Hi, I am new to the Spooks fandom, just stopped de lurking recently really, my stories will have a Harry/Ruth plot to them, previously I have written Lecterfic and Phantom of the Opera stories, so some of the stories I write may be particularly angsty and dark, so you have been warned! Please review if you enjoy my work.

Disclaimer: I don't own Spooks, nor any of the characters mentioned, not even the mystery character! Kudos and the BBC do.



Scene: Mace has heard the news that Ruth has been brought back from the dead, he is meeting with an agent in his home.

"So he's performing miracles now is he? What next? Water into wine? I could be persuaded to tolerate him if he pulled that one off." Mace stood up from his seat, his hand fumbling with the button on his jacket, sighing he approached his drinks cabinet; searching for that particular bottle of scotch that he had been saving for a special occasion, he wagered finding out that Ruth Evershed was available for emotional leverage on Harry Pearce could be considered as such.

"So what were the circumstances?" He poured a generous amount of liquid into two glasses and passed it to his new best friend.

"Well it appears that your idea already has a patent, when Pearce was interrogated over the Baghdad scandal, part of his interrogation was his choice between giving up the location of the Uranium or letting Ruth's new beau and his brat be shot as they looked on." Mace nodded twice and took a sip of his drink.

"He didn't give up the Uranium?" His hand stilled on the bottle as he went to put it back and he turned to his counterpart.

"No, the man was killed. The child survived though, one of the officers got to him."

"Ruthless. But brilliant, this means that Pearce will feel even more indebted to her."

"Yes. Let's just say his judgement has been somewhat tarnished by this incident."

"Don't see the attraction myself, ordinary at best." He swilled the scotch around his glass, screwing his face in distaste.

"She's good at her work." Mace quirked an eyebrow at his partner.

"Well I think we can be sure that it isn't her hacking skills he is lusting after."

"So you think she may be useful?"

"Indispensable. He went out of his way to protect her the first time, I have no problem believing that he would do the exact same thing again, perhaps more so now. He has to make up for killing her late husband after all. All we have to do it sit and wait for him to do something stupid to protect her, he will do it sooner or later, especially if we give it a small push in the right direction."

"I'm not so sure about this, Ruth is a nice enough girl, Pearce is an arsehole, but I don't know there's something more to that woman."

"Is there something in the water in that building or something? You all lusting after the hired help?"

"Of course not. I just think she might at least be worth keeping alive, perhaps turning if it was possible."

"I have no intention of removing her, like I said, indispensible, she is brilliant leverage over him. As for turning her, I've never really given it any thought, we could perhaps exploit the information we do have; it would have to be you though. She wouldn't trust anything that came from me."

"So was there anything between them Mr Mace?"

"It was a well documented fact that there were feelings on both sides, whether they were acted on was debatable, I would have thought so, why would he make carvings in my arm and take the fall for her if there was nothing to suggest that she reciprocated? Anyway, why is this in any way relevant, this isn't bloody Wuthering Heights?"

"Well like you said, a relationship would mean a bond. A stronger bond than say, if they were merely skirting around the facts."

"Are you suggesting that we match-make?" Mace snorted incredulously.

"No. What I mean to say is, if they were in a relationship then surely it would mean a stronger reaction, a reaction that could instigate mistakes on his part. Big mistakes."

"It's a point." Mace swished the remains of his scotch in his glass, running his tongue over the roof of his mouth.

"I'll see what I can do Mr Mace, I'll report back with my findings."

"See that you do. I want the most direct route of finishing this bastard." Mace dropped his glass onto the table with a dull thud and turned to his partner.

"I will be watching."