his arms were free.

“I thought we could do with some supplies, and I didn’t think that you’d feel like a shopping trip today.  Yes, I missed you too, but at the same time knowing that I was shopping for both of us made up for it.  Baguettes, cheeses and ham for lunch.  Is that okay?”

“Wonderful. I’ve just been looking through the fridge and cupboards for something to put together for us.  A bit Mother Hubbard I’m afraid.”

“I called Maggie.  I told her.  About us and you moving in.  Was that okay?”

“Of course!  What did she say?”

“She asked me to call in on the way back.  I have some things to give you.  Tonight’s dinner which is a couple of portions of one of Maggie’s casseroles, and potatoes to bulk them out a bit, and…”

“…and?”

“Our Maggie’s a bit old-fashioned, and when I told her about us moving in together, she pulled a face.”

“What kind of a face?”

“An ‘I don’t really believe in people living together without being married’ face.”

“Oh. Does she know that Andy and I weren’t married?”

“It didn’t seem relevant so I didn’t mention it.  That’s all in the past.  Anyway, she said I was to give you this.  It used to belong to my Mother.”

Al pulled a small red leather box out of his pocket and handed it to Sarah.  She sat down on the sofa and opened it very carefully.  Inside was a ring; a garnet, set in gold and surrounded with marcasites. She felt the tears welling up, as she looked from the box to Al, and back again.

“You aren’t upset, are you?” he said.  “I didn’t know if you’d feel pressured or angry.  I didn’t know…”

“If this ring means what I hope it means, I will only be angry if you don’t go down on one knee and propose properly”

It was all that Al needed, and what made the moment even more perfect, as he put it on Sarah’s finger, the ring actually fitted.

“Sarah, in the short time we’ve known each other you have made my world a happier place, and I knew from the moment I met you that I wanted to share that world with you forever.  Will you marry me, please?”

“Yes!  Oh yes, Al! Are you sure that Maggie doesn’t mind giving up this ring? Especially as it was something of your Mother’s?”

“She says it was always far too small for her, and by the time any of her girls would be old enough to wear it, they’d probably turn their noses up at anything so old-fashioned.  Do you think it’s old-fashioned Sarah?”

“It’s my birthstone.  Garnets for a January girl – well, woman – and I love marcasite and the way that it catches the light and dances.  Oh Al!  I feel so happy I could burst!  Phone Maggie please, I need to say thank you before I phone Jude.”

“Can I get up now?  My knees aren’t as flexible as they used to be.”

“I have a feeling that this is one of those moments where a kiss and several hugs is definitely in order.  Buster’s asleep on my – our bed – so we won’t get any disapproving looks.”

Sarah curled up on the sofa next to Al as he dialled his sister’s number.  She answered very quickly, and he handed the phone over to Sarah, who lost no time in thanking Maggie and telling her how very happy she was.  Jude was next, and the news was greeted with great whoops of joy.  Life would be perfect if only Millie would come home.

Watching breakfast TV, eating chocolate Shreddies with a decent mug of coffee, then feeling snug and safe curled up on the sofa with Al under a fleecy blanket.  Life didn’t get much more perfect for Sarah – apart from the sinister white dressing on her face. She’d set her laptop up and checked, but there was still no word from Millie.  There were several emails from Jenny and other team mates checking that she was okay, so after brushing her hair and putting on a bit of lipstick, Sarah took a selfie of the dressing side of her face, and sent it off with an advisory note that the rest of the team should get some Phantom masks so that she wouldn’t stick out too much.

“Sarah!  You’re on the news!”  Al rewound the digital TV channel so that Sarah could come back to the sofa and watch the news clip.  No pictures fortunately, just information, but according to the announcer a woman had been attacked by two other females in the underground car park, and was saved by the diligence of the security staff.  Sarah’s mobile rang almost immediately.

“Hi Jude.  Yes, it was me. Yes, it was the mad Dutchwoman and Nasty Natasha.  Al was one of my diligent security guards, and henceforth I shall be known as ‘Sarah Scarface’! No, darling Jude, don’t get upset.  She cut my face but otherwise I am unscathed.  I’m at Al’s, and don’t ask me any personal questions because they will only make me smile, and it hurts to do that right now.”

A relieved Jude continued firing off questions, some of which were very personal. and answered with a non-committal ‘Hmmm’.  After assuring Jude that she was taking time off and that Al was looking after her, Sarah promised to visit soon but that she wanted the wound to heal a bit, in case it frightened Dan and the girls.  Sarah could hear Dan snorting in the background when Jude repeated this to him.  He demanded photographs, and Sarah promised to send them once Al had changed the dressing.

