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Talk

"Henry." Ros sat opposite the older man and stared at him. He found it almost impossible to look away from her. Ros' eyes bored into his as he glanced away for a second. "It's time you told me exactly what happened in Belfast."

"You'd have to ask Harry about what really happened. I can only tell you what is in the official report."

"Don't bullshit me, Henry." Ros spoke calmly. "You were Section Head. You know exactly what went on. Juliet and Harry were sent to Belfast. Terry O Callaghan and James Davies followed them out there. Only James died in the explosion outside the trade conference. Henry, we have been tasked with providing security at the trade conference next month. Is history going to repeat itself? Is Terry O Callaghan going to try to finish what he started?"

"You know?" Henry paused. "It always amazed me, because my section were as thick as thieves. All so close you could never imagine one betraying another. Ok, Constance had a bit of a sharp tongue." He smirked as he saw Ros raise an eyebrow. "But I believed she had a good heart. It was difficult for her, to be stuck on the Grid while all the others were in the field."

"And Terry?"

"Liked the ladies. He was a cheeky sod but good at his job. Him, James and Harry were good mates. Juliet was always a little stand offish but she was good at her job. Aye, lass. What she did to you."

"Is irrelevant now." Ros pushed the memory of the needle against her skin out of her mind. It was not the time.

"I was still in London. As was Constance." Henry started. "The first I knew something was wrong was when Juliet called me the day of the explosion. It was about to be the lead story on the news. Both in Ireland and here." The elderly Geordie frowned. "Harry was in hospital. James was dead and Terry was missing."

"Was Juliet hurt?"

"Cuts and bruises. Harry had thrown her out of the way of the blast. People died. I would say all good people but one was Aiden McCarthy. He was not a good man."

"Who was he?"

"Harry's contact at the garage. He worked at the garage Harry was placed in over there. Son of a former policeman. Organised thugs really. Not one of them knew what the ideology behind the Troubles. All they knew was violence and aggression. They had no wish to separate Ireland from the UK or to join the island to the UK. They just knew bombs and violence. Christian McCarthy had a criminal record as long as Zaf's list of dream cars."

"That long?" Ros smirked, wondering what Zaf and the others were getting up to.

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"What I don't understand is why?" Beth stood on a chair as she checked the light fitting outside the kitchenette. "Why would Fitzgerald want to spy on us for?"

"Because he's a spy?" Dimitri sighed as he stamped on one of the bugs.

"Don't do that." Calum snapped. "I want to take one apart and see if it's more high tech than ours."

"What I want to do is work out why Fitzgerald is involved in this." Adam stated as he looked around the Grid. Lucas pushed his chair back as he found another listening device.

"This is pathetic."

"I may be able to help with the reason behind Fitzgerald's interest in us." Ruth paused. Suddenly all eyes were on her. She silently wished Harry was there with her. "In 1994 Harry and Juliet were in Belfast. Well so was Joseph Fizgerald. According to the records from Grovsner Square he was on secondment to 6."

"What was he doing in Belfast?"

"That's it. The records are sealed. I just can't get into them."

"Do you want me to try?" Tariq asked as Ruth shook her head.

"No, I asked Malcolm to download them. He took them with him." Juliet sighed heavily before pushing herself to her feet with her crutches.

"Let me save you some time." She snapped. Alec smirked slightly. "He was in Belfast, part of an operation 6 were running. They were trying to prevent arms coming from the mainland to Ireland. Trying to stop the terrorist groups over there from getting any extra weapons."

"So nothing to do with what you and Harry were doing there." Beth stated. Juliet nodded.

"And our paths never should have crossed. But they did."

"How?" Ruth folded her arms as Juliet closed her eyes. It seemed the memories of twenty years earlier still haunted her.

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June 1994

"Another?" Aiden asked, shaking his glass towards Harry and Christian. Harry nodded.

"My round I think." He got up and headed towards the bar, needing to get away from the brothers for a few moments. He signalled to the barmaid who smiled before heading across to him.

"And another one for me." Harry spun round as he heard Terry's voice.

"When did you get here?"

"Ah, Dec. Is that any way to greet an old mate?" He lifted up the pint glass as Juliet walked in to the bar.

"I told him where you were. Auntie Dot says she doesn't expect you for tea." She smiled as Aiden looked up, clearly distracted by a woman joining them. "Terry here has left Jimmy with Auntie Dot." Juliet continued, her voice trailing off as she realised they were bring watched.

"Ok." Harry smiled. "The usual?"

"Oh you know me." Juliet waved her hand just as she spotted the man in a black leather jacket the other side of the bar. "What is he doing here?"

"Having a drink?" Aiden asked innocently. "C'mon, sit down and tell us all about our Declan here." Harry raised an eyebrow, hoping Juliet wouldn't say anything to the two men. "Listen, is that man bothering you? Do you want me to sort him out for you love? Any friend of Dec's."

