A/N: Additional disclaimer information is located at the end of the chapter.


Harry maneuvered a drunken Ruth into his car, ensuring that all extremities were safely tucked inside before shutting the door and moving to the driver's side. Before easing out of the parking space he glanced over at Ruth and wondered whether it was best to take her home or to his place. Best he could tell, she was going to have one hell of a hangover, but nothing that sleep, paracetamol, and time wouldn't cure. As he put the car in drive, he decided to take her to her home, even though the drive was longer.

Ruth appeared to be passed out in the passenger seat, so Harry turned the radio on to a classical station, keeping the volume low. A few minutes later as the car hit an unexpected bump in the road, Ruth was startled awake.

"Where am I?" she said, her words slurring slightly as she glanced out the window.

"I'm taking you home."

"Why?"

Something in the tone of her voice caught him off guard and as he stopped at the light, he looked over at her to find a most attractive pout on her face.

"Ruth, you were drinking with Sam and Zoe and were starting to get a little, shall we say, loud." The light turned green and Harry started moving forward.

"Not our fault. If men weren't so mean to us, we wouldn't have to sing."

"I agree that men shouldn't be mean to you, but the rest of the crowd at the George had enough of the performance."

"What happened to Soe and Zam?"

Harry glanced at her quickly. "I think you mean Sam and Zoe."

"Whatever."

"Danny is taking Zoe home and Adam and Colin are seeing that Sam makes it home."

"Why aren't we going to your house?"

"Because I'm taking you home. To your house."

Ruth mumbled in her seat.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"Just another man who doesn't want to invite me back to his place."

Harry let out a sigh, knowing that he couldn't expect her to rationale in her drunken state, so he chose not to answer. At the next stoplight, he watched her lean forward to play with the stereo knobs.

"Trying to put me to sleep with that stuff? Find something good," said Ruth as she randomly pushed buttons and turned knobs.

Harry tried not to cringe as all sorts of loud and obnoxious sounds filled his car. To call it music would have been generous in his opinion, but he decided it was best to just let her be.

"Ooh, I love this song!"

A somewhat familiar tune filled the car and Ruth started to sing along, missing some of the words due to the song's faster pace and her inebriation.

"A little less conversation, a little more action please, all this aggravation ain't satisfactionin' me," sang Ruth as she turned herself in the seat to face Harry.

Harry had to smile at Ruth. The alcohol had certainly lowered her inhibitions and he was seeing a new side to her, though he suspected she might also be embarrassed if she remembered her actions in the morning. Vowing to himself that none of this would be repeated to her or anyone else, he moved his eyes back to the road as Ruth continued to sing. Despite her inebriation Harry discovered that she had a lovely voice.

"Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby, satisfy me, satisfy me baby," she sang. His attention was on the road and the upcoming turn so he didn't notice her right hand moving across the dark car and landing on his upper thigh.

Harry was busy watching the car in front of him weave back and forth and debating whether to call 999 to deal with the idiot when the sudden feeling of Ruth's hand near his crotch caught him off guard. He hit the brakes and yelped in surprise as he tried to grab her hand and move it away.

"What are you doing?"

Ruth laughed as she moved her hand from his thigh to his abdomen and then south. "I'm trying to see if you could satisfy me, baby," she purred while Harry was trying to keep his eyes on the road. His efforts to stop the movement of her hand were unsuccessful. She continued to laugh at his efforts even after he maneuvered the car to the side of the road and shifted into park.

"Ruth, please. Let me drive you home. We've only a short distance to go," Harry implored.

"Harry," she started, her lips pursed in a pout, "I only wanted to explore; see what you're hiding under those sexy suits. I overheard a few women in the Archive last week talking about your legendary skills when it comes to honey traps and it wasn't just your charm they were referring to." Ruth renewed her effort to explore Harry's body, this time using both hands, which Harry quickly stopped.

"Ruth, to misquote Mr. Twain, reports of my sexual adventures are greatly exaggerated," he said as he held her hands.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't believe you, Harry. There's always some truth to rumours. Besides, I'm your analyst. I need all the information so I can properly assess the situation." She leaned closer in to Harry as she tried once again to explore him with her hands.

Harry had to give her credit. Even in her inebriated state she was persistent. He knew that her home was only a few blocks away but he couldn't let her grope him while he drove, mostly because he was afraid of his body's reaction to her ministrations, which could lead to an incredibly awkward situation.

"Ruth, there's only a few blocks until we arrive at your home. Will you please let me finish the drive? I don't want to crash because I'm distracted by you," he said, hoping that would pacify her.

Ruth smiled in response. "I distract you? Hmm, well that's something." She pulled her hands back. "I promise to behave myself," she said as she primly turned to face forward in her seat with her hands in her lap.

Harry let out a breath of relief. Quickly checking his mirrors, he pulled away from the kerb and made the turn to Ruth's home.

Two minutes later he pulled into a space behind her car. Switching off the ignition he looked over to see that Ruth had once again dozed off. Her face was turned towards him and her lips slightly parted. He watched her sleep and wondered if her earlier antics were just the effects of the alcohol in her system and the song lyrics putting ideas in her head or whether the alcohol was serving as liquid courage for something she was otherwise afraid to voice.

