A/N: Hello again! This next chapter is quite lengthy but there's a lot going on. Now, as Batteredpen pointed out, I know it's pretty obvious what's happening here. But as I stated earlier, I never originally wrote this for an audience, and this is where I wanted the story to go, for reasons which will be explained later on.

I'd just like to say thanks for all the reviews, especially the continuing encouragement from VelocityGirl1980-I'm so glad you think I'm keeping Harry in character, as he is my favourite one to write!

Chapter Six

The following day, Sasha and Emma went about their morning routines without exchanging a word between them. There was a lot that needed to be said, but neither of them was willing to start the conversation. Emma was angry that Sasha hadn't told her he was going out but she didn't feel able to broach him on the subject, due to her own late night antics, which provided him with ammunition should she begin questioning him about it. She didn't want to be the one to prompt him into firing. But, neither did he want to start the war. So, neither of them said anything at all.

The stony silence continued during the car journey to work. The only noises were the slight hum of the engine, the brushing of Sasha's hands on the wheel, the changing of gear, and the occasional beep of a horn coming from a nearby car. Sasha eventually decided to put the radio on to break the muteness, which was, admittedly, a relief to Emma. The tension was killing her. She couldn't bear it. She hated fighting, especially with someone whom she cared about so dearly. She concluded that they would have to deal with the situation as soon as they finished work as she simply couldn't go on any longer like this. Sure, Sasha had stepped out of line, but she shouldn't have attempted to make it right with a wrong. They had both messed up, and they sooner they just admitted it, the sooner things could get back to normal. Emma missed normal; she missed Sasha, being close to him, talking to him, and most of all kissing him. Just the thought of the feeling of his lips against hers was enough to almost make her knees weak. No, this situation must not continue; a reconciliation must be initiated this evening, Emma decided.

But first, she needed to get through the day at work. This started with a meeting in the board room as usual, and again Emma found herself struggling to concentrate on what Harry was saying. Not just due to the situation with her boyfriend this time though, but also because she felt another bout of nausea coming along. She took some deep breaths in the hope that it would pass, but the feeling of sickness just became more intense. She gripped onto the table and beads of sweat began forming on her temple. She tried desperately to conceal her obvious lack of attention towards Harry's brief, but unfortunately she didn't fool him.

"Emma, are you listening to me?" Harry boomed at her. "We have a real emergency on our hands right now, so I need the whole team on board, which means there is no time for any daydreaming, do you hear me?"

Emma was about to respond; only as she went to speak, she felt herself heave. She knew what was coming; and she didn't think throwing up the contents of her stomach in the middle of the table would really do very much to improve Harry's mood, so she rushed out of the room and practically sprinted to the toilets. She got there just in time.

"Oh for Christ's sake!" Harry blasphemed. "This is all I need right now."

"Is she ok?" Dimitri asked, concerned.

"She's probably just hungover," Sasha muttered.

"Actually," Erin cut in. "She didn't drink anything last night when she was over at mine. She wasn't feeling very well then either."

Sasha stared down at the desk, guilt washing over him.

"Do you think someone should maybe check on her?" Dimitri suggested.

"No," Harry said. "I'm sure she'll be fine, I need you all here. We have a crucial operation ahead of us, so I could really do without missing any more officers."

"I'll go," Ruth announced, standing up, blatantly ignoring Harry's orders.

He went to argue, but thought better of it, so just pursed his lips indignantly.

Emma collapsed onto the bathroom floor, and just managed to reach up with a weak arm to flush the toilet. It was then that she heard soft footsteps and the sound of the door swinging open. She was thankful that the person entering had only come in after she had finished being sick. She then heard the sound of her name being softly called. Emma recognised the woman's voice immediately.

"I'm in here, Ruth," Emma responded feebly.

"Are you ok, Emma?" Ruth asked through the cubicle door.

"Yeah," Emma croaked out.

"Can I come in?" Ruth asked.

Emma thought about refusing; she didn't want to be seen like this, but then she remembered it was Ruth, kind and lovely Ruth, so she unlocked the door.

"It's open," she called out.

Ruth pushed the door open tentatively. "Oh gosh Emma, you look awful!"

"Thanks," Emma said, managing a slight smile.

