A/N: As unusual as it is for me to post a story so soon after writing it, this one was written last night (Sat night) while I had one eye on the cricket. I am trying to hone the art of one-shots. I can highly recommend spending one's birthday watching the cricket and writing fanfic. At least, there's no nasty after-effects. This story has slight undertones of farce and tomfoolery.

T-rated, but with a couple of M-ish concepts towards the end of the story, so …...

"I know there's something eating at you, Ruth. You can tell me anything, you know …... anything."

Ruth chews her bottom lip, and then she takes a big bite of her chicken salad sandwich, so that a piece of beetroot slides down her chin and on to her blouse. Harry reaches out with his fingers, and lifts the beetroot from the fabric, and then places it carefully on the wrapping which lays on the bench between them. He watches her as she wipes the beetroot stain with a paper towel, and then folds the towel and wipes her chin, and around her mouth.

"Is it the new girl?" he asks after a long silence, during which Ruth munches on her mouthful of chicken salad, and he watches her as she chews. He could watch her all day, and often does, it seems.

"Why do you say that?" Ruth asks, not looking at him. "Are you aware of how many times a day you look up and gaze at her. You used to look at me like that, and now -"

"Ruth! Is that what this is about? I'd never seen you as the jealous type, and I don't …... gaze at her …... I check to make sure she's happy in her new workplace."

"That's bollocks, Harry, and you know it."

Ruth's eyes are a blazing dark blue, the colour of `Warning – I am not happy right now.' Harry has known Ruth for six years, and worked closely with her for over three of those years, so he is fully aware of her wide range of mood indicators. He loves her anyway, whatever her mood, even though he has not yet spoken those words to her. They have been seeing one another outside work now for a little over a month. It began with a drink one night after work, and they have been out to dinner several times, and they often have lunch together, as they are on this day. They are taking things slowly. He doesn't want to spook her. Harry smiles at his own private pun. He'd never dare share it with Ruth. He's sure she'd not appreciate it.

"See? You're smiling," Ruth accuses. "You're thinking about her, aren't you?"

"Actually, Ruth, I'm thinking of you. I'm thinking of how …..."

"Don't you dare compare me with her, Harry."

About the new girl, Harry isn't sure what the wisest thing to say would be. The girl is a stunner. She has a wild mass of very thick, dark wavy hair which she regularly flicks off her face and over her shoulder, like a feisty horse. Harry has noticed Tariq salivating when the girl is near him. For once in his life, Harry is relieved that he has found the woman with whom he wishes to spend the rest of his life. He couldn't bear to again be in the race for women like Tamsin Chaudhry. As he sees it, Tamsin is deciding who it is she prefers – Tariq, or Lucas – and one of these men would bed her in an instant, while the other views her with barely disguised contempt.

"I was thinking," Harry says quietly, his eyes on the woman beside him, "how relieved I am that I'm not interested in women like Tamsin, and -"

"So you're only interested in plain women like me."

"Christ, Ruth, sometimes I find you to be so infuriating. I'm not interested in Tamsin. She's younger than my daughter, she's shallow, she's beautiful, yes, but she has little substance. I find you to be beautiful, and I enjoy your depth and intelligence. I love being with you."

Ruth has put down her sandwich on the wrapping paper between them, and she is looking at Harry, a softness in her eyes. "Is that what you think? Really? You find me beautiful?"

"In every way, Ruth. In every way there is."

Ruth reaches out her hand, and strokes Harry's arm. "I really want to kiss you right now."

Harry looks around them to see if anyone is watching, before he lifts the wrapping paper which holds the dregs of their lunch, and places it the other side of him. He then slides across the bench until his thigh touches Ruth's. He puts an arm around her to pull her closer, and bends his head to kiss her. She resists at first, but he persists. The kiss begins gently enough, but it soon becomes personal – very personal. Harry almost forgets where they are, and that they will need to be back on the Grid in fifteen minutes. He slides one hand inside Ruth's coat, and with his thumb he touches her breast, as his tongue explores inside her mouth.

