Their feet brought Martin and Zoe to a small Italian coffee shop, which was relatively empty with posh-looking couples wearing tanned coats and barber jackets.
The teachers didn't quite fit in, with their pale faces and their anxious countenances, but they retired to two comfy window seats, and Zoe bought herself and Martin a latte.
"So.. what are you going to do about... everything?" Asked Zoë, sipping on her small coffee while gazing straight into his eyes.
"I... I don't know." He admitted, slowly, stretching one hand behind his neck and exhaling, "I don't know.."
Zoe bit her lip before taking his hand which rested limp on the table, Martin watched as they linked their fingers together.
"I wanna help you, Martin.. you know I do.. but I don't know how." She told him,
"You are helping, Zoë." He replied, "I'm just sorry I have to be such a pain. I wish it could be easier. You deserve far better."
Zoe planted a kiss on his hand where she held it, and Martin leaned forwards, cupping both her hands, looking straight into her eyes which glistened with passion and sadness at him.
"This should be so easy.." he whispered, "why isn't it easy? My spouse is dead, you're single. What's wrong with.. us?"
Zoe shook her head, keeping eye contact, "something. I don't know what but morally I can't just give in and kiss you."
"But what if I did. What if I screwed my morals and went over and kissed you right now? We've done it before, why can't we do it again?" Said Martin with inner pain.
Zoe shrugged her shoulders and blankly smiled, "who knows?" She Replied, looking down before Martin's phone started to ring.
Martin broke the gaze and checked his phone; it was Bronagh Watson,
"Goodness me." He sighed, hesitating before picking up his phone and answering it, his eyes still focused on Zoe's.
"Hello?" Answered Martin, apprehensively.
"Hi." Replied a shallow whisper coming from the phone.
Martin raised an eyebrow, "Bronagh is that you?" He asked, before hearing quiet whimpering from the other line,
"Bronagh?" He repeated,
"H-help." She cried quietly before he heard a loud bang and the phone hung up.

Martin looked with wide eyes over to Zoe.
"W-when's the last t-time she called you?" He asked immediately and sternly,
"Two days ago." She Replied, "I think she was still in France.. why what did she say?"
Martin's face grew cold and white, "help." He told her, unblinking.
Zoe tilted her head slightly in uncertainty, "what?"
"I'm gonna text her." He informed, immediately texting Are you alright? Where are you?
There seemed to be no sign of her responding, so he called her back, but it went to voicemail immediately.
"Should I call the police?" He asked her,
Zoe ran her fingers through her hair, "Yeah? Maybe? I don't know.. fuck what is wrong with this trip?" She began to panic and her eyes brightened with anxiety before she got a phone call from Ollie, she instinctively answered it immediately,
"Ollie, are you alright?" She asked, her heart rate fast.
"Yeah, yeah of course, its just.. would you be able to come back soon?"
"We're on our way-" She said, standing up, as Martin began to call the police,
"Honestly, it's fine don't rush.. Natasha just needs to speak to you and Mr McCafferson." Ollie replied,
"We'll be there in ten minutes." She replied,
"Okay.. see you later." Ollie responded, hanging up.
Martin nervously spoke to the police, explaining that it might be nothing, and awkwardly explained the relationship between he and his boss.
Zoe grabbed her handbag while Martin ended the call, following her out the door.
"What did they say?" Asked Zoë, looking back at him with a fast stride.
"They said they'd try to locate her." He said, "and they'd let me know if they found her."
Zoe groaned loudly, "this is not the day!"
Martin saw her panicked face and reached out, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Hey.. calm down." He soothed,
"I can't! I can't I can't I can't!" She yelled,
He shook his head before pulling her into a full blown hug.
As she began to settle down, he whispered in her left,
"So, we're gonna go back to the van, we're gonna drive it back to the hotel and we'll get a taxi back to the arena."
Zoe nodded, her breathing slowing. Martin split the hug apart and linked his hands with hers as they walked back towards the arena.
Martin unlocked the van and helped Zoe back into the passenger seat,
"I'm fine, Martin." She sighed, resting her head on the headrest.
"Course you are." He Replied, closing her door and opening his own, sitting on the driver's seat, taking a deep breath in and out before putting in the clutch, looking through the mirrors and gradually pressing on the accelerator.
"Zoe.." he began, "We've had so many false starts.."
"I don't think now is the time for that conversation." She interjected, looking down,
"I know it's not.. but I don't know how tonight is going to go.. and whatever happens I want- I want you to know that- that I will always be there for you." He promised her,
"Yeah right." She Replied, catching his eye and laughing slightly, "you just want a snog."
"That's probably it." He chuckled back at her, looking momentarily down at the pocket on the van door, seeing his wedding ring still lying desolate there. His mind casted to that pivotal fight with Emily.. he remembered small fragments of it, not everything; just when she broke into tears, and when the gun shot stopped everything... that was four months ago.. Martha has been gone a long time now.. it only struck him now how detached he was from reality. A year ago everything was swell; he was, for perhaps the very first time, quite in love with Emily, with a home and a beautiful daughter.. and now.. the antiphonal interest between he and Zoe... with a group of five teenagers that felt like children to them. He was just so used to loving people, and now, living in a world where there was no one who needed his love, he found himself almost desperate. Taking care of Martha was his life, and that trait would stay with Martin till his death.