"Oh no, I didn't mean…" Ruth began.

"I Know, I know. I'm fine really, or at least I will be in a minute. I was just a bit sick, but I'm feeling a bit better, now," Emma confessed.

"Was it something you've eaten, or a stomach bug?" Ruth inquired.

"I was ill yesterday too, so it's more likely a bug, I think," Emma told her.

"Oh right, I see. Well, you should probably go home, and recover," Ruth suggested, rubbing Emma's shoulder maternally.

Emma laughed out loud in response to Ruth's suggestion. "And leave Harry in the lurch when we're in the middle of an apparent national crisis. You must be kidding me?!"

"He wouldn't mind, if he knew. I'd explain to him."

"Were you not in that meeting just now?!" Emma exclaimed. "If I abandoned ship today I think he'd fire me!"

"I'm sure he'd understand if I told him that you needed to rest," Ruth offered.

"Ruth, it's fine honestly. I'm needed, and besides, I'm feeling much better," Emma told her.

"Hmmm," Ruth wasn't convinced. "If you insist, but if you change your mind at any point and start to feel ill again, you make sure you take the rest of the day off, ok?"

"Ok," Emma agreed. "But for now, let's get back to work."

"Alright, but if there's anything you need from me, just ask," Ruth said kindly.

"Thanks," Emma said. "Actually Ruth, there is one thing."

"What's that?"

"I don't suppose you could find me a toothbrush and toothpaste from somewhere could you?"

Ruth chuckled, "Consider it done."

Sasha felt guilty. Guilty for shouting at Emma yesterday. Guilty for abandoning her and not letting her know where he was. Guilty for ignoring her this morning. Guilty for being angry at her for going over to Erin's. Guilty for assuming that she had just drank too much, when in actual fact she was genuinely ill. He was worried too. He wanted to know what was wrong with her, and how he could make it better. He wanted desperately to hold her in his arms and apologise and tell her everything would be ok, and nurse her back to health. But Harry had other plans for his son.

"Sasha I need you to go to meet with Pataki's mother. She's his Achilles' heel; so if we get her onside, I think we may just have a chance of stopping him in time," Harry told him.

He didn't respond; he was too busy thinking about what he was going to say to Emma when she finally returned.

"SASHA!" Harry suddenly exploded.

"Yes," he perked up. "Sorry, where do you want me to go?"

Harry hissed some profanities before proceeding to repeat himself. "Go and meet with Pataki's mother. There will be no need for a legend, just go in and be honest with her; tell her what her son is planning, and hopefully she'll weaken. We need to act fast, here."

"You want me to go now?" Sasha asked.

"Yes, right now," Harry confirmed. "Is that a problem?"

"Er, no," Sasha said.

"Good, because I do believe that is what The State is paying you to do," Harry commented.

Sasha's shoulders slumped as a result of his father's putdown. "Right, sure, I know. Sorry, I'll go straight away."

By the time Emma arrived back on The Grid, Sasha was gone.

Luckily she didn't feel ill again for the rest the day, though even if she had, she doubted she would have had time to notice; she was kept so busy trying to pin down an extremist. Everyone, including herself, was either running round the office, or central London, adrenaline-fuelled and determined, all with the same goal. The team's work paid off though; by the end of the day they had their man, who was now in the back of a Special Forces van, handcuffed and undeniably defeated.

Success! Emma smiled as she began packing up her things for the day. The expression fell from her face, however, when Sasha walked through the pods; she couldn't handle another argument. But as he got closer, she could see from the look on his face that it didn't seem as he wanted one either.

He placed a hand lightly on the small of her back and quietly spoke, "Come on, let's get you home."

"You're very tense today," Ruth commented as she rubbed her thumbs into Harry's scapulae.

"I wonder why?" Harry replied sarcastically.

"Hmmm," Ruth murmured. "It has been a rather stressful day."

"You're not wrong there. It's days like today that make me feel as though I'm getting too old for all this!"

"Nonsense!" Ruth scoffed. "The operation was successful. Section D saved the day once again, and all thanks to your leadership."

"Only by the skin of our teeth," Harry added.

"Has it ever been any different?" Ruth disputed.

"Touché," Harry responded with a crooked smile.

