Yes this is the same person who swore she was only writing one fic!!

This is a result of Bot50's idea on the spooks site. I took it and ran with it - whilst setting myself the very silly challenge of getting it done by Christmas! So here it is. A promise is a promise.

Thanks to N&M for being my beta. It was in a hastily typed mess when I sent her it last night and she sorted me out!

Disclaimer: they're not mine, but I'd like to borrow them for Christmas...please?

Happy Christmas everyone XXXXXXX

TRUTH OR DARE

Snow was falling gently all around her as she jumped up and down lightly on her toes trying to fill her body with warmth.

At least they had deigned to give her some shoes!!

Why oh why had she agreed to even participate in this stupid drunken Christmas party game?

Truth or Dare was a game for students and teenagers, or friends and family, safe in the comfort of their own home. Not for a 30-something, supposedly intelligent, MI5 analyst who had better things to do.

Actually she hadn't - that was probably why she was here………..well, that and the question Zaf had asked her.

Ruth shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, looking left and right in the dusky light outside Thames House and hopping up and down.

At least there weren't too many people around to witness her embarrassment and total humiliation. This had to be one of the worst possible dares they could have come up with. She hated being the centre of attention, or the object of discussion, and this was unlikely to be forgotten about anytime soon.

How many security officers would be watching this on the cctv cameras bunched overhead? she wondered. How quickly could she get back inside and bribe someone – anyone – for the master copies?

The sound of an approaching car sent Ruth scurrying into the corner, and she pressed up against the wall, hoping that the shadows would hide her. Her shoulder blades protested as they made contact with the cold stone, sending more shivers dancing through her body. At least she was wearing her best underwear if she was going to die of hypothermia she mused. Bought on an impulse for the party, not to show anyone, just to, well, make her feel special she supposed. Black lace; simple and relatively understated, the briefs accentuated the curve of her hips and the bra gave her a cleavage she would never have believed possible had she not been hustled into the changing rooms by an over eager assistant on commission. Anyway, she had felt sexy in them whilst they were safely hidden under her beautiful flowing crimson skirt and black fitted top.

She blew on her hands and hopped from one foot to the other, the curve of her bottom scraping up and down the slightly roughened stone as she tried to stay as far back in the corner as was possible. She really was not drunk enough for this.

"So how long do you think we should leave her there?" Zaf grinned wickedly.

"Poor love, you didn't have to be quite so mean. It's snowing out there" Jo hiccupped, feeling slightly guilty that she hadn't stood up for Ruth as she watched the hazy figure in the corner of the camera feed.

"Fairs fair. She said she'd play and she refused to answer my question"

"Oh come on mate, just because there's money at stake for you. Did you really expect her to tell us what, if anything, went on during her night out with Harry. It can't have been that interesting anyway because they certainly haven't repeated it. Even the security guard has stopped feeding Jo gossip" Adam glanced across the grid as Jo nodded vigorously.

"What do you think Ros?"

"I'm really not interested" She sat, leaning forwards on the desk, Santa hat slightly askew, twirling the cocktail mixer absently around in her drink.

"Oh don't give me that crap" Jo retorted, her tipsiness had always resulted in her being less able to hold her tongue. "You were perfectly interested in eves-dropping with me last week when Harry asked Ruth in for her half yearly review"

"No sweetie, I had a job to do and questions to ask Harry. And for the record, I really don't appreciate being dragged back from the door by an over-enthusiastic Doberman. Now why don't you run along and play with the section G action man you were batting your eyelashes at earlier and stop wasting your preciously needed brain cells gossiping about a non – existent, totally uninteresting affair".

"Party pooper" Zaf muttered under his breath, sharing a raised eyebrow with Malcolm.

Adam chuckled as he leant over Zaf's shoulder. "So how long are you going to leave her down there mate? She is looking a bit cold"

"Ten minutes I reckon. She's had, what four now?"

"I hope you're planning on 'truth' when it's your turn. Actually, either way I think you're dead after this".

Outside, Ruth's teeth were starting to chatter and goose-bumps were evident across her smooth pale stomach.

At least Harry wasn't here to see this, she thought.

Earlier she'd been upset by his apparent desire to be anywhere else but there. He'd disappeared at 2pm, muttering something as he passed her that she hadn't quite been able to catch.

But then, they hadn't said more than was necessary since their date; entirely her own fault she knew, but it saddened her nonetheless.

Even at her review last week; the perfect chance she felt, to get some dialogue going and at the very least reaffirm their working relationship; they'd struggled. She felt weighed down by the depth of her feelings and anxieties, and every time she had taken a deep breath to start to apologise, to explain why she'd said what she'd said, done what she did, a glance upward had found him looking at her softly and silently with those soulful eyes. And she was lost again.

So, she had filled the silence with meaningless babble. Talk about the weather, objectives for the following year which she could fulfil in her sleep – and he knew it, whether the cleaners were doing a good job and had they stopped trying to redesign her work space symmetrically, with her papers in neat little piles aligned perfectly with the computer. And he had smiled gently at her and let her lead the way, let her feel more comfortable.

But she still hadn't. She still didn't.

At least he wasn't here to see this she reiterated to herself firmly. That would have been too much to take. As it was she had flushed brightly when Zaf had asked her. She had been unable to look anyone in the eye, and nothing had even happened. A lovely meal, a polite kiss on the cheek and an offer of another date which she had later declined. She was innocent of the unspoken accusation. Well not totally innocent. Not if you counted innocence as purity of mind as well as deed.