He'd be lying if he said he never wondered what it would be like to get to know her on a more personal level. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, especially to him, and while it irritated him initially, most recently he found that he'd come to want her opinion. She'd supported him when he was afraid that Tom had gone rogue and her initiative with the taxi drivers had saved a situation that had spiraled out of control.

The man he was 20 years prior would have bedded her and not worried about the consequences of his actions until there was something to worry about and even then his charm was usually sufficient to diffuse the situation. But then he became Section Chief, then Section Head, and not worrying about those consequences was no longer an option. It was simply easier to not become romantically involved with anyone from the Grid. Honestly, it hadn't been that difficult. There hadn't been anyone he'd been interested in getting to know better and then Ruth Evershed crossed his path. She was easily the best candidate for the analyst position though he found her to be a bit quirky and unorthodox, but definitely not his type. Or so he'd thought.

Ruth started to stir and Harry didn't want to be caught staring. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently shook it. "Ruth? Wake up. We're at your house."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him through her lashes. "Mmm. Time to wake up?" she asked.

Harry smiled. "Yes, time to wake up. Do you have your keys?"

Ruth yawned and stretched her arms out in front of her. "In my bag," she mumbled before slouching back in her seat. Harry took this as permission to find the keys himself. Once located, he slung the bag over his shoulder and exited the vehicle, gently closing the door. Walking around to the other side, he opened the door and shook Ruth's arm once again to wake her.

"Just wanna sleep," she mumbled.

"In a few minutes you can do that but first we need to get you in the house."

"Carry me."

Harry smiled as he found himself wishing that he could. "You can walk. I'll help. Come on, up we go," he said.

It wasn't easy but thankfully the walk to her front door didn't require the navigation of steps. He was glad a few minutes later when Ruth was settled on the sofa with a glass of water he asked her to drink.

"Why are you being nice to me?"

He frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you give me a ride home?"

"You had a lot to drink, Ruth. I couldn't just put you in a taxi and send you home. You're part of my team and I wanted to make sure you arrived home safe."

"So if you had to take Sam home, would you be sitting with her? Or would you have left already?"

Harry's lips turned up in a slight smile. "Touche." Ruth continued to hold his eyes, expecting more of an answer. "I don't have a good answer, Ruth. Would you like me to leave?"

"No," she responded quickly. "This might be the only chance I get to have you in my house."

They both blushed at her statement.

"Why would you want me at your house? We're on the Grid together for 10 plus hours a day. Most of my staff is happy to escape from me come five o'clock."

Ruth smiled in response. "You really don't know, do you?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he replied as he watched her eyes skim over him.

"I wasn't kidding when I said you are a legend around Thames House. Every woman knows that you are the master when it comes to seducing women and having worked near you for the past year, I believe it. How can you not know how sexy you are? You ooze charm and sex appeal, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "Ruth, I was serious before about those rumours. I admit that many years ago there was some basis for those stories, but I haven't been involved in anything for near on 15 years that comes close to those stories, believe me."

Ruth placed her hand on Harry's arm. "If you say so, I believe you."

"I don't think you do," he said, enjoying the feelings created now that her hand was moving up and down his arm.

"Well, the chance of a woman like me having a man like you in my home is virtually nil, so I should enjoy it while I can."

"What do you mean a woman like you? You mean a woman that's young, vibrant, beautiful, and wickedly smart? Why wouldn't men be clamoring for a chance to spend time you?"

"I thought I was the one who was drunk."

Harry wasn't following along.

"Harry, if you aren't drunk, then you're delusional. Young? I'm 34, not exactly fresh-faced. Vibrant? If I make it home before seven in the evening and get a chance to do some reading before bed I consider it a good night. A wild night would include a glass of wine while I read. I've lived in London for over a year now and other than the occasional work excursion to the George, I've not been out with anyone, for any kind of event – since I've lived here. Vibrant I am not. I'm not even going to dignify beautiful with a response but yes, I do consider myself smart. Not sure about the wickedly part, but one out of four isn't bad, right?"

Harry watched her as she spoke and had an overwhelming urge to kiss her.

"Men clamor over glamourous and confident women like Zoe, not..." Her words were cut off by Harry's lips on hers. The alcohol in her system delayed her reaction somewhat but once her body caught up to what was happening, she responded with vigour. Breaking apart moments later, they watched one another, both breathless from the experience.

"Wow..." Ruth started as Harry apologized.

"Sorry? Was it that bad?" she asked to which Harry responded by sliding his hand to the back of her neck, threading his fingers into her hair and pulling her close for another kiss. This one lasted longer and ended with both his hands in her hair and her arms wrapped around his neck.

Neither said anything as the kiss ended and Ruth leaned forward to rest her forehead against Harry's. Despite the intimate nature of their positions, Ruth felt confident enough to give voice to the question in her head.

"Why did you apologise?" she asked quietly.

"Because I didn't ask you first."

"Oh."

"Was it okay that I kissed you?"

"Mmm, yes, very okay."

Harry smiled at her response and leaned back against the sofa. He wrapped his arm around Ruth and pulled her next to him so she could lay her head on his shoulder. Before long, both fell asleep.


"A Little Less Conversation" was originally recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Mac Davis and Billy Strange. The version imagined for this story is the remix version released in 2002 and credited to "Elvis vs. JXL."