A/N: Thanks for all the comments on this; really make it worth writing.

Chapter 4

Friday 5th October 2007, 10.50pm; The Grid

"Still nothing," Jo informs the briefing.

"It would help if we knew what they wanted, Harry," adds Adam.

"The man on the tape is Amish Mani," Harry finally admits. "He's a freelancer from the Indian Intelligence Bureau."

"He said you'd stolen something from him?"

"About two years ago, I came across a clandestine operation in Baghdad, to smuggle weapons-grade uranium into the country and then 'discover' it. Vindicate the war. I went straight to the PM and the operation was stopped."

"Who else was involved?"

"Libby McCall from the CIA, some cowboy from 6, called himself Ronnie, but that wasn't his real name…" Harry thinks for a moment. "Hillier, that's him; Steven Hillier and then Mani."

"So what do they want from you? What did you steal?"

"The uranium."

"The uranium actually got there?" asks Ros. "It was in Iraq already?"

"The whole thing was a very close call. Of course some of our cousins were happy to green-light the op, but I won the argument and we got it out again. Brought it here."

"But why take Ruth?" asks Zaf.

"Ruth was with me in Baghdad. I told her where I'd hidden the uranium as back-up. But I've since moved it, I assume that she's given him that location and he's checked there and found the place empty. So now he needs me. "

"Ruth wouldn't crack surely?" Jo speaks up.

"He's threatened her son and she probably thinks no-one with any power knows she's missing." Adam reminds her. "What would you do in that situation?"

Harry looks at his watch; it's nearing eleven. "I have to get ready to meet Mani."

"Are you going to tell him where the uranium is?" queries Jo

"You can't do that," Ros states. "It's tantamount to treason Harry."

"I am going to talk to him; see if I can convince him to stop this insanity." He feels their eyes on him; they still have questions about the child… his parentage. So does Harry. After staring at the image of the child for the past hour, he is pretty confident that the boy is his. He's about the right age and he looks a lot like Graham did when he was a baby.

It's shaken his world, to discover that there's a good chance he's a father once more, but he's pushed all his questions to the back of his mind for the moment, because once again serving his country has put him in an impossible position. He has the power to save both Ruth and his son but at a price; that price being the lives of thousands of British citizens.

Saturday 6th October 2007, 12.30am; Unknown location

As Ruth lies on the thin mattress, Matthew on some cushions next to her, finally asleep, she runs through Mani's words, over and over again. She and Matthew are to be used as leverage to get Harry to tell where the uranium is. It was bad enough that she could be used against Harry; that was what had caused her to leave in the first place. But now a sweet, innocent little boy can be used as a pawn in the game of any extremist who wants to get one over on Harry. His son; the one he doesn't even know exists. She wonders what he'll think when he discovers he's a father again; that their brief relationship resulted in a child. Desperate to keep her mind from coming up with the worst outcome, she thinks back to the beginnings of their relationship…

***Flashback***

She and Harry were always close, she was his confidant on the Grid; he told her things that he didn't tell others. So, when he asked her out for dinner she eagerly accepted. The evening was wonderful and when he dropped her home he kissed her lightly. She spent that night dreaming of their next date, wondering when and where it would be, but reality hit the next day when she realised they were being gossiped about on at work. It was more than she could handle so she told him she couldn't see him anymore, breaking both their hearts in the process.

Their relationship was strained for a few weeks after that; but somehow they still managed to work together. It was at the Havensworth summit that things changed; Ruth finally realised what she wanted and was determined to go after it, regardless of what anyone else thought. They slept together for the first time on their last night at the conference and began to carve out a relationship away from the Grid over the following two weeks. But it wasn't to last; their new found happiness was swept away by the death of Mik Maudsley; the former head of security for Cotterdam prison. Needing to cover up his treacherous deeds and wanting to get at Harry in the process, Oliver Mace doctored CCTV footage of Ruth at a tube station round the corner from Harry's house, making it look like she pushed Maudsley in front of a train. Murdered him.

