I've always felt that the team of series 9 didn't have the same team spirit as earlier teams had and after reading a review on this site (I can't remember who wrote it or for what story it was - apologies) which commented that Harry and Ruth must have been difficult to work with at times (or words to that effect) this popped into my mind. This will be probably two chapters long I think. As ever, thank you to everyone who read my previous stories and particular thanks to those who took time out to review - I look forward (I hope) to reading your thoughts on this.

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"Harry just bit my head off again." Dimitri's voice floated softly through the open doorway.

Ruth stopped suddenly as she approached the tiny kitchen that was secreted away at the back of the Grid. It appeared two of her colleagues had also decided that a cup of tea was the order of the afternoon and were chatting as they waited for the kettle to boil.

"What for this time?"

"My asset failed to turn up at our usual meeting spot and time, I knew I had to get the Lorimer files over to Six by four thirty, so I left a message at our usual dead-drop saying I'd be back at the same time tomorrow."

"What's wrong with that, it's standard protocol. Don't push the red button until they've failed to show three times and even then, it's usually a case of sickness or something equally non threatening."

" I know."

Ruth moved back slightly so she'd be out of sight should either Dimitri or Beth leave the kitchen unexpectedly, she felt slightly guilty listening in on her colleagues venting their frustrations but something held her there, wanting to hear what they were saying.

"So what did you do?"

"What could I do but apologise and get out of there as quickly as possible"

"It's like walking on a minefield with him at times."

"I know. I was over the moon when I first heard that I'd be joining Section D. I'd only ever heard good things about Harry and that he was considered the spies spy, but he's been different to how I expected."

"Has he been like this since you joined?"

"No, the first few weeks were great. I learnt loads from him and Lucas. But the last few weeks he seems constantly on edge and don't get me started on Lucas who seems to be on another planet at the moment."

"I know what you mean, I've hardly seen Lucas over the last couple of days and when he is here his mind seems to be somewhere else completely. As for Harry, he and Ruth were snapping at each other again before, this morning I think. Maybe that's what set him off?"

"What's going on there?"

"Going on where? Harry and Ruth?"

"Yes."

"You know as much as me."

"You live with her."

"Trust me, we hardly have cosy chats over dinner. It's work, work and more work when it comes to Ruth. She's either here, working at home or sleeping... apart from Tuesday nights when she goes to some kind of singing thing."

"She's in a choir."

"That'll be it then."

Ruth huddled further back against the wall. By rights she should be furious, the two newest members of the team discussing her and Harry behind their backs, but something held her back from making her presence known. Harry had been on edge recently and Dimitri wasn't the only one he'd bawled out over some seemingly minor discretion. She knew her rejection at Ros' funeral had affected him badly, but it seemed she'd underestimated quite what the snowball effects of this were doing to the whole team.

"So do you not speak at all at home?"

"We speak about house stuff as in who'll pick up teabags or a pint of milk. To be honest I try and be out as much as possible."

"Sounds like a fun environment."

"Look, I'm probably being too harsh... she's lovely really; it's just that we have very little in common. She seems quite happy at night to sit over her work with a glass of wine while I go out. The only person she seems to chat to on the phone is Harry and despite only hearing half the conversation, they're painful to listen too."

"Tariq mentioned when I first joined that there was something between them, apparently they go back years."

"Yes well, I wish they'd sort out what this something is. When Harry first interviewed me several years ago I was gutted that they didn't let me join up. He had so much passion for what he was doing and so much conviction that the work MI-5 did was right. That all seems to have been lost."

"I did hear on the grapevine that he'd handed his notice in to the Home Secretary a couple of months ago."

"No! Who on earth did you hear that from? The Harry Pearce I thought he was, would have to be lifted kicking and screaming from his office."

"One of the secretaries overheard Tower's talking to Richard Dolby and mentioned it to me a couple of weeks ago,"

"She just told you that... out of the blue."

"Well we may have been having a drink at the time. I find it quite helpful to keep on good terms with several people within the Home Office, you never know what you might learn or when you might need their help."

"Good terms? Is that what they're calling it nowadays. Dimitri Levendis, I didn't know you had it in you."