Not that Ruth is complaining, because clearly she's not. She moans into his mouth as he rubs his thumb across her nipple, through several layers of clothing, and she grasps the material of his coat with both her hands, as though it were her lifeline. When they draw away from one another they are both breathing heavily, their eyes glowing.

"Take that, Tamsin," Ruth whispers.

Harry smiles into her eyes. "Tamsin is not your competition, Ruth," he says quietly.

"Maybe we should have dinner at my house tonight," she suggests, and Harry smiles and nods.

"I think that might be best," he says, one arm still around her, holding her close enough that if he wanted to, he could kiss her again. He wants to. It's just that he doesn't trust himself to be able to stop when it's time to stop.

Back on the Grid, Harry heads into his office, while Ruth walks towards her desk. To do so she has to pass Tariq, with Tamsin sitting on the end of his desk, a dusky, Asian siren in a short skirt. Her legs are crossed, so that were she to uncross them, Tariq would get an eyeful, the likes of which he has probably never seen in his short and sheltered life. Ruth walks past, resisting the urge to punch the beautiful Tamsin. She has a better idea.

"Tamsin," she calls out. She is settled behind her desk, and is about to put on her headset in preparation for a session of translation, but she first has to give Tamsin some work to do. "I really need your help here."

Ruth is aware of Harry's eyes on her. She can feel his gaze directed through the plate glass windows, and he's not watching Tamsin, he's watching her. That knowledge makes Ruth brave, and just a little foolish.

Tamsin quickly slides off Tariq's desk, and with one last look at the love-struck techie, she sashays towards Ruth. It is clear that Tamsin's rolling hip movement is for Tariq's benefit, since Lucas seems to be out, and Harry is not interested. "Yes, Ruth?" she asks, once she reaches Ruth.

"Follow me," and Ruth shows Tamsin to the Registry, and then produces a list, laying it on the desk in front of them. It is a long list, covering two A4 pages.

"I need all these files, Tamsin, and I know that you're keen to impress, seeing that you're the new girl. You know how to find them, don't you?"

"Of course," says Tamsin, flicking her hair back from her face, and with a dramatic turn of her wrist, placing it behind her shoulder. "I've been trained."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Ruth is almost through the door when Tamsin again speaks. "Ruth …..." she says carefully, "can you help me with something?"

Ruth turns. "I thought you said you were trained."

"I don't mean this …... this work. I'm the new girl, and I need to know something."

"Sure. Fire away."

"It's about the men on the Grid. I need to know about one of them. I'm rather interested in one of them."

Ruth smiles. This might even be fun. "What do you want to know?"

"Is Harry married?"

"Harry? You want to know about Harry?"

"I think he's really cute. Don't you?"

"I suppose. If you like them ancient, bald, and overweight. I thought you liked Tariq and Lucas."

"God, no. I know it's stupid of me, but I was trying to get Harry's attention, but he only looks at you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. He seems to have a thing for you, or something. I can't think why. All men like me. I don't know what to do when a man doesn't notice me."

"Why don't you tell him, then," Ruth replies, straight faced. "He won't know if you don't tell him, will he?"

"Do you think he'd like that?"

"How should I know? I barely know him. He's just my boss."

Ruth walks out of the Registry before she cracks up. It is not like her to set up another woman like this, but in her opinion, Tamsin needs to be taught a lesson. She'll have to warn Harry, though, otherwise he'll never forgive her.

"You look happy, Ruth," Ros observes, as Ruth crosses the Grid floor.

"Sometimes I just love my job," Ruth replies, her smile wide.

"Me too," purrs Ros.

Ruth bypasses her desk and visits Harry in his office. She won't tell him what to do. A heads-up will be all he needs.

It is almost five o'clock by the time Tamsin reappears, a pile of files in her arms. She dumps them on the end of Ruth's desk, and waits until Ruth acknowledges her presence, and then thanks her. Tamsin flicks her hair from one shoulder to the other before she speaks.