She longed for him. She could acknowledge this to herself as she stood outside in the cold. She imagined being with him, had nights filled with dreams of him. But she was scared, and so had run away; scared of being talked about and having his reputation undermined yes, but also scared of being less than he wanted, or not what he wanted. Scared of a relationship not working. Scared of the reality of an intimacy that she'd yearned for for so long. Scared – and stupid. Goodness was she stupid. What was she doing throwing away something that had yet to begin?

He cared for her, wanted to confide in her and liked her enough to want to spend some of his precious free time with her. And, on occasion, she was sure they had shared something more. A moment, a look, a spark. Something.

That should be enough shouldn't it? There were no guarantees in life she knew that. She wasn't so naïve.

Ruth shook her head freeing snowflakes form her hair. How long had she been out there? Surely Zaf and the others had had their fun. She looked up pleadingly at the monitor above her head, moving away from the corner to position herself on camera, arms wrapping around her shivering body.

"Let me back in now, please" she mouthed, hoping this time that they were actually watching her and would take pity on her.

A street away, Harry cleared his throat and pulled the lapels of his coat more firmly under his chin with his gloved hands, trudging through the snow back towards Thames house.

He wondered how much he had missed, just how drunk would they be by now? What was she wearing? He closed his eyes and smiled ruefully, trying to clear visions of Ruth coming through the pods in sparkling, sequined dresses; in fitted black trousers with a low necked top; in beautiful full and flowing skirts with fitted jackets. Always with her necklace nestling around the hollow of her throat, a smile on her face and a slight flush in her cheeks.

He really didn't care what she was wearing, he just wanted to get back and share some of her time.

When she entered a room, the air shimmered and sparkled, and his stomach did silly flip flops. He felt silly admitting this, even to himself. He wasn't a teenager in the first flushes of love for heavens sake. But then the heart was a funny thing, and it would take a better man than him to explain its mysterious ways.

If he was late for the party, and he knew he was, at least he wasn't turning up empty handed.

Buying presents for most of them the week before had been easy. A bottle of something here, a box of chocolates there. Enough to make them feel appreciated, valued whilst not being too showy.

But Ruth, her present had taken him hours this afternoon. What to get someone who meant so much without frightening her off forever.

The decision had been taken away from him when he'd seen the bracelet. A simple silver bracelet designed to be filled with charms, and each of the tiny charms he'd chosen would hopefully call to mind a shared moment.

An Eiffel tower, the statue of liberty, a wine bottle, a taxi shaped car, a red shoe, a Double Decker bus and a book.

His fingers brushed the box in his coat pocket. He wanted so much for her to like it; to realise; to understand how much she meant to him. For her to know he would wait until she was ready. He knew she liked him, cared for him. He could wait.

He turned the corner and stopped dead, his suddenly pounding heart sounding deafening in his ears.

Ruth, his Ruth was standing twenty yards ahead, in the entrance to Thames house glaring at the cameras above…..and she was wearing, well, next to nothing!

Remembering to breathe, he drew the cold air into his suddenly flushed body and drank her in.

God she was even more beautiful than he'd allowed himself to imagine. Alabaster, smooth skin, disappearing beneath wispy black lace.

Her snow-filled hair held back from her face with sparkly butterfly clips and her necklace in its familiar resting place.

Shrugging off his coat he approached her silently.

"I hope you're not waiting for the last bus home dressed like that"

Oh god! Ruth only registered the first two words. She was going to die.

Her entire body was flushing, stood here in front of her boss in the snow filled streets dressed in black lacy underwear. Oh God!

Why him, why now, why me? She had allowed herself to imagine him seeing her in a state of undress more often than she could admit, but this scenario had never been amongst those imaginings.

And he was still looking at her; silently, hypnotically as he advanced slowly, holding out his coat.

"Um Harry, I er, I mean, um Truth or Dare" She attempted a smile whilst every coherent thought left her body.

"Ah, well I trust Zafar is trying his best to recompense himself" Harry softened his voice.

"Here, you must be freezing". They were close now, as he gently pulled his coat around her, draping it gently across her shoulders. His hands moved slowly around, to pull the folds of the coat together. Leather covered fingers brushed across her smooth, cold stomach leaving a heated trail and knocking any remaining breath out of her, whilst electric tingles worked their way up Harry's arm.

Ruth couldn't have moved even if she had wanted to….and she didn't want to.

The trembling in her body was no longer a result of the cold. They were so close, unable to pull their eyes away, now breathing heavily.

His hands were still holding the folds of his coat around her, thumbs idly brushing the skin beneath. Then he could no longer bear it. He pulled her towards him and kissed her. A soft kiss on cold lips. He sensed a moments hesitation and was about to break the kiss and apologise when she surprised him by leaning in to him and allowing her lips to part.

Harry needed no second invitation; he crushed her to him, their arms tangling as they tried to free them from the heavy coat and wrap them around each other. Over and over he kissed her, rejoicing in the gift he'd been given, wondering how it could possibly be better than his wildest most improbable dreams. But here she was in his arms.

Ruth couldn't think at all, her whole body was alive and she delighted in the most amazing Christmas present she'd ever been given.

On the grid Zaf whooped and gave Jo a high five nearly knocking Malcolm over in the process. Adam smiled good naturedly, reaching into his wallet for a note. He knew when the game was up. And Ros carried on stirring her drink, half an eye on the screen where a couple kissed on a snowy street corner, oblivious to everything but each other.

The End

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