She went into exile to save Harry and in doing so, secured the future of the service as a power of good. It was just as that old Latin phrase Salus populi suprema lex; (Let the good of the people be the supreme law). It broke her heart to leave (and Harry's too, she suspects if the look on his face was anything to go by) but she knew that she must. She could see no other way. Adam and Zaf both begged her to reconsider but she analysed all the information and she knew what must happen and she convinced them to go along with it, even though they felt in their bones that they were about to make a terrible mistake. So, after a tearful goodbye on the dockside, Ruth stepped onto a boat and sailed away, watching as Harry got smaller and smaller as she sailed further away from him.

The problem with analysis, as Ruth knows, but was harshly reminded of two months after beginning her exile, is that if you don't have all the relevant information then the process is fundamentally flawed. She was floored to discover that she was pregnant with Harry's child. She hadn't been expecting it at all; she was taking the Pill so had assumed they didn't need to use another form of contraception.

Sitting in the clinic, she dropped her head into her hands and sobbed as the doctor delivered the news. She handed Ruth a tissue and seemed confused that this discovery had upset her patient. Usually this type of news was received with joy and gladness.

"I'm sorry," Ruth said, sensing the doctor's confusion. "But the father… he…" she trailed off, wondering how to explain the situation. "He died," she finally uttered, hating herself for saying these things about Harry. The worst thing was she didn't know if it was still a lie or if it had now become the truth; there was no way of her knowing if any harm had come to him in the time she had been away. He had looked so devastated, standing on that dockside, that she was worried about his state of mind and had prayed for most of her journey from England that he wouldn't do anything reckless.

She had decided before she left England that her legend would be that of a widow; it would explain her sudden appearance in a new country; needing to get away from the familiar, the memories, and it would also give her an excuse to keep herself to herself; mourning. Besides, she was in a sort of mourning; grieving for Harry and their lost relationship.

"Madame, I didn't know. My apologies for being so… how do you say? Unsensitive?"

Ruth managed a small smile at the mis-translation but it wasn't long before the tears started again.

"It was recent, your husband's death?" It seemed an obvious thing to say; she couldn't have gotten pregnant by a ghost but the doctor sensed she needed to talk about it.

Ruth nodded. "Nearly two months; I suspect I conceived shortly before he died. Maybe only a few days before. He was taken suddenly. An accident."

"The worst kind of loss, I think. Such a shock. With illness at least you have a bit of time to prepare…"

"Yes. I felt I needed to get away; too many memories and people who meant well, but were just too much for me to cope with, so I came here."

As she spun the lies to the doctor she became more confident in her legend; this was the first time it had come under any such scrutiny and it seemed to be holding up; the addition of a child would just strengthen the story, she supposed. But what was she to do? Bringing a child into a world of lies and exile… could she do that? What would happen when the child was old enough to ask questions of their father, could she really tell them he was dead when there was a significant possibility that he was alive and well, completely oblivious to the existence of his child?

In that moment, in amongst all the questions and worries, Ruth was certain about one thing… there was no way she could contact Harry and tell him. Not without risking both their lives or freedom; and it was that thought that broke her heart more than any other. Harry was having a second chance at fatherhood taken away.

"You will need time to think, yes? To take it all in?" the doctor said with a sympathetic smile.

"Yes, I will. Thank you."

The doctor rummaged around in her desk and handed Ruth a small handful of information leaflets. "Here; these may help. Once you have made a decision, make another appointment to see me and we can go from there. In the meantime I would like you to take these vitamins." Ruth took the proffered bottle. "They will make you feel better."

Ruth thanked the doctor once more and left the surgery. She had a lot to think about.

***End Flashback***

The sound of the door opening brings her back to the present. Two of Mani's henchmen are dragging something along the floor. Ruth gasps as she realises it is a person and holds her breath as she sees it's a man. The men dump him unceremoniously in the corner of the room, where he emits a small groan, and then leave once more. Ruth approaches slowly; the figure is curled in a foetal position, clearly battered and bruised. She kneels beside him and gently turns his head towards her. Her worst fears are confirmed. It's Harry.