Gold Rush
Disclaimer: All Spooks characters belong to Kudos and the BBC.
Summary: Set after 5.2.
A/N: I had this bright idea the other morning to write this up and post it for Valentine's Day, but then real life happened. It's not a romantic story per se, but it does lead up to one of my favorite Harry and Ruth moments. I also want to say thanks to the gals over at 3 Words, 8 Letters - it's so nice to know I'm not alone in my insanity.
Harry sat at the table and resisted the urge to check his watch once again. She was only a few minutes late and there could be any number of reasons why she hadn't yet arrived. He looked around the restaurant, noting the high ceilings and the tables for two spread just far enough apart so as to remain intimate and quiet. The waiter had asked if he wanted anything to drink, but he'd held off, wanting to wait for Ruth's arrival before he ordered. His fingers twitched around the water glass, wishing it were filled with whisky instead.
A few more minutes passed and the waiter stopped by with a basket of bread rolls and asked him if he needed anything else. Harry thanked him for the bread and ordered a glass of whisky, feeling like just one wouldn't be a problem. He glanced at his watch to see that she was now 15 minutes late and his mind started to wander, going past all the legitimate reasons she could be late such as traffic or the bus breaking down and moving into the more far-fetched reasons like she decided to have dinner with Zaf instead or she was abducted by armed terrorists on the street. He stopped himself, knowing that letting his mind wander was a bad idea as he'd seen too much horror to make it all just theoretical. The waiter arrived with his drink and he was thankful for the whisky.
He pulled his mobile from his pocket, hoping she'd sent a text and he'd not realized it. No messages, so he sent her one instead, keeping it short and light. He set the phone down and engaged in observing the other patrons of the restaurant. As he looked at each table he tried to figure out what their story was and why they were having dinner in this lovely place. Were they celebrating something special or was it just a business dinner? The restaurant wasn't all that busy for a Friday night; perhaps the warm weather was drawing folks outside.
He checked his phone once again to confirm that she hadn't replied to his message and the idea that she wasn't coming to dinner wormed its way into his head. He didn't want to believe that she would stand him up, but perhaps she decided that having dinner with the boss just wasn't a good idea. His stomach chose that moment to remind him that it had been some time since he'd eaten, so he reached over to the bread basket for a roll. He set it on the plate in front of him before reaching for the butter. His hand paused over the bread rolls as an idea flitted through his mind. Seeing that several of the tables near him had emptied, he grabbed another bread roll and set it aside the other on the plate. He picked up two forks and stabbed each of them into a roll. The thought that he probably shouldn't be doing this ran through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
He picked up a fork in each hand and started to move the bread rolls in time with a tune only he could hear. His movements were small at first but became more animated as he went. He noted movement out of the corner of his eye and realized that his actions had caught the attention of a couple at a nearby table. By this point Harry didn't care. He'd been stood up by Ruth and rather than dwell on the depressing thought he was doing something silly and completely out of character. Harry continued his dance, not paying attention to a beeping in the background that grew steadily louder until it could no longer be ignored. He couldn't understand why none of the other patrons were reacting to the noise. The beeping stopped with a sudden bang and Harry twisted around to find the source of the noise.
He blinked his eyes and wondered where he was. The room was dark with a flickering light, in contrast to the well-lit atmosphere of the restaurant. He was sat in an armchair rather than at a table. The beeping continued, though it was much quieter than before. He continued to look around the room and it took a few moments for Harry to realize that he wasn't in a restaurant but at home, sitting in his favorite chair. The flickering light was the television in the corner and the quiet beeping was his mobile indicating a red flash message. The phone was set to vibrate as well and had vibrated itself right off the table. After checking the message and sending a reply, he turned back to the television and realized he'd been watching Charlie Chaplin's Gold Rush when he drifted off to sleep.
He'd been thinking of asking Ruth to dinner as he watched the movie. Juliet's comment about Ruth being in love with him wouldn't leave his mind and if he was being honest with himself, he'd had feelings for Ruth for quite some time. There were moments that made him wonder if she felt something for him. On the bus when she passed him the memory stick, their touch had almost been electric. He was afraid to risk their close working relationship so he chose to do nothing. And while he normally would be suspicious of anything Juliet said to him about personal matters, his instincts told him that there was no malevolence behind her statement.
It was Danny's death that first caused him to recognize that he was feeling more for Ruth than just friendship. When she stood and cried over Danny's body, the urge to wrap his arms around her and comfort her was almost uncontrollable. Four days ago at Colin's memorial service he and Ruth were sat next to one another, close but not touching. He gave Ruth his handkerchief to catch her tears, and when he returned from giving the reading, he purposely sat closer to her, allowing their shoulders to touch. It wasn't the embrace he wanted to give her, but it was his way of giving her his support.
He briefly wondered if his dream meant anything; that if he were to ask her to dinner that she would turn him down. As he picked up the remote to turn off the television, he realized he must have seen Chaplin do the bread roll dance in Gold Rush right before he fell asleep. And since he'd been thinking about asking Ruth to dinner, his fatigued brain blended the two together. Since he knew he'd never sit in a restaurant and play with the bread rolls like Chaplin did, then he knew it wouldn't come true. And if it wouldn't come true, he reasoned, then Ruth - if she agreed to have dinner with him - wouldn't stand him up either.
Knowing that he needed to get moving before his driver arrived to take him to Whitehall, Harry stood from his chair and turned off the television. He walked to the kitchen to put away his glass before moving up the stairs to change his shirt. He did these movements without thinking about them, as his mind was on Ruth the entire time. By the time his driver had arrived, Harry made the decision to take a chance and ask her to dinner.