She awoke to the sound of her phone vibrating loudly on the wooden surface of her bedside table. She rubbed her eyes vigorously before grabbing the offending item and answering it straight away. She didn't even bother to check the caller ID.

"Ruth."

Her eyes snapped instantly towards the clock. 5.34a.m. There was no way she could be late for work so why on Earth was he calling her?

"Harry," she whispered, scared that if she spoke any louder she'd find out it was actually a dream and that wasn't on the other end.

"I just phoned to remind you that the underground have started their strikes today so you'll need an alternative method of getting into work." There was truth in his words, but the real reason as to why he was calling her so early was still hanging loosely on the edge of his tongue.

"Oh right, thanks." Ruth mumbled. She wasn't quite awake and engaging fully in the conversation.

"How are you getting into work then?" Harry enquired casually. He knew it was silly calling her so early for such a trivial matter, but he thought that if he offered her a lift to work it would at least give off a signal that they didn't need to fight anymore.

"I'll grab a few extra buses or something," Ruth yawned loudly down the speaker. "I haven't given it much thought. I'll be ok though."

"If you haven't figured out a route I could umm, give you a lift into work or something... Only if you need it. I'm passing your way due to road works so it's no problem if it makes it easier for you. You can't be late for your first day back at work."

"Harry it's no problem really, I have enough money on my oyster ca..."

"Ruth." His tone was sharp, telling her in an instant to be quiet and let him finish. His voice softened as he continued. "Please, let me give you a lift to work."

Ruth relaxed under the covers and tried her hardest not to smile. They may not be the best of friends but he was here offering a small lifeline to her. She felt that this was a line she had to bite.

"OK, you've convinced me. What time?"

Harry smiled as he swung his legs around the side of the bed and made to stand.

"I'll be at yours in an hour; do you think you'll be able to manage that?"

Ruth laughed. How he'd missed that sound so much.

"I'll see you in an hour then." She faltered slightly at a loss of what to say. "Thank you Harry."

"You're welcome. See you soon; bye Ruth."

"Bye Harry."

She disconnected the call and placed the phone back on her side before clambering out of bed and rushing into the bathroom. She knew she had an hour to get ready, but the thought of seeing Harry for the first time since their heated exchange left her feeling nervous and she was desperate to be washed and ready quite a while before he was due to arrive. The last thing he'd want to be greeted with was a quivering wreck.

Harry padded into the bathroom and stared intently at his reflection in the mirror. He still couldn't bring himself to believe that Ruth had accepted his invitation of a lift into work. Ok, he reasoned. It might have more to do with the tube strikes than her desire to end the fighting but this is a step in the right direction. Maybe we haven't screwed this up to a point of no repair. He knew from experience that personal issues and work didn't mix, and rationally he knew that without this nudge in the right direction his relationship with Ruth would forever be on the rocks.

He rubbed his face vigorously with his hand before reaching for the razor and shaving cream. No more fighting was his last thought on the matter before he applied the cream to his face and set about getting ready for the day ahead.

The door bell went after forty five minutes. She'd made a sensible decision in choosing to rush about like a maniac for the best part of half hour since he had phoned. She threw the last of her belongings in her bag before giving herself a once over in the mirror. Once she had reasoned with herself that she looked presentable enough for the working day, she finally ended Harry's game of pressing the door bell as many times as he could and opened the door. He stood shyly, offering a small smile as she grabbed her bag and enquired quietly how he was.

"I'm ok," he replied as he watched her lock her door. He shuffled aside and gestured with his arm for her to pass and lead him to the car. She met his gaze briefly as she did so and as she walked the distance to his car she couldn't quite believe that maybe, despite the verbal daggers they'd happily thrown at each other, they might be able to fix everything that was broken and move forward again.

The sound of the doors unlocking made Ruth jump a little, and as she heard Harry chuckle loudly at her reaction the familiar flutter of butterflies found its way to her stomach. She had a word with herself that she should not be feeling this way, but part of her reasoned that her reaction to everything had been based on the feelings she had so desperately tried to hide from everybody, including herself.

She sat herself in the passenger sit beside Harry. He turned his head in her direction and offered another smile before thrusting the key into the ignition and focusing his attention on the road. He wondered what she was thinking. She wondered how long it would take for him to end this awkward silence.

A/N: Chapter 11 has been written and I am not too sure of when I want to post it... Hopefully there are still people interested in this story, and if there are, you know what to do!