"Firstly." Juliet narrowed her eyes. "I am not your love. Secondly. I am Declan's sister. Thirdly, I can take care of myself." She walked over to the man Harry had recognised as FItzgerald.

"Your sister's a wee firecracker." Christian stated. "So she is."

"Trust me." Harry answered honestly. "You don't know the half of it. Didn't you say you had a bit of work you might be able to send my way?"

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June 2013

"Anyway, I found out Fitzgerald was in the bar to meet a women. His presence was not exactly helping our op so I asked him to go."

"You asked him to go?" Alec smirked.

"Yes, well. I may have suggested if he didn't go away in short order I would blow his cover. My Irish accent was much more authentic than his. It would be relatively easy for me to do. Anyway, he made a pass at me."

"He did what?" Alec raised an eyebrow.

"Oh stop it." Juliet huffed. "All that alpha male nonsense doesn't wash with me."

"What was the problem?" Ruth asked. "He was too single for you."

"Meow." Juliet huffed as she looked away. "Anyway, as I said it turned out he was in the bar to meet a woman. His wife back in Essex knew nothing of his little habit of extra curricular activities."

"And?" Alec asked. Adam and Zaf turned away, deep in conversation as Juliet pulled herself to her full height.

"He was there to meet Aiofe McCarthy. Aiden and Christian's sister."

"Divided loyalties." Ruth sighed. "Could be a motive."

"But what does that have to do with Harry, Terry O Callaghan and the trade conference in London next week?" Dimitri asked.

"Revenge?" Juliet stated. "I think it has to do with revenge."

"I don't." Ruth spoke up sounding more confident than she felt. "I think Fitzgerald may have set out to silence us incase his involvement came to light. I don't think Terry O Callaghan was working alone. Infact I think he may be as much a victim in all this as James and Harry were."

"He delivered the bomb. He made sure James was there." Juliet kept her voice dangerously low.

"I know." Ruth nodded. "I'm not saying he was innocent. Four people died because of his betrayal. I'm just saying, I don't think he was the only guilty party. But it was him that got sent to jail."

"You think Fitzgerald is involved?" Zaf turned as he and Adam finished their conversation.

"I'd bet my house on it." Ruth began pacing. "And I think Terry is out for revenge. He took the fall. Now I think he wants to take Fitzgerald with him."

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Harry stared and watched as Patrick walked away from him. He knew that his old informant had always given him reliable information. It was what he did now that could make the difference. He waited a few minutes before following him, hoping that he would be able to get the information to Ros before it was too late.

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"Lucas." Adam stated. "Go to the safe house where Ros and Henry are. Check they are ok. Zaf, I want you and Erin to head over to the hotel where the trade conference is being held."

"Ok." Erin stood up and picked her black leather jacket from the back of her chair. "What about everyone else?"

"Alec, babysit her."

"Well really." Juliet huffed. "Beth, Zoe dig out everything and anything you can about Fitzgerald. Ruth?"

"I'll dig into Aiofe McCarthy's past. See what happened to her once the bomb went off." Ruth stepped back to her work station. The rest of the officers went off to start the tasks Adam had handed given them. Ruth couldn't help but wonder where Harry was. Whether he was safe and when she would see him again. Sighing heavily she returned to her data search. An hour past before she realised she was on her own on the Grid. "Oh great." Ruth leant back in her chair. The data search finally found something useful. She grabbed her phone, frantically dialling Adam and then Lucas. When neither answered she tried Zaf. In desperation she tried Harry's number, not surprised when she got his answer phone. Smiling slightly she listened to his message, but knew better than to leave a message. Anything that could tie him to the security services could be fatal should he be caught. Ruth bit her lip for a moment before deciding what to do. Seconds later she eased the memory stick behind the strap of her watch and left the Grid.

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"Well, that was a waste of time and energy. "Lucas stated as he jogged back on to the Grid. The gentle humming of the overhead lighting hummed. "Where's Tariq?"

"No idea mate." Zaf looked around, before picking up a note stating Tariq had gone to the Registry. "He's ok. Where's Ruth? It's her I'm more worried about." He walked across to her workstation as something on the computer looped. "Lucas? They've got her." He stated as his eyes stayed fixed to the image of Ruth being dragged into a car played out on the computer screen.

"What?" Lucas was at his side in seconds. The image replayed, seemingly on a loop. "Oh God. We have to get hold of Harry and the others. If that is Terry O' Callaghan and Christian McCarthy that bundled her into that van we have serious problems."

"Ruth is missing." Zaf picked up the phone and dialled Ros' number. "I don't want to think about what could happen if we don't find her."

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A/N What had Ruth found? Who has taken her? Will Ruth's abduction force Harry out of deep cover? Reviews are dropping for this story - is it worth going on?