The gentle rays of morning sun danced across the wooden floor of her room. Wrapped in the warmth of her duvet, Ruth slowly opened her eyes and took a bleary look around the room. Seeing the sun spreading patterns around the room, she groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow from under her head and smashing it over her face. After the night she had had last night, she had hoped that mother nature would have followed in her misery and granted her a day of bleakness and rain. But no, she had to go for bright and sunny. Pulling the pillow from her face, she turned her head to the left and took in the alarm clock on her bedside table. 7.08. Groaning, she rolled her head back and pulled the pillow back over her face. She'd over slept by two hours and was now going to be late but she really didn't care. A write up was the least of her problems this morning. Spending another five minutes in bed, she finally drug herself from the warmth and into the bathroom, mentally preparing herself for everything to come.


9.30 and she was finally making her way through the pods; a rarely worn pair of sun glasses covering her red eyes and a mug of coffee in her hand. Taking a glance around, she found the grid a hum of low voices. Making her way to her desk, she dropped her bag down and sunk into her chair as she took a sip of the coffee. With a sigh, she placed the cup on her desk and logged into her computer as Danny came to stand behind her. Leaning over his shoulder, he placed his mouth next to her ear and said quietly "As far as Harry is concerned, you had to stop and meet an asset this morning for Adam as he was running late with dropping Wes off." With that, he stood again and leaned against the side of her desk.

Turning in her chair, she looked up at him from behind her glasses. "Why?"

"He's like a bear with a thorn stuck in its paw this morning. Came in growling at anyone who crossed his path and he made that new intern run off the grid in tears. Seeing as you weren't here for the morning briefing, Adam jumped in and said you'd agreed to doing a favor for him this morning."

"Remind me to thank Adam later."

Danny nodded before reaching up and removing the shades covering her eyes. Taking in her red rimmed eyes before she turned her face towards her computer, he sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Ruth?"

"Hmmm"

Pushing slightly on her shoulder, he turned her until she faced him. Using his hand to lift her chin, he met her eyes. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened, why would you think something did?"

"You look like you've been crying."

Before she could answer, Adam and Fiona slid their chairs over, preparing to join in the conversation but were stopped as Harry bellowed out his office door. "Would any of you like to work or should we all settle in for a morning tea?"

All four glanced at each other before moving back to their work.


5.05 and they were all ready to leave. It had been a trying day; not because of any major threats or national disasters; but the tension running through the grid. Ruth had spent the day doing everything possible to avoid being alone with Harry in any sense and Harry was walking around alternating between trying to get a moment alone with Ruth and snapping at anything or anyone crossing his path. About 4 he had finally realized she was actively avoiding him and was refusing to even glance in the direction of the office. As he reached for his phone, his hand paused over it as he noticed the four people standing around her desk.

Fiona, Adam, Danny and Malcolm were all putting their coats on as they stood around their co-worker, waiting for her to realize they were there. All had seen the redness in her eyes as well as the sadness plaguing her and it wasn't hard to figure out that whatever had happened had to do with their boss. It wasn't like Ruth to spend the entire day hiding from him. But she had. And now they were all worried about her.

Glancing up from the file she had just closed, she jumped slightly at being surrounded. "What's wrong?"

Fiona glanced at the guys before meeting Ruth's eyes again. "We're concerned about you. We all know something happened but have no idea what and we're worried."

Smiling slightly, she met all four sets of eyes. "I'll be fine; you don't have to worry about me."

Danny was the first to answer as he met her eyes. "But we do worry about you."

"Yes Ruth, we all worry about you. You're family."

Ruth turned to Malcolm, smiling a bit more at his response. Before she could answer, Adam jumped in.

"This job; no one understands it like those who work with us; and because of that we develop close bonds. So when something's bothering one of us, the rest want to help."

"Tell us you wouldn't feel the same way if there was something wrong with one of us?" Fiona asked.

Fighting back the tears that had become her newest friend last night, she looked at all of them. "Thank you guys but I...I can't talk about it here."

Danny held up her coat that he had grabbed from the rack she had hung it on that morning. Holding it open so she could slide into it, he smiled at her. Malcolm reached over and shut down her computer as Fiona grabbed her bag.

"Well than, how about crappy food and good drinks over at the George? You can tell us what Harry's done." Adam paused at her blush and the sad look that settled on her face again. "We can kill him if that'd make it better." He continued, only kidding slightly.

Fiona smacked her husband before wrapping an arm around Ruth's shoulders and leading her to the pods. "Ignore my husband, he means well."

Ruth managed a laugh as she looked at the four people surrounding her. For the first time since her father died, she felt like she had people who honestly cared about her. And while she would be embarrassed to admit to them what had happened the night before, she had a feeling they wouldn't fully judge her.

Harry watched as the five people left, a frown on his face. It wasn't the first time in the two years that she'd worked for him that she had avoided him but it was the first time since her secondment from GCHQ had become permanent. Yesterday he'd finally worked up the courage to ask her for coffee and he could have sworn she'd been about to say yes. At least before they'd been interrupted by the damn phone call from Juliet.

Juliet. Just the thought of her name brought a feeling of disgust. Last night had been a colossal mistake on his part; one brought on by too much whiskey at the impromptu meeting and frustrated thoughts of Ruth and yet another missed chance. But God, what had prompted him to do that? Screwing Juliet was a mistake he'd made over and over again in his first marriage and though he wasn't married to Ruth yet, the thought had entered his mind lately. But he had screwed up and everything was pointing to the face that Ruth knew.

Sitting back in his chair, he ran a weary hand over his face and pulled open his bottom desk drawer. Reaching in, he pulled out the floral scarf he'd found on the bench in his front yard this morning and lifted it to his nose. Breathing in the scent he had come to associate with Ruth, he closed his eyes and held the scarf tightly, the image of it wrapped loosely around her neck as he'd tried to ask her out in the stairwell the day before. Oh God, he had screwed up big time.


Well, I'm supposed to be writing for ten minutes a day and since I missed yesterday due to work and traveling to my mum's, today I've gone and done two chapters. This one doesn't really have much of a point but continuing where the last chapter left off. Ruth doesn't actually visit the writing site this chapter but she should be back there again tomorrow. The prompt was to write why you were late for a meeting. Not too happy with how it flows but no editing and I have to share what I write.

Thanks to all who provided reviews on the last chapter already. NatesDate I honestly thought that Peter and the guy watching would be the same person but a little plot line has slowly unraveled in my mind and I think you'll be surprised the way the story goes if it keeps following the same path as its going now.