Ruth moved back towards her desk still clutching her empty mug in her hands as she heard a peel of laughter coming from Beth in the kitchen. The tea she had initially gone in for, was now the last thing on her mind and she wandered back to her seat in a daze. She wanted to be angry with Dimitri and Beth for what they'd said about Harry and for what they'd said about her, but she couldn't summon up the strength. Yes, they shouldn't have been talking so frankly to each other, especially in the kitchen where they could easily be overheard, but what they were saying had hit several nerves and Ruth knew, contained more than a few kernels of truth."

"Ruth...Ruth, are you Ok?" Ruth looked up tiredly, the conversation she'd overheard was running round her brain and she had been completely distracted. She smiled over at the youngest member of the team.

"I'm fine Tariq, I just didn't get much sleep last night and obviously haven't had enough caffeine today."

"You shouldn't work so hard." Tariq grinned at her, "How about I go and make you a brew and then when I come back we can go over the East London files together. Four eyes are better than two and while my searches are running in the background there's not much else I can do."

"That would be great," Ruth nodded her thanks at Tariq as he headed off towards the kitchenette passing Dimitri and Beth on the way back to their respective desks, each holding a mug of steaming tea. She ducked her head down to avoid any conversation before looking over to Harry's office. He was sat in the same position he'd been in for the last couple of hours, head down pouring over numerous files and only occasionally moving to sign something off, take a phone call and then moving onto another file. She smiled softly to herself, his hair which was slightly longer than he usually wore it, was mussed up at the front from where he'd obviously been running his fingers through it... either in frustration at his work, or maybe his frustration at her.

x

Harry looked up in surprise as his door slid open without the pre-emptive knock meaning that it could only be one person. He sighed to himself as he rubbed his hands down his face. He'd had a hell of a day, starting with a heated discussion with Ruth who'd once again taken it upon herself to talk directly to the Home Secretary's office, followed by a another terse discussion with the Home Secretary, Lucas going AWOL for much of the afternoon and then to top it off, he'd had the DG hassling him constantly via phone, text and email about that asset of Dimitri's who'd suddenly gone from being a Grade 5 asset to a Grade 1 asset following the detention of two Lithuanian's in Tottenham last night by Section G. He knew he'd probably overreacted when Dimitri had passed on the news that he hadn't met his asset, but it had been the straw that had broken the camels back... and now it looked like Ruth was here for round two.

"Harry, do you have a moment?"

"One day you'll learn that that thing at the end of your arm can be curled up and when it's brought into contact with a surface it makes a sound... some people call it knocking."

"What?" Ruth looked momentarily confused before his words sank in. "Oh, yes, sorry. I'll try and remember."

"Never mind, what do you want?"

"We need to talk Harry."

Harry looked up in surprise, "I thought we had talked Ruth," he pursed his lips, "I thought we'd said everything that we needed to say... at least you did."

"That's not fair."

"Well sometimes life isn't"

Ruth looked up to the ceiling in frustration, they couldn't seem to spend a minute together at the moment before they started to snipe at each other. Beth and Dimitri's comments were making more sense by the minute. "And this is exactly why we need to talk."

"Well spit it out then, what are we talking about?" Harry knew he was acting unreasonably but all he wanted to do was finish his pile of paperwork and then go home to get his thoughts into order and sample that new bottle of single malt he'd bought a couple of days ago.

"Not here." Ruth looked out of his windows, even though it was seven o'clock there were still a number of people wandering around the Grid and Harry's office was like a fishbowl. This conversation needed to take place somewhere public, if only to stop them tearing lumps out of each other verbally but not this public. "When will you be finished?" she nodded down to the pile of files strewn on his desk.

"An hour or so I think barring any emergencies," he looked down tiredly. "Well if not here then where?

"The Cricketers at quarter past eight?"

He nodded his agreement, I'll see you there then? Unless you're staying here for a while longer?"

Ruth looked up, "I think I'll go for a wander down the Embankment first. I've been cooped up in here all day and I could do with some fresh air."

"Fine, I'll see you in an hour or so, I call you if anything changes." Ruth nodded at him with a brief tight smile as she left his office. He watched her collect her coat and bag before heading over to the pods leaving him to mull over exactly what she wanted to talk about.

TBC...