A/N: Only one more chapter to go after this one! Thanks to all who have read/reviewed.
For Harry
It had been one hell of a week and quite frankly, Harry was getting to the end of his tether.
"Go to the Maldives," Adam had quipped during one lunch break. "Supposed to be relaxing. Lovely beaches."
"If you don't continue with the work I have given you I will put you on a plane with a one way ticket to do routine surveillance there for the rest of your career, Adam, so don't get bloody facetious with me," Harry had snapped.
Adam had of course been joking, but this operation was dragging and taking a toll on the entire team – Ros was even colder than usual; Jo was flinching at the slightest mistake; and even Zaf's charm and brightness was fading a little.
When Harry went off for a heated meeting with the Home Secretary, Adam decided to have a snoop in his boss' office to see if there were any hidden agendas of which he was unaware. Harry wasn't usually one to let the stress dominate him.
Flicking through Harry's work diary, he found meeting after meeting with political figures, but a small detail on the corner of the 8th – C. On the 12th there was another C, this time crossed out.
C. For what? Adam tried to drum up ideas from his colleagues but they were none the wiser.
It was only when Adam came into Harry's office after being summoned to deliver an update on the mission that he heard a snippet of a conversation. "Call me if you want. I'm really sorry."
Harry slammed the phone in the receiver and looked up.
"Who was that?" Adam asked politely.
"My daughter," said Harry, briefly, dismissively. "Have you got that file?"
"Yeah, yeah." Adam placed the file on Harry's desk and went back to his work station. C for Catherine.
She hadn't been in town for ages. Today was the 11th – she left tomorrow (according to Harry's diary), off to whichever new destination she picked to create a film about. And Harry hadn't seen her for almost three years. Adam spun round in his swivel chair, a plan coming together in his head...
"What the hell is this?" Harry's voice boomed as he came marching from his office the next morning. "Adam. What. Have. You. Done?"
"Re-arranged your schedule. I'm seeing the Home Sec in an hour, and Ros is tackling your two-o'clock with the DG."
"Do you feel that I am incapable of completing such demanding tasks, Adam?" Harry almost spat.
"I think a much more fulfilling task would be taking a few hours off to see your daughter," said Adam smoothly. "I've booked you a table for midday at this gorgeous cafe – if you'd care to look at the entries for today again, you will see that I have included the address." Adam was anticipating the moment that Harry would smile.
The Grid was silent. Every colleague's eyes were on their boss.
"If the result of your meeting with the Home Sec is that he wants to give you my position, I will be rather insulted - I like to think I have far more integrity than my devious section chief," said Harry, his face still entirely serious. Then a small smile. Then even a '"Thank you, Adam"'.
The whole team exhaled in relief.
"The break is for him, not you lot," declared Adam. "Right. Zaf, take a look at that CCTV footage..."
For Ros
It was Ros' birthday, and Harry didn't think mentioning the subject would sit very well with her. On the birthdays of other colleagues she would make flimsy excuses for not joining in on a celebratory drink, although Adam had managed to convince her just once. It seemed rather odd to make no mention of a subject that people often celebrated, but that was just Ros' preference.
Harry glanced at her through the glassy partition of his office. She had no cards propped up on her desk, no birthday badges (although Harry suspected that Zafar was the only adult who still indulged in that juvenile form of celebration). It might as well have been any other day for Ros Myers, efficiently tapping away at her computer; completely focussed on the task she had been set.
Harry didn't particularly like 'any other days' – they all blurred into a stream of indecipherable weeks that might well have just not happened. He knew that he had the ability to change Ros' normal day that just so happened to be her birthday too, and Harry wanted to prove that birthdays could be something to celebrate.
Cakes and cards seemed as if they would provoke a sigh at the childishness and unoriginality. A birthday drink would be rapidly declined. Even just the afternoon off would be a no-go. Harry sighed, returning to the paperwork on his desk. He would have to be a bit more imaginative in order to put a smile, however small, on Ros' face.
Harry reached for the phone and made a few efficient calls, barking orders particularly well on this occasion in order to get his own way.
A few hours later
The envelope was placed on Ros' desk just before her lunch break. She ran a finger under the seal and pulled out the slip of paper, rolling her eyes. Harry watched her reach for her coat and head for the pods.
Little did she know that this impromptu lunch meeting with an asset was actually a birthday lunch with her father, Sir Jocelyn Myers, whom Harry had persuaded the authorities to let out of prison for just a couple of hours to see his daughter. It hadn't been easy to arrange, but Harry wouldn't take no for an answer. He knew it was the only thing Ros would wish for, proven by the smallest of smiles that remained on her face as she returned to the Grid later that day. She met Harry's eyes through the glass. He nodded.
Ros had one enjoyable birthday to start off the list of many more to come – at least, Harry hoped for this to be the case.