Having put the mobile down, and curled up next to Al again, Sarah wondered about the dressing.  A part of her wanted to see the damage but she was worried about looking in case it was too dreadful. Al led her into the kitchen, sat her down, and solved the dilemma by very gently easing off the dressing and dabbing off the worst of the dried blood.  He stood back and admired his handiwork.

“It’s quite sexy as scars go, but I could be biased.  Do you want me to take a picture with your mobile before I put the new dressing on?”

“Are you sure it isn’t that bad Al? You aren’t just saying that?”

“No.  I promise never to lie to you – about anything really important.  If you turn your face away from me, I can focus on the cut.  They’ve done a neat job and the stitches are very small.  Did they tell you whether they will dissolve or whether you need to have them taken out?”

“I can remember hearing something about stitches; that’s why I have to go back next Monday to make sure that everything is healing up.  Do your worst Al!  Take the photo. I can’t keep pretending that it doesn’t exist.  It’s a part of me now, and I have to accept it.”

Al took several photographs so that Sarah could choose which one to send. The process was lengthened by the fact that both of their mobiles were buzzing with texts from other people who had also seen the news clip. Al sent some photos to his friend in the Force so that the case notes could be updated.  He looked through the selection of dressings that the hospital had provided and found one that looked smaller and less obvious.  Happy that the wound was clean, dry and didn’t have any sign of abnormal redness or swelling, Al gently applied the dressing, held Sarah very tightly afterwards, and kissed her on the other cheek.  Sarah’s mobile rang again; this time it was Oliver.  She grimaced as she picked up the call.

“Sarah! Are you okay?  How the hell did this happen?  Al was supposed to be looking after you!”

“I’m fine Oliver.  Al was doing a very good job of looking after me, but our little friend Natasha set up a diversion. It was only a few seconds, but enough time for Marta to grab me. I have a cut on my face, but Al knocked Marta out with a very effective punch, and I think Natasha may have to have her broken ankle reset.  The CCTV was invaluable, and the night security guard Mike was quick to alert the police and ambulance, as he was coming to help us.  I’m afraid that we have to lay the blame on Natasha; without her, Marta would never have got the idea of coming back and stalking me. Judging from the way she was egging Marta on to deliver a fatal stab wound; I would say that she is even more dangerous than Marta. She was better at masking her psychotic tendencies, and no one could have predicted that her delusions could have led her to such extremes.”

“Where are you Sarah? You aren’t coming in today, are you?”

“I am at Al’s, Oliver.  We are both taking the day off – together – and I don’t care who knows that Al and I are most definitely an item now.  I have already assured Jenny that we will be most discreet when we come back.  The cut has been stitched but I need to keep a dressing on it for a while, so I’ll stay out of camera shot for now if that’s okay?”

“Shame.  We could have got some mileage out of it…”

“No! Discretion, or my resignation is on your desk in the morning!”

“You win.  I should have remembered that you social workers have too much integrity for your own good.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment then. See you Oliver!”

Having kept the conversation as light as she could, Al could tell from the half of Sarah’s face that he could see, that she was very angry.  He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her again.

“Oliver is a dick,” he said.

“Aptly put, and I will not miss him if the show is pulled.  I know that his success has been built on self-promotion, and humiliating people, but none of that is in my contract.  Millie warned me that he was difficult, and that she tended to let most of it roll over her.  I’m not quite so tolerant. I know that Oliver was worried about his mother, and that’s why he was so horrible to some of the guests on Friday, but his mother’s illness wasn’t their fault and they deserved better. So did the man who killed himself. Can we really get away with sitting here and snogging all day Al?”

“Sounds absolutely wonderful to me, but what about Buster?”

“Poor old moggie.  I’d forgotten all about him.  We’ll have to get dressed and pay him a visit.  I could do with more clothes if…”

“…if?”

 “If you want me to stay here?”

“There is nothing I would love more.  I also have a washing machine and a tumble drier you can use for your clothes, and a fire pit in the garden if you are serious about burning that blouse.”

“Very serious.  It was never one of my favourites anyway.  It dates back to sensible Andy days, but wasn’t right for Jude’s girls’ dressing up box.  I suppose I shouldn’t have a shower in case my face gets wet. I could have a bath though?”

“You could.  I have both, and if you would allow me too, I could very gently wash your hair.”

“Oh Al! You have so many hidden talents. No one has helped me wash my hair since Millie and I left Uni.  Andy wanted me to cut it short; he said it would make me look more adult and reliable.”

“I hope I never get to meet Andy.  I don’t think I’d actually punch him but …”

“…No need. Rest assured that I gave as good as I got, but if I’d had more gumption, I’d have ended the relationship as soon as I saw the house that he was living in, and met his horrible sister.  I’ll just check my emails again.”

