Disclaimer: Kudos and BBC are the owners of all things related to Spooks. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 1

Ros sat staring at the TV monitor at Malcolm's station. She wasn't really watching what was on the screen; she'd viewed this piece of film a hundred times. Pushing her blonde hair from her eyes she pressed a few buttons and rewound the piece of film to the beginning. There had to be something she missed, that they'd missed. She had to be sure. Deciding she'd go through the tape one last time she visibly flinched when Ruth appeared along side her, coffees in hand.

"Ros, you've watched that a hundred times at least" she deposited the drink on the table which held the monitor. Glancing at the screen briefly Ruth recognised the film as coming from the CCTV footage from the Manor House. Malcolm had managed to break into the system and reroute it to his own monitors, so that Nightingale didn't get hold of it. It was genius but was now causing Ros more nightmares than anything. She had taken the Mace situation personally and was now intent on finding and destroying Nightingale. If it wasn't for Lucas and Ruth insisting that she slept and ate Ruth was convinced she would do neither.

Ros took the coffee from Ruth sighing she nodded.

"I know. There has to be something on one of these tapes. I mean we were there. I know what I saw but…." she shook her head.

"I know, I didn't see much. I wasn't much use to anyone" Ruth sipped her coffee. She'd been feeling down since Mace had held her hostage. Maybe confronting death or the possibility of it was an occupational hazard in their line of work but it wasn't one which she bounced back from as easily as her colleagues did. Staring at the screen she could see the grainy images of herself held to Mace's side. Zaf was in the outside of the frame as Ros' outstretched arms could be seen holding the gun. Ruth noticed for the first time that she looked like an adult sized rag doll. It made her stomach turn. Reaching out to turn the monitor off, she ignored Ros' protests.

"You don't need to see anymore" raising a hand to stop Ros "Harry wants us all in the briefing room in the next five minutes. He's been to Whitehall" Ros nodded, drinking her coffee she stood and followed Ruth towards the Briefing Room.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Adam and Zaf were already in the meeting room when Ruth and Ros joined them. Lucas, Tariq, Malcolm and Harry followed shortly after. Harry immediately took his place at the head of the table, noticing how it took his team very little time to settle down. Sighing he braved a glance towards Ruth who was sat reading through some notes.

"Right. As I'm sure you know I have spent most of this morning at Whitehall" All eyes were on Harry.

"Andrew Lawrence currently remains our Home Secretary. Well until there is either a General Election or a Cabinet reshuffle. All we have to do now if find him. There is little to suggest that he has been abducted, but his prolonged absence does seem suspicious".

"How so?" Adam was already beginning to think up possibilities as to how Nightingale could be involved. None of the scenarios were looking particularly good for the errant politician.

"Well, top government officials tend not to disappear into the ether when we are in the midst of one of the biggest terror threats to the nation" Harry stared at the blonde spook. Adam nodded and was about to continue when Ros interrupted.

"No, but they tend not to themselves caught up in an explosion to divert attention away from themselves." Although relations between Ros and Andrew Lawrence were frosty to say the least since the explosion, she couldn't see him as a Nightingale figure.

"I agree" Ruth piped up, finally looking away from her notes. "When I was, when I was with Mace there wasn't one major British politician was mentioned. Just a lot of non descript stuff. None of it was related to Andrew Lawrence. That much I'm certain of."

It had all come out in a rush - as if Ruth hadn't drawn breath while making her point. Harry's expression softened slightly as he realised in the two weeks since the incident at the Manor House it was the first time Ruth had even acknowledged it had happened. The stitches that had left a small scar on her hairline the only outward sign that anything had happened at all.

Harry looked at each member of his staff. The team had changed so much since the first time he had sat at the head of this table. Even the section had been renamed. He was the only survivor of the now defunct Section B and he wondered if he really would be the last person to leave section D. Thinking like that would be no help to him at all, especially after what he had learnt from young Sophie - his contact at Whitehall. Deciding to keep that bit of information to himself for now he watched as Ros began allocating jobs to the team. Ruth had merely nodded as she stood and left the briefing room. Watching her go, he knew that something was wrong.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sat at her desk Ruth went through the various requests sent her way from special branch. She really wanted to tell them where to go but she knew that keeping the various agencies on side would make things easier with the Nightingale situation. Glancing up she could see Harry pacing up and down his office, barking into his phone. She sighed, things had been difficult since the Mace situation but she knew that had largely been her fault. She really didn't mean to push him away - it hurt her as much as him but she'd always shut down when she was hurt. It was a defence mechanism she seemed to have in common with Ros.

Standing she crossed the now empty Grid to Harry's office. Relieved for once that all the field officers were out and Malcolm and Tariq were immersed in some piece of technical wizardry that would save lives in the field. She smiled picturing the two techies pouring over little diodes and transistors for hours. At least they seemed to enjoy their work. Stepping in to his office Ruth didn't bother knocking, rather making her way to the old red sofa in the corner.

Curling her feet under her she waited for Harry to finish his phone call. He turned replacing the phone on the desk he spotted Ruth now looking pensive as she sat on the sofa.

"Ruth are you ok?" she nodded absent mindedly. "Umm, who's on the phone?" she looked directly at him. Harry knew when Ruth wasn't going to let things go.

"Sophie, she's an asset at Whitehall. Andrew Lawrence's' PA. She's been doing a little digging for me. Seems one name keeps coming up in her enquiries." He sat resting a hand on Ruth's knee. She smiled and took his hand in her own.

"Isn't that a bit dangerous? She's not been there long." Ruth was staring at her hand, fingers now entwined with Harry's. "She's so young"

Harry nodded "Ruth what's wrong? You've not been right these last few weeks. More so since the basement" Ruth kept her eyes on their joined hands breathing deeply she knew she had to tell him the truth.

"I'm being silly that's all. I still see him everywhere you know? Mace. He's still in here" she tapped the side of her head with her free hand. Harry felt his heart tighten a little as he squeezed her hand.

"At the time it didn't register, or I was too out of it to notice. But I'm sure that in his ramblings he mentioned…" Ruth took a deep breath to steady herself, now risking a glance at Harry. Almost ready to continue he raised a finger to her lips stopping her from going on.

"I think it was probably the same name that Sophie kept finding." Ruth just stared. It couldn't be. It was just the ramblings of a mad man - a mad man that had tried to kill her at that! No she shook her head as Harry continued.

"Sophie kept finding the same name that you were told, the same man that Ros has seen Mace say when she lip read the CCTV footage. Its true Ruth, Tom Quinn is back. It seems Tom Quinn has become a part of Nightingale."

Authors note. Was wondering how to write Tom back in when I wrote my first story but couldn't do it there. Hope this works. Just an introduction so far. Hopefully more soon - if you want me to write it that is? Also hope to have a Valentine's story up next week. Please review! Even if you hate it they are gratefully recieved and help me write better:D