"Do – you know – do you think I should talk to him now?" Tamsin says without her usual confidence.

"Why not? What harm can it do?"

Tamsin turns, and heads towards Harry's office. Ruth watches, holding her breath, hoping that Harry will not be too hard on the new girl. Suddenly, when it is too late, Ruth is not so sure she has acted in a way befitting the senior intelligence officer of Section D. Still, she has to find some way to show her that Harry is off limits.

Ruth watches over the top of her monitor while Tamsin knocks on Harry's office door, and Harry calls her inside. When she'd told Harry about her conversation with Tamsin in the Registry, he had said, "Leave it with me." Ruth has no idea what he has in mind. She puts her head down, and with her headphones on, she gets back to work.

When next she looks up, Harry's office is empty, and his light is off. Neither he nor Tamsin are on the Grid.

"Tariq," Ruth calls across to the techie, "where are Harry and Tamsin?"

For once, Tariq looks serious, and perhaps a little sad. "They left over twenty minutes ago. Harry took his coat, and Tamsin got her coat from the back of her chair. Didn't you see them? They looked like they were going out."

"Going out?" Ruth's voice came out as a squeak.

"Yeah. Tamsin has the hots for Harry. I haven't a hope against that kind of competition. Harry's a ladies' man, and I'm …... I'm just a kid by comparison."

"No, Tariq. You're lovely."

"Would you go out with me?"

"Are you asking me out?"

"No, Ruth. You're too old for me. No offence."

"None taken …..."

"Would you go out with me were you Tamsin?"

"I have no idea, Tariq. I can't put myself in her shoes. I've never looked like that …... ever."

"Yeah …... she's really beautiful."

Tariq then wanders off into worshipping-Tamsin-land, gazing at the entrance to the Grid, wishing that Tamsin would materialise, preferably without Harry.

Ruth again puts her head down, and gets on with her translating. There is nothing to be gained by worrying about how immune Harry will be to Tamsin's considerable charms. She has to trust him. There are no other options.

Ruth is still concentrating on her work when she notices movement from the doors. She looks up to see that both Ros and Tariq have left, and hers is the only light on. A figure steps on to the Grid from the doorway, and she sees Harry, still dressed for the outside, in coat and gloves. He smiles at her, and begins to walk towards her. Ruth removes her headphones and gets up to meet him. Harry steps closer to her, and embraces her in a warm hug.

"Nice night?" Ruth asks, pulling away from him. She can smell Tamsin's perfume on him, but she's determined to not overreact.

"Not really. I consider it a waste of the precious time I'd rather be spending with you. Is that offer of dinner still on?"

"I guess so. If it's not too late."

It is clear to Ruth that Harry does not want to talk about his time with Tamsin. He seems tired, and even a little stressed, so she follows him through the door. They are silent as they stand side-by-side in the lift, and then walk together to Harry's car.

The car is gliding almost silently through the night, and they have only exchanged a few words, when Harry pulls the car over and parks. They are in a dimly lit, tree-lined suburban street. He undoes his seatbelt, and suggests Ruth do the same. Then he turns to her, and leans over, reaching out to draw her face towards his own. More than anything, Ruth is relieved. She shifts her weight to sink against him while they kiss. From soft and delicate, the kiss soon becomes deep and passionate, and Harry's hands slide under her coat, and seek out skin under her blouse. They have shared many passionate kisses, and have touched one another's bodies before today, but their hands have never strayed to under any article of underwear – until now. Somehow, Harry has found his way inside Ruth's bra, and she moans into his mouth as his fingers circle her nipple, and then pinch it between two fingers. One of Ruth's hands holds the back of his neck, while the other caresses his leg, her thumb sliding along his inner thigh. Suddenly, Harry pulls out of the kiss, but his hand remains inside her bra, and his fingers squeeze and release her flesh in a way that arouses Ruth. She leans her head against the headrest of her seat, while Harry hovers close to her.

"Do you know why I did that?" he asks.