“I’ll start running the bath; it takes a while to fill up.” said Al.

There were several emails, but none from Millie yet.  Jenny wanted to know if Sarah would be in for the show on Wednesday, so did Oliver, and several people from her old social work team were asking if she knew anything about the attack.  She replied to her friends fairly minimally, ensuring them that although she was the one who got attacked, she was fine.  She decided to leave Jenny and Oliver till after her bath.

Waking up in Al’s arms, in his bed, and discovering that Andy’s idea of sex was a world away from the reality of actually making love with the right person, made Sarah feel very happy.  Even the ache in her face when she smiled didn’t dampen her spirits.  She burrowed into Al’s neck in the hope that he might wake up, and confirm that something very special had happened between them during the night. 

It worked.

“Are we okay Sarah?” he whispered as he pulled her close against his chest.

“We are more than okay; in fact, apart from a bit of a cut on my face, I am happier now than I have been for years,” she said, between kisses.   “My face doesn’t even hurt as much as it did yesterday.  You must have healing powers.  I’m not going to shout too loudly about that though, in case someone tries to steal you away from me.”

“Having seen you overpower the dreaded Marta last night; my money is on you every time,” said Al. “Just tell me?  Is this the real thing for you, because it is for me, and I need to know?”

 “I have fallen for you Al, well and truly,” she said revelling in the warmth of his skin against hers.  “It’s a totally new sensation for me so I’m sorry if I’ve taken time to catch up with you. I love Jude and her family; they’re my past and my present, and what kept me going through all the years of stagnation with Andy. Millie was a huge part of my past before I ever met Andy, so finding her again is wonderful.  More than anything though, I can actually see a future with you, if that’s what you want too.  Of course, if the Coroner blames Oliver for this poor man’s death, we’ll all be made redundant when they close the show down.”

“Not me,” he said with a grin.  “I’m actually employed by the company who runs security for the Quays.  You get placed with a certain production company, and stay there unless they lose the contract, or you want to go elsewhere. I don’t make much money, but I could keep you in chocolate Shreddies and pizza. If that was what you wanted?”

“That is the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“I didn’t mean to presume or anything…”

“You didn’t presume.  I have to think about what might happen in the future as well.  Millie is due back at the end of the week, and I have a sneaky feeling that she may have Tom’s father with her.  That could mean one of two things; he might want to relocate to this country, in which case she won’t want me playing gooseberry in the flat.  The other possibility is that she will have fallen in love with India all over again, and want to go back there permanently.  Either way I could end up being homeless again. Do you want a lodger?”

“No, if you come to live here, it would be as my partner.  There’s another thing that’s worrying me though.  I had the snip after my second son was born. You said Andy had the snip because he thought you were too irresponsible to remember to take the Pill?  Did you never want children of your own?”

“I wasn’t actually being irresponsible.  I pretended. It was his choice, but I never wanted children with Andy.  He had too many obsessions, and the social worker in me felt that it would be unkind to bring a child into that kind of environment.  His sister Abigail was a total nightmare, and she was adopted. All those years of social work, and I’d dealt with some heart-breaking cases of child neglect and abuse. I love Jude and Dan’s children, and the time I spent at with Maggie and her family was great, but I’m too old for babies now.  I’ve accepted that fact.”

“My ex-wife decided that having our two boys was enough, and she didn’t want to go through any operations.”

“That solves the problem then.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Al, it’s you I want.  Not a baby making machine, although we could always pretend, I suppose.  Scrub that.  When we make love, it ought to be because we want to be close to each.  Just a personal thing; something between the two of us.”

The irritating buzz of Al’s mobile spoilt what could have been another particularly significant moment, and Al had to break away in order to pick the phone. He listened rather than spoke, apart from the odd ‘Okay’, and ‘Bye’.

“What time is it?” Sarah asked as he put the phone down.

“Just after eight.  Are you hungry?”

“I ought to take some more painkillers and that has to be done with food.  Who was that on your phone?”

“My own boss confirming that he’s spoken with Jenny, and I can take some time off under the circumstances. I had some holiday owing anyway. Chocolate Shreddies, Madam?”

“And coffee.  Am I allowed to drink coffee?”

“I don’t see why not.  Do you want to have breakfast up here or downstairs?”

“Downstairs please.  Do you know where my nightshirt went?”

“I’ll find it, once I’ve found my boxers. They may well have ended up in the same place.”

“Can we risk another hug before you get up?”

“I think that might be an excellent idea – provided you don’t mind waiting a bit longer for your breakfast?”

“I can wait,” she said, smiling at the very thought.