Present day, approximately two years later
"Goodbye, love," she smiles reaching up to kiss his cheek.
"Bye, June," Harry replies. "I'll come by later, all right?"
"Yes, please," she answers, looking up at him with smiling eyes before turning toward the garden path.
He looks past her toward the road and that's when he sees her, standing stock still, her lips slightly parted in shock yet looking as beautiful as ever. He feels his breath catch and the earth move under his feet, all sound suddenly having been sucked out of the air around him. It can't be. And yet she looks more real than any dream he's had, or any glimpse he's thought he's caught of her in the street.
"Ruth?" he breathes when he finally finds his voice.
Two years earlier
"Well, Harry," William Towers says as he stands and comes round his desk, "I'm sorry to see you go. I had looked forward to working with you, but it would seem, it wasn't meant to be."
"Thank you, Home Secretary," he nods, shaking the other man's proffered hand. "I wish you the best of luck. You will find a fine replacement for me in Miss Evershed, I'm sure; in fact, some would say a better one."
"Well, she's certainly better looking," he laughs but sobers instantly at the look on Harry's face. "Yes, well, good luck, Harry."
"Thank you, Home Secretary," he nods and turns, leaving his office for the last time. He walks silently down the corridors of Whitehall, slowing his steps, taking everything in for the final time. He doesn't regret his decision to go now. No, there are many things he does regret, most notably the state of his relationship with Ruth, but this isn't one of them.
He exits the building and turns right, making his way towards Thames House. His thoughts wonder all over the place during his short walk, replaying memories from his long career in MI-5, remembering the failures but trying to dwell on the victories instead. Overall, he's happy with the legacy he leaves behind in the service, and he's very grateful for that, that the victories outweigh the defeats and losses in the end.
Before long, he's walking into Thames House, nodding at the security guards as he makes his way to the lifts and up to the fifth floor, and stepping through the pods, grateful that they haven't sent someone to escort him through the building as he collects his things. There are just a few people about at the moment, none of them members of his core team, but he's already said his goodbyes to those that matter most - Lucas and Dimitri, who are out in the field right now dealing with another crisis as is too often the case, and Tariq, who's probably ferreting out some new piece of intel in the technical suite. He lets his eyes roam for a few moments, taking everything in for the last time before turning towards his office. No, not his office any more, he reminds himself, Ruth's office.
He knocks lightly on the door and enters when she invites him in. She rises immediately as he slides the door open and slips inside, saying, "You don't need to knock, Harry."
"It's your office now, Ruth, and though I know this might come as a bit of a surprise, it is proper etiquette to knock before entering a room," he replies as he moves towards her, stopping a few paces in front of her. He scans her beloved face carefully, noting the way her jaw is set and she doesn't smile at his poor attempt at humour, and concluding that she's still angry with him for his... outburst just over a month ago. He'd hoped she'd have forgiven him by now, but he knows her stubborn nature and he can't really blame her; what he'd done really was inexcusable. "I've just come to collect my things," he offers as an explanation for his presence there.
She nods and replies, "They're over there, on the chair. I needed the desk space." He glances down at the desk, always so tidy in his day, that is now overflowing with papers, a mark of Ruth's unique filing system. He smiles softly as he turns to look at her again, this woman that has meant so much to him for so many years. 'I love you, Ruth, and I'm going to miss you so much,' he thinks, but what he actually says is, "Ruth, I just wanted to say, before I go, that I'm truly sorry for-" and inevitably, at that moment, Tariq bursts into the room, saying, "You'd better come see this."
His body tilts towards the young techie as if to follow him out of the room before he checks himself, remembering that it's not his problem any more. Ruth glances up at him with knowing eyes and turns to leave the room, pausing in the doorway to murmur softly, "Goodbye, Harry," and then she's gone, leaving him alone with his regrets. He watches her progress across the Grid through the office windows for the last time ever and has to swallow hard against the lump that's suddenly lodged in his throat. Not even a proper goodbye, he thinks bitterly and is suddenly glad again that he's leaving this place for good.
He turns to pick up the small box with his belongings from the chair and begins moving towards the door. He's almost there before he suddenly turns back, putting down the box and grabbing a sticky note and pen, scribbling a message for Ruth and sticking it on her monitor. Then he picks up his possessions once more, and exits his office, the Grid and the building for the final time. He lets his driver take the box from his hands to stow it in the boot and turns to look at the building that, for better or worse, has effectively been his home for the past two decades, wondering if the thoughts running through his head are similar in any way to those Tom Quinn had had five years ago as he was leaving Thames House for good. "I shall miss you, Ruth," he murmurs softly, smiling gently for her benefit, just in case she's watching the CCTV as he had been when Tom had left. Then he turns and gets into the car, allowing James to drive him home for the last time.