It was at that point that Ruth noticed Sasha leaving with his arm loosely wrapped around Emma.

"Looks like things are back to normal with those two then," she commented.

Harry sighed.

"Do you think I made the right decision in hiring him?" he asked.

"Of course! Why, are you having doubts?" Ruth asked, perching on the desk in front of Harry.

"A few," Harry confessed. "Since he arrived, Emma seems somewhat…vacant."

"That was just because of their lovers' tiff. She'll be back to her normal brilliant self again soon. Not that she wasn't anything other than brilliant today, though."

"Yes, she did do well. Do you think perhaps I was a little hard on her earlier?"

"Just a little, especially seeing as she was feeling so rotten at the time" Ruth told him. "But you were under a lot of pressure, so I'm sure you'll be forgiven."

"I worry that this arrangement isn't exactly doing wonders for mine and Sasha's relationship either though," Harry revealed, leaning back heavily into his chair.

"Why do you say that?"

"I mean, before I offered him the job, I felt like we were really making progress; having found some common ground between us. But now, I just find myself snapping at him nearly all the time."

"It's perfectly normal to snap at your children, expected even!" Ruth said, dimples forming in her cheeks. "And besides, your working relationship with him is bound to be different to your personal one. He's your employee when he's here, so it's only right for you to treat him like one. But that doesn't mean that you can't bond more as father and son when you're not at work."

"I suppose," Harry said. "So do you think I should make the effort to see him more in our free time?"

"That's exactly what I think you should do," Ruth advised. "I don't think you made the wrong decision in hiring Sasha. Admittedly he and Emma haven't been on their best form as of late but they are young and in love at the end of the day, so you should just give them a break. Plus, we are a shining example to them that it is possible for couples to work in harmony together. Once they have got over the current bump in their relationship they will go back to being more focused, I'm sure."

"You're right. As always," Harry told her with a chuckle. "Thank you for being so reassuring."

"No problem, you know I'm always here to be agony aunt whenever you need me to be."

Harry then scooped Ruth up into his arms, kissing her unexpectedly as a display of his appreciation.

Sasha held the door of the car open for Emma to get into the passenger seat.

"Very chivalrous," she murmured with a smile.

"It's the least I can do," Sasha replied as he got into the vehicle himself.

There was silence between the couple once again as they exited the car park; both of them were considering what they were going to say to one another.

It was Sasha who spoke up first. "I'm sorry Emma," he stated.

"It's ok, I'm sorry too," she said.

"No, I was total prick. I don't know what came over me. I was just so caught up with all this shit with my dad. But I shouldn't have let it affect our relationship. I was stupid to take it out on you. I was awful to you when you were ill and needed me. I feel so terrible," Sasha apologised, wincing as he relayed his own behaviour. "Are you okay now?"

"Much better thank you!" Emma told him, and she was telling the truth; perhaps it had been the exhilaration of work today, or maybe the fact that she was no longer at loggerheads with her boyfriend, but whatever it was, she was feeling all the more better for it. "I was just a bit upset when you went out without telling me, but I shouldn't have reacted by proceeding to do exactly the same thing."

"I just wanted to clear my head but I should have told you. It was immature I know. Besides, it didn't help anyway; if anything it just clouded my thoughts further," Sasha explained.

"So beers with the boys was not the solution?" Emma asked, smiling as she realised how funny Tariq had sounded yesterday.

"Most definitely not; they just gave me a headache by complaining about their own relationship problems instead of giving me any advice about mine. And the beer…well that just gave me a headache too!"

Emma chuckled. "So it looks like I made the right decision by avoiding the wine last night!"

"Indeed. So if it wasn't alcohol that made you ill, what was it?"

"Don't know, I said to Ruth that it was probably a bug, but I'm fine now anyway," Emma replied.

"That's good, I was worried about you!" Sasha revealed. "I was worried about you last night too when you weren't in what I got back. When did you return?"

"About half two," Emma confessed, and felt suddenly tired as it dawned on her how little sleep she had got last night. "You didn't seem too worried; you were sound asleep when I got back!"

Sasha laughed in response to her jibe. "Are we good now?"

"We're good," Emma responded and leaned over to plant a kiss on Sasha's cheek. "I missed not talking to you properly like this, I was lonely!"

