His hand slowly wound itself around her waist, and held her closer, so that their bodies curved into eachother's. A subtle smile stretched across her lips, a strand of her chocolaty hair falling over her face as she laid her head on his shoulder. He reached out a lazy arm, flicking the television to standby, and the couple fell into a companiable silence, lulled into peaceful dreaming.
Outside, silhouetted behind the embroidered silk curtains, an owl swooped low, its cry echoing through the dusky clouds. Bitter autumn winds rattled the window frame, dragging whirlwinds of blazing leaves down with them.
But inside the cottage, curled up together in wholehearted peace and content, Harry and Ruth were oblivious.
No, life hadn't always been perfect for them; they were the first to admit that. There'd been much exasperation and distress exchanged in the years they'd worked together, along with a reasonable share of heartbreak. But there'd always been a lingering attraction, and, where Harry wanted something, he found a way to get it, whatever the cost.
As Tennessee Williams had once aptly asserted, the day you stopped suffering was the day you died, and that wasn't something he wanted to consider right now. Life would never be perfect; Spooks understood that better than anyone. He felt, however, that he was happier now than he had been in a long time – truly fulfilled.
And that feeling was reciprocated by Ruth; not always had the two found it easy to open up to each other, but sometimes the things left unsaid were the ones that really mattered.
"I wonder how the team are," Ruth murmured faintly. Lucas's death had, naturally, shaken Section D to the core, and caused them to, again, re-evaluate their perspective. Members of the team came and went, and were promptly wiped from the memory of MI5, but remained forever imprinted in the minds of their former friends and colleagues.
"You worry so, Ruth," Harry reprimanded, yet so softly she found herself straining to hear him. He never entered into romance, as such; Ruth remained firmly Ruth to him, however much he adored her. But that didn't mean he couldn't be sensitive when he wanted to be. "It's always hard; adapting. But Erin's good. Everything will be fine, I promise you."
Ruth didn't have the heart to protest. Harry would've trusted Lucas with his life, had it come to it, but that hadn't exactly worked out well for anyone. Erin seemed a good spy, and of course she trusted her partner's judgement, but sometimes... "I'm tired, Harry."
"Yes. Yes, so am I. You go on up to bed; I'll sort us out some tea," he found her hand and squeezed it, savouring the softness of her skin against his, the warmth of her grip...
"Thank you," she uncurled his fingers and stood up, heading for the stairs without meeting his concerned gaze. He barely had chance to consider the reason for her offhand attitude, though, as he dragged himself from the sofa. The undeniable clicking of gunfire pierced the tranquillity of the home, the sound harsh and unmerciful.
Harry froze, and Ruth followed his lead, pausing mid-step. Both glanced nervously towards the door as the screeching of tyres gradually softened to nothing. What the hell was going on?
"Stay there," he demanded rigidly, wrapping his faded tartan dressing gown further around his waist and slipping out into the porch.
Ruth stood for a moment, torn between retreating to the bedroom and facing the music with Harry. It shamed her to think she was even considering the former option; normally her spy's instinct would be immediately to fight. But tonight...
The front door slammed shut, and Ruth, being Ruth, found herself trusting her instinct; hastily retracing her route and hurrying out into the dark. The security light on the front of their property had clicked on at the movement outside, and the area was bathed in a weak artificial glow.
"Harry?"
"Ruth, an ambulance – quickly," he barely acknowledged her, too occupied was he bent over something... As her eyes became accustomed to the dubious light, she could make out a lifeless body sprawled out in the road.
She ran back towards the house, throwing herself up the front steps and seizing Harry's mobile phone from the coffee table. She dialled three nines in quick succession, dashing around the house to collect a medical kit and a blanket as she waited.
Why did time seem to stretch out before your eyes when you were scared? Why was suffering so very prolonged from reality?
Finally, the call was accepted, and she hastily babbled out the necessary details of the incident, and gave her address. It felt so wrong, telling the truth. But that was what working for MI5 did to you – you became so wrapped up in the world of lies and deception that you simply forgot how it felt to be honest. About the facts, and about your emotions.
She selected Dimitri's number from the list next; somehow, whatever Harry said, she wasn't quite inclined to trust Erin yet. And one should always trust their instinct.
"Ruth?" he sounded groggy as he answered the phone. Well, it was the middle of the night – they all had to sleep at some point. "What...are you okay?"
"Yes. Well, no. I had to give the home address to the paramedics, and I don't know who did it, and..."
"Whoa, Ruth; calm down," there was a series of creaks as he climbed from the bed, evidently wide awake now, "You're at home? Where's Harry? What happened?"
"We were going to bed, and...and..." it struck her just how inarticulate she became when frightened – she could never have become a field agent. She hurried back out towards Harry, listening to Dimitri's shuffles as he dragged on fresh clothes. "We heard gunshots. There seems to be one casualty; I don't know how bad it is yet, but...oh my God."
"What?"
Ruth, upon reaching Harry's side, had frozen, dropping down onto her knees as a gasp escaped her lips. This wasn't just a random attack. They couldn't pretend it was bad luck any more.
Because there, in the enveloping darkness in front of them, with her blonde hair strewn over her eyes as a trickle of blood dribbled from her mouth, was Beth.
XxXxX
Thanks for reading - I hope you've enjoyed it. This is actually my first ongoing Spooks FanFic, so please review and tell me what you think, or if you have any ideas for future chapters. I don't own Spooks, or anything that goes along with it...but we can all dream! :) xxx