"You're horny?" Ruth suggests, rather obviously.

"I am now. I wanted to taste you, to feel you, after …... that …... woman tried to get me to …..."

Ruth takes her hands from Harry's body, and looks at him. "Perhaps you should tell me what happened."

Harry takes his hand from inside Ruth's clothing, closing the buttons he'd opened, and then leans back in his seat. He sighs heavily before speaking.

"I have to thank you, Ruth, for putting me in that situation."

"I didn't expect you to take her out. I thought you'd simply talk to her."

"She suggested we go out for a drink, and I thought, why not? What I needed to say to her would be better said away from the workplace. I thought of coming on to her in order to scare her off …..."

"I'm glad you didn't do that, Harry. She would have loved it."

"And then when I inevitably changed my mind, she would have screamed `sexual harrassment'. That would be the last thing I need. I bought us drinks -"

"At The George?"

"God, no. I didn't want to be seen with her. I took her to one of those plastic wine bars in Covent Garden. I tried to be all fatherly and boring, asking her about the job, and how she's liking it. She said she likes you, and that you've helped her settle in."

Ruth makes a snorting noise, since she's done no such thing.

"I bought us a second drink, and then she started on the `I prefer older men' malarkey. It was when she put her hand on my knee that I drew the line. I told her the truth, that I'm with someone, and even if I wasn't, I would not be interested in fraternising with her. That's when she moved her hand along my thigh towards …... well, you know what I mean."

Ruth does, she sure does.

"Jesus, Ruth, do you know how long it is since a woman hit on me in that way?"

Ruth doesn't, of course, but in that moment, she regrets not having hit on Harry in that way, and decides it's time that situation were rectified.

"I took her hand, and removed it from my knee, and then I looked her in the eye and told her that she should come into work at 9 in the morning to collect her things, and by that time I would have found her a different workplace."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Yes. Alan Shearing in Section B owes me a favour or three, and he might enjoy the attention he's sure to get from Tamsin."

"How did she take it?"

"At first, she thought I was suggesting she work elsewhere so that she and I can see one another without being gossiped about. Can you believe it? I had to make it very clear that I am not available to her. It took a long time for it to sink in."

"Would you …... would you be interested in her were I not in the picture?"

"Absolutely not. She's a vampire. She's seen too many movies about vampire spies, or whatever they are. I think she wanted to sink her teeth into my neck, and feast on my blood."

"Harry, I can assure you that had you given her the go ahead, her mouth would have been nowhere near your neck."

Harry darts a look across at Ruth, and she can see the white of his teeth in the dimness of the car's interior.

"Why would she want an old man's penis in her mouth?"

Ruth chuckles quietly, wondering whether she should tell him something he really ought to know by now. She decides she will. "It's the power, Harry. To have one grow inside your mouth feels very powerful indeed, especially for a young woman. Tamsin feels insecure and powerless, and so she views you as the person to bring her what it is she lacks. Tariq can't. He's a boy, and she's probably had her fill – literally – of boys."

"My wise and extraordinarily beautiful Ruth. Can we go home now?"

Ruth reaches out and cups Harry's face with her palm, and he turns his head into her palm, and kisses it.

"You know what I'd like to happen tonight, don't you, Ruth?"

"You want us to make love."

"Is that alright with you?"

"It's more than alright. It's time."

Harry leans across and kisses Ruth on the lips, his own lips soft on hers - a delicate act, full of promise. "I love you," he says ever so quietly against her lips.

"If you just said what I thought you said, then so do I." Ruth is smiling against his lips.

"You love you? Or do you love me?"

"Both of us. I love both of us."

"Then let's get this show on the road," he says, sitting up and buckling himself in, before he starts the car, and drives away. "Rome wasn't built in a day."

Ruth chuckles to herself. She can honestly say that at this moment, she is incredibly happy. "It takes two to tango," she says.

"In unity there is strength," Harry counters, as he negotiates the quiet street, and heads for home.

"I damn well hope so," she whispers.