"Me too," Sasha said. "I really am sorry, you know."

"Well, you might have to show me," Emma replied.

"What do you mean?" Sasha asked, confused.

"Show me how sorry you are," Emma ordered seductively.

Sasha glanced at Emma, who was wide-eyed and biting her lip. She began gliding her hand slowly up the inside of his leg. He smiled as he understood what she was getting at.

"I'm driving!" Sasha exclaimed, nearly swerving into the side of the road when Emma's hand reached his crotch.

"Sorry, but I can't wait," she told him cheekily.

"We'll be home in a minute," he reassured her, as well as himself.

"But I want you now," Emma leaned out of her seat to whisper into Sasha's ear.

Sasha felt so turned on by this point that he couldn't resist taking his left hand off of the wheel in order to touch his girlfriend. He rubbed the inside of her thigh. With each glide of his hand he got closer and closer to, but never quite reached, the point that she was so dying for him to touch.

Emma whimpered in frustration. "Stop teasing me, Sasha."

He smirked, satisfied, before eventually giving into his girlfriend's desires. He simultaneously steered the car whilst rubbing in between his girlfriend's legs. Emma arched back into her seat, moaning softly as Sasha increased the pressure.

He stopped suddenly, much to her dismay, as they approached their flat, to drop down a gear and then park up. But as soon as they were stationary, he resumed the activities. He leant over to begin kissing her hungrily. Emma responded by clambering over from her seat to sit on top of Sasha, so that she was straddling him. He began to let his hands wander back down her, but just as he was gliding his hand down into her knickers, she grabbed his wrist.

"Wait, let's go inside," she said, suddenly remembering that they were in a public, and although it was dark, the street lights meant that they were still in view of the passers-by.

Sasha obliged, and the pair jumped out of the car. They quickly made their way into the building and up the stairs, kissing each other feverishly and pulling at each other's clothes along the way. By the time they actually reached their flat, they were practically half-dressed. They didn't even make it to the bedroom.

Emma tore off Sasha's belt and unzipped his trousers. He pulled up her skirt and ripped her tights off, tearing them as he did. She didn't care. They stumbled around the living room blindly as they kissed zealously. Sasha gripped Emma's waist so they were pressed tightly together. She felt him; he was rock hard against her. She needed him inside of her. So she began tugging his boxers down.

When they found their way into the kitchen, Sasha hitched Emma up onto the work surface. He pulled her underwear down just enough for him to gain access. He entered her quickly. They both let out groans of satisfaction.

Emma brought her knees up so that they pressed into Sasha's hips, her knickers clinging onto her ankles still. He thrust into her hard and fast, barely catching his breath. She tugged on his hair with one hand and gripped onto the worktop with the other, her hold body tensing up. He ripped off her-already-unbuttoned-blouse and bra so that he could massage her breasts. He thumbed her nipples, feeling them pebble instantly in response to his touch. He then began nuzzling into them, kissing and sucking until she was crying out.

Emma put her hands behind her and leant backwards so that Sasha could go deeper into her. Her legs squeezed even tighter against him, and she rocked into his thrusts, making them more intense still. It was enough to send him over the edge. She moaned as she felt him fill up the inside of her. She was close herself, he could feel it. He moved one hand to between her legs and began rubbing in order to finish her off. She screamed in pleasure as her orgasm took over her body, rippling through her powerfully.

They both remained connected for a little while afterwards, breathlessly pecking each other's lips and laughing. They parted eventually, once they had finally regained their normal breathing patterns, and proceeded to get dressed.

Sasha then made dinner for them both. They spent the rest of the evening curled up on the sofa together watching TV.

Sasha held Emma close. He realised he had made a mistake, and in that moment he vowed never to take her for granted again. He was lucky enough to be with the love of his life, and nothing in the world was going to make him let go of her. He would stand by her no matter what from now on, for she meant the world to him. The last year had been a difficult one for him but meeting her had been the best moment of his life. He'd saved lives-and helped saved countries even-in the past, but landing the girl of his dreams had by far been his greatest achievement yet.

A/N: So although Emma and Sahsa have made up, tensions are rising between him and Harry. But at least Ruth is there to play peacemaker! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Keep the reviews coming!