A very AU fic, with Ruth about 25 and Harry 37 ish.

Ruth walked into Thames House feeling nervous. It was her first day at MI5 and she was impossibly nervous. Mousy girls like her didn't end up at MI5. She'd been fast tracked through GCHQ over the last two and a half years, and now she was where she wanted to be. But the building was imposing. She followed the directions the security guard gave her after checking her ID against the computer for the new junior analyst. Taking the lift up to the third floor she tapped her foot with impatience. This lift was so bloody slow. It dinged on the second floor and a woman around the same age as Ruth got on. She was pretty with short hair and rather tall.

"Do you know how to get to section D?" she asked. "I know it's on the third floor, but otherwise I'm stuck."

"Are you by any chance my new analyst?"

"Yes," she said. "Ruth Evershed?"

"Oh brilliant," she said. "The works beginning to pile up and I really need some help. I'm Zoë. I've been sitting behind a desk trying to catch up with the analysis so I'm glad you're here." The lift pinged and Zoë led the way to the grid. Ruth looked around and the mass of activity and felt overwhelmed. Zoë walked to her desk, Ruth following behind her. "Your desk is just here," she said, pointing to the one immediately on the right. "I thought we could spend this morning going over the system and then leave you to your own devices this afternoon. I hear that you've been a whiz on the GCHQ system."

"I can hold my own," she said modestly.

"Great, lets get started."

Ruth had just started to process the terrorist information on her own when the pods whirred. She looked up and saw Harry Pearce walking in, talking to a blonde man in a suit. Harry had been at her interview, which is why she recognised him. He hadn't said one word and Ruth could tell that if he'd been left to his own devices he wouldn't be in the interview room in the first place. He'd maybe looked at her twice with glazed over eyes, as if she was any other applicant in the world.

Now however, he had actually caught her eye as he walked to his office and a hint of a smile played over his full lips. She watched him until the door of his office closed and she shook her head slightly. She needed to concentrate on work if she wasn't going to mess up on day one.

Ruth finished for the day and gathered the papers into a file, ready to be sorted for tomorrow. People were leaving through the pods and saying goodbye to her. She felt shattered from the long day, but apparently things had been slow today. She dreaded to think how she'd cope when a terror attack was in full swing. But maybe she'd get used to it.

"Settling in well?" Ruth jumped and looked up as Harry Pearce was looming over her desk.

"Yes," she said. "I feel like I'm drowning in paperwork, but I'll get there."

"Yeah, well we've let it mount up over the past month or so," Harry admitted. "It won't always be this bad."

"That's good to know," she said with relief, switching the computer off.

"I remember you from your interview, he said quietly.

"Liar," she said without heat. "You don't remember me. You were staring at the table wishing you were anywhere else."

"True," he admitted, surprised at how well she'd read him in that brief interview. "I hate interviews no matter which side of the desk I'm on."

"I don't think anyone likes interviews," she said.

"Yeah, well," he said shrugging. "Would you like to go and have a drink with me? Celebrate your first day?"

"Thank you but no," she said, a smile on her face. At the same time she wondered if he was interested in more than a celebratory drink. If he wanted her company for another reason, but she pushed the thought aside. Jumping the gun a bit, she thought. "I have things to do at home," she said. "Unpacking and the like," she lied.

"Okay," Harry said. "I'll see you tomorrow then." Ruth nodded and looked at him for a long moment as he didn't seem to want to move away from her desk. He really had the most beautiful hazel eyes she thought. Then she looked away. She felt uncomfortable with the intensity there. Harry seemed to realise this and he nodded. "Goodbye Ruth."

"Bye," she said, watching as he left the grid, going through the pods. When he had vanished from sight Ruth looked around and realised she was alone. So she put her coat on and went home.

Unlocking the door she heard the TV playing in the background. Ruth walked into the living room and smiled. Her babysitter and her daughter, Lucy were curled up on the sofa together.

"Mummy!"

"Hi sweetheart," Ruth said, picking her up and cuddling her. "God you're getting heavy!" She giggled delightfully. "Has Kate been well behaved?" Ruth asked about the babysitter, teasing.

"Yes," she said, smiling at the familiar words. "Can you read me a story?"

"Oh I think I can do that," Ruth agreed. "Which one would you like tonight?"

"Princess and the pea!" she said.

"Come on then," Ruth said. "Go upstairs and get into your PJ's. I'll be there in a minute." Lucy nodded and went upstairs.

"How was work?" Kate asked.

"Good," she said. Ruth hadn't told her what she really did, as she felt it wouldn't be wise. She was, after all, working for a secret service. "Exhausting. How's she been?"

"Fine," she replied. "Took her to school this morning and ever since she got home she hasn't stopped chattering about it."

"Good," Ruth said. "I want her to settle in well. I know a new school isn't easy…"

"You had to take the job," Kate said firmly, heading off the guilt that Ruth usually felt. They'd had this conversation before and Kate wasn't just a babysitter, she was a friend of Ruth's. "You know that. Lucy is a very happy girl."

"Mummy, come on!" came a loud call from up the stairs.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Ruth said, slipping her coat off. Kate nodded and left the house as Ruth went upstairs to read to her daughter.

Please leave a review if you have time :)