Disclaimer I don't own Spooks-all belongs to Kudos and the BBC . No copyright infringement is intended nor should be inferred
Once upon a now
"Harry?" Ruth stood in the doorway of her daughter's bedroom smiling as Gracie, Lilly and Charlie all settled on the bed around him. He looked up , his face a picture of innocence.
"I did promise them a story before bed."
"He did."
"If the DG could see you now." Ruth smiled as Charlie looked up.
"Who?"
"My boss."
"Mum said you're the boss." The six year old looked confused. Harry smiled as Lilly yawned.
"I am, but I have a boss too. We all do."
"Well I don't like that." Charlie decided. Ruth slipped away as Lilly closed her eyes.
"Maybe we should let Lilly sleep and I'll tell you the story another time?" Harry watched his youngest granddaughter open her eyes.
"I not sleeping."
"Ok."
"The story will only be about a stupid princess and a big headed prince that has to rescue her!" Charlie folded his arms.
"So! Princesses are not stupid." Gracie snapped. Harry let the children bicker for a moment.
"Do you want this story or not?" Harry asked with the same exasperation he normally kept for dealing with Adam and Zaf's latest misdemeanours.
"Yes." Lilly curled her hand around a pink teddy bear.
"Right." Harry started. "Once upon a time in a country not very far away there was a castle. The castle was huge. The second biggest in all the land." Harry watched as both little girls hung on his every word. Charlie looked resigned to another 'girl's story '. "The castle was very grand. The people who worked in the castle worked very very hard to keep everyone safe. They didn't want the cruel people from another land making their people sad or hurting them."
"Why would they hurt them?" Charlie asked. Harry sighed.
"Because son, there are bad people everywhere."
"That sucks!"
"It does."
"Get on with it." Gracie raised an eyebrow.
"Well," Harry nodded. "The castle was a good place. It was on the side of a huge river that the man in charge of the castle liked very much."
"If he's in charge then he must be the king!" Charlie interrupted.
"Ok." Harry agreed. "The king was often very very grumpy. He worried the knights and knaves that worked for him would get hurt or that something bad would happen to them. For a long time. For a very long time he stayed in his tower watching the knights and knaves work. He knew they were doing their very best but he still worried. Then one day when the sun was shining and the sky was blue the King called all his best and most trusted knights to advise him. The men and women sat around the table."
"Girls can't be knights!" Charlie interrupted.
"Who says?" Gracie demanded. Harry smiled slightly; knowing Ruth would have responded in the same way. Little did the children know it but Harry considered his best 'knights' to be women - Ros, Ruth, Jo, Fiona, Zoe,Beth, Erin and Catherine had all more than proven themselves. His heart sank as he thought of the two women lost forever.
"Boys and girls can be whatever they choose to be." Harry clarified. "As long as they work hard enough. Now? Shall I get on?"
"Is it going to be all hearts and smooches?"
"No Charlie. It's not."
"Go on then Grumps."
Harry sighed. "So, they had the meeting in the biggest room in the castle. All the important knights were there. All the matters they needed to talk over had been done when suddenly. Bang!"
"Oh my word." Gracie's eyes widened.
"In came a new lady. One that the king had not seen before. She stumbled into the room, books piled high in her arms. So high she could barely see where she was going."
"Silly." Lilly announced
"Very." Harry agreed. "Do you know what happened then? What did the grumpy old King do? Did he help her? Did he make friends? Tease her?"
"Help her. Because he's a good king." Charlie decided.
"Well, the lady fell over. She was ok but very embarrassed. She didn't want to fall on her first day in the castle- and in front of the king. Some of the knights laughed or rolled their eyes. This made the King displeased."
"Uh oh." Lilly chimed in.
"Uh oh, indeed." Harry smiled at the red haired girl. "The lady gathered her books and sat down saying to everyone she was sorry. She hadn't meant to fall or to be late but the castle was so big that she had been lost. The King nodded; he had often been lost in the castle. He teased her but smiled so he knew he was really her friend."
"I said he was a nice king." Gracie yawned. Harry smiled at her.
"Well, the lady had been sent to work at TNT castle to help the King find out who the bad people were, so that the knights could stop them hurting people. She became his best friend. He told her everything. All the secrets of the castle, all the things that worried him and made him grumpy."
"Ah."
"But she had been sent to spy on the King." Harry continued, his voice low and almost conspiratorial. Charlie's eyes widened in horror. "And she did for a little while. Then one of the knights - his most trusted came to him. He told him the lady wasn't being honest. That she was telling tales to people that wanted to make him and everyone else in the castle look silly."
Lilly snored gently as Harry paused in his story. Gracie yawned as Charlie held onto his grandfather.
"I think I'll finish the story tomorrow? When your mums are at the hen party. You'll not remember the story if you fall asleep half way through." Harry watched the children nod and close their eyes. He had guessed Ruth had been listening but didn't want to say anything incase the children woke up. He crept out of the room before meeting her in the hallway.
"Ruth?" He smiled slightly as he looked back at his youngest child and his grandchildren. All three were sleeping peacefully.
"Gracie and Charlie will want to hear the next part of that story." Ruth smiled as Harry blushed. "Castles, Kings and Knights."
"All the best ingredients for a good story. I used to make up stories for Catherine and Graham when they were that age." Harry smiled as Ruth wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"So? What happened to the King and the Lady?" Ruth teased as he smirked. "I assume that was Thames House, section D and us you were telling them about. I don't think a two year old can legally sign the Act."
Harry raised an eyebrow. He clearly hadn't thought about it. "It's a good story."
"It is." Ruth smiled. "What happens next?"
"Well, the Ogre from the castle on the other side of the river may cause problems. The beautiful Lady has to save the King. Then she leaves him alone, heartbroken and miserable until she runs back to the castle."
"Oh this sounds familiar."
Harry kissed her lightly, his eyes full of mischief.
"You've heard this before?"
"I've lived this before." Ruth smiled as Harry took her hand in his. "What happens next?"
"Well." Harry brought her hands to his lips. "We skip forward a few years and the King and the Lady are happy. He's happier than ever and still can't believe his luck." Ruth touched his face gently, kissing him lightly. "They are tired; the King makes an executive decision."
"Which is?" Ruth raised an eyebrow.
"Bed. Now." He lead her to the room next to their daughter's knowing that maybe, just maybe the story would have a happy ending.
Xxxxxxxx
A/n please review