Title: Revelations
Fandom: Spooks
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/Family
Warnings: None

Summary: Post 5.3. Harry and Ruth are finding their way back to each other but will a revelation from Ruth's past damage them beyond repair?

Disclaimer: I don't own Spooks or any of the characters you may recognise. They all belong to Kudos/BBC.

A/N: Okay so this idea came to me today and wouldn't go away until I got it down on paper, so here it is. I'm full of a cold so this could be the product of the cough medicine I am currently taking; I'm really not sure how this will go down so that's my excuse if everyone hates it/thinks it's completely unrealistic.

Chapter 1

Friday 19th January 2007

"Pass me those plates will you Harry?" Ruth asks from her position near the sink. They've just had a delicious meal courtesy of Ruth and are now facing the dreaded clean-up. Harry passes her the requested items and she begins to wash them. "I'm glad you agreed to come tonight," she tells him with a shy smile.

"I'm glad you invited me."

"I thought we needed to talk…about why I pulled away. I needed to explain. I wasn't entirely honest before."

"It wasn't just because of the gossip then?" he asks, picking up a towel and beginning to dry the dishes as she places them on the drainer.

"No, although that did bother me, but I'm sure I'd have got over it. It's because we barely know each other; out pasts are littered with things that could break our relationship and I didn't want to get too close to you without exploring those."

"Are you sure you want to know?" Harry asks, assuming she's referring to his past indiscretions.

"Harry, I didn't necessarily mean y-"

The sound of the doorbell cuts her off. Ruth looks down at her hands submerged in the washing up bowl, then at Harry. "Could you get that?" she asks with a sigh. She'd been so close to telling him; the closest she'd ever been to telling anyone apart from her immediate family.

"Of course," is his reply, tossing the towel onto the counter and making is way down the hall. He returns a few moments later with a policeman in tow. At the sight of him Ruth quickly dries her hands.

"Ruth Evershed?" asks the officer.

"Yes. What's this about?"

"I'm PC Quinn. Is there somewhere we could talk?" Ruth leads them through to the living room and gestures at him to take a seat. "Maybe you should sit down too," the officer suggests as he sits on the sofa.

"I'm fine with standing thanks."

Harry notices the look on the officers face; it's one he's worn himself on several occasions when having to deliver an agony message. "I think sitting down would be a good idea," he suggests. Ruth humours him sitting at the other end of the sofa and Harry takes a seat in the arm chair next to it. He reaches out to hold Ruth's hand; a show of support.

Once they're both settled, the officer begins. "Do you know a Mark Johnson and a Kevin Soames?"

Ruth nods. "We were at university together," she explains, trying to ignore the feeling of horror deep in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm very sorry to have to tell you this Miss Evershed, but they were both killed in a road accident earlier this evening."

Ruth's composure breaks and she lets out a gut-wrenching cry, wrenching her hand from Harry's and placing it over her mouth; sobbing for her friends. Harry moves from his seat on the arm chair and perches on the arm of the sofa, reaching out and rubbing comforting circles on her back soothingly. He wonders why this officer was here; did neither of the victims have next of kin? Why was he putting Ruth through this?

Ruth's eyes go wide suddenly. "Grace? Was Grace with them?!"

PC Quinn smiles sadly. "No; she was with her Grandparents."

"Oh thank God! Wh-what happened?" Ruth enquires, holding back her sobs..

"The roads weren't great to start with, as I'm sure you can imagine given the recent snowfall. They collided with another car which forced them off the road. The driver of the other car had been drinking. I was the first officer on the scene and at that point Mark was still alive. I travelled with him in the ambulance and all he could talk about was Grace… and you. He said that if he and Kevin didn't make it; I was to bring Grace to you. That you'd talked about it?"

"Not long after she was born, yes. Is she still at her Grandparents?"

"No, she's outside in the car with my colleague. We felt it would be best if you heard the news without her here."

"Does she…? Has she been told about what's happened?"

"Yes. She was understandably upset and very eager to see you."

"Well, I'll clean myself up and you can bring her in," Ruth tells him, wiping the tears from her face. He rises to leave and Ruth returns to the kitchen, turning on the tap and splashing cold water on her face. Harry follows. He feels he's missing something in this whole situation; that everyone else is privy to a key piece of information that he is not. It's not a feeling he is comfortable with.

"Ruth?" he questions.

Ruth leans forward; holding on to the counter so tightly that her knuckles are white and sighs. "Harry…I need to ask you to do something for me? Something that I know won't be easy for you. I need you not to ask me any questions just yet. I promise I will find a time to answer anything you want to know, but I can't right now Harry. I'm sorry."

"Do you want me to leave?"

Ruth shakes her head. "Not particularly, but you may not want to stay when you realise what's going on."

Harry's reply is cut off by the creaking hinges of the front door. The police officer has returned and at his side stands a young girl looking scared and helpless, clutching a brown teddy bear. Ruth steps out into the hallway and the child runs to her.

"Mummy!"

Ruth crouches down and picks up the child... her daughter, holding her tightly. She carries her into the living room, sits with her on the sofa and begins stroking her hair, all the while conscious of Harry's shocked gaze.