16th April 1997
Birmingham
"I'm at the warehouse," Danny says. "What do you want me to do?"
"Alpha Two," Harry responds, "hold your position."
"Roger that," Danny replies.
"Do we have confirmation that they're in there, Malcolm?" Harry asks.
"There's a blind spot round the back," Malcolm responds, "so it's possible that they've left. However, given that it's three in the morning, it's unlikely."
Harry nods and talks into the microphone, "Alpha Two, get ready to storm the building."
"Okay," Danny responds and communicates with the commander of the CO-19 team. A few moments later he says, "In position."
"You are go, Alpha Two," Harry says. "Take them down."
"Right," Danny replies and motions to the CO-19 leader to begin the assault.
A few moments later, gun fire is heard over the comms. Malcolm and Zoe look at each other. Ruth holds her breath as she waits for news, and Harry leans over her seat and stares at the CCTV on the computer screen intently.
Minutes later, Danny's voice is heard saying, "Base, the target has been neutralized. Two suspects are down and two have been captured. You should see this place! There have enough explosives here to take out a large building."
Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
"Good work, Alpha Two," Harry replies. "Wrap things up and return to base. Alpha One?"
"This is Alpha One," Sally answers.
"Team B has been neutralized. I want you to take out Team A just before daybreak in two hours."
"Okay," Sally replies.
"Good work, everyone," Harry says and glances around at his three officers.
Zoe excuses herself to get more coffee, and Malcolm wonders out of the room to stretch his legs. They've all been working hard for more than twenty hours and are in desperate need of some rest. None of them, however, have been able to snatch more than an hour's sleep.
Harry's gaze lingers on Ruth as she rubs her eyes with her hands. "Get some rest, Ruth," he says gently, resting one hand on the back of her chair, the other on the desk in front of her, and leaning in toward her.
"I'm fine," she replies automatically and is surprised to find his face so close when she opens her eyes again.
"You're exhausted," he states.
His gaze is gentle and caring, and she finds herself suddenly wide awake as desire sweeps through her. Her heart beats faster and her pupils dilate as they stare at each other. She watches his eyes darken in response and his breathing quickens. They haven't been this close to each other since that night in Oxford, and they're both thrilled to find that their desire is still mutual. Harry's gaze falls to her lips and she's sure that he'll kiss her, but with herculean effort, he reins himself in at the last moment. Moving slowly, he straightens up and takes a step back. However sorely he is tempted, he knows that first they need to talk and now is not the time.
"Try to get some sleep," he murmurs and then turns around and leaves the room.
She groans in frustration and mumbles, "Intolerable man! You leave me all hot and bothered and expect me to be able to sleep?!"
"What's that?" Malcolm asks as he re-enters the room.
"Nothing," Ruth replies and turns away to hide a blush. "Just talking to myself. I'll get a cup of tea. Do you want one?"
"No, thanks," he replies. "Go get some sleep, Ruth. You looks exhausted. Nothing's going to happen until five."
"You should sleep too," she counters.
"I'll try, but I'm sure I won't be able to sleep now," he answers. "I'll sleep in the morning when it's over."
Shaking her head, Ruth gets up and heads toward the room where they've set up two camp beds. Zoe's already asleep in one of them, so she lies down in the other and closes her eyes. In a few seconds, she's out for the count.
"Ruth," Zoe says and shakes her shoulder gently.
Ruth opens her eyes and sits up.
"What's happened?" she asks.
"CO-19 are about to storm the building," Zoe explains.
Ruth follows her out of the room, and they hastily make their way to Malcolm and Harry.
"Okay, Alpha One," Harry is saying as they enter. "You are go."
"Go, go," Sally calls to the CO-19 captain.
They hear the thud of the door being broken down. Voices are heard yelling and a few shots ring out. They can hear more of what's going on this time because of Tom and Ben's audio feed.
"What the hell's going on?" Martin asks in a scared voice.
There is the sound of a door being flung back and then a CO-19 officer yells, "On the floor, all of you, hands behind your heads."
There appears to be no resistance as there hear some scuffling noises.
"He's with us," Sally says, pointing out Tom.
"There are two more men and another one of our agents," Tom adds and hurries toward the door.
"We got one in the kitchen," the CO-19 commanding officer says. "Take this one out to the van," he orders one of his men.
"Stay behind me, Sir," another officer calls, but Tom ignores him as he sprints from the room and up the stairs.
In the mean time, through Ben's signal they hear another door burst open.
"You fucking shit!" Roland shouts at Ben.
"What's going on?" Ben asks innocently.
"Don't give me that bullocks. You're a spy," he yells. "You called them. Well, at least I can take you down with me."
Ruth raises her hand to her mouth and Zoe gasps. Malcolm stares at the computer screen.
Harry leans over and pressing a button yells, "Get upstairs now, Alpha One. Miller's going to shoot him." Then he grips the back of Ruth's chair tightly, clenching his jaw. Let them be in time, let them be in time, he repeats silently to himself like a mantra.
"No!" Tom yells just before they hear a gun shot ring out, followed by a yell of pain from Ben, and a thud as Roland hits the floor with Tom on top of him. Tom wrestles the gun from his hand and stands up pointing it at Miller.
"You!?" Roland gasps.
Tom ignores him and says, "Ben?"
"Still here," Ben replies in a weak voice.
Relief washes over everyone at Thames House. Then CO-19 officers burst into the room. Tom pockets the gun and runs over to Ben. Back at Thames house, Ruth calls an ambulance for him.
"Get an ambulance here now," Tom orders.
"Ambulance is on it's way, Alpha One," Harry tells Sally, looking at Ruth with admiration for her quick thinking.
"How does it look?" Ben says in a weak voice.
"You'll live," Tom murmurs as he puts pressure on his shoulder wound, "A few more centimetres to the right and Malcolm would be looking for a poem."
"Thanks, Mate," Ben replies. "I owe you one."
"You can pay me back in kind sometime," Tom smiles. "Looks like you'll have a nice scar from it."
"Something to add to the collection. Might even get me into Harry's league," Ben chuckles and then groans from the pain.
"No chance, Mate," Tom smirks. "Harry's got the luck of the devil. There's no way you'll survive long enough to accumulate that many scars. I wouldn't advise starting that kind of a competition."
Ruth glances at Harry but his face is an impassive mask. Malcolm, on the other hand, is smiling slightly, the left corner of his mouth curving up in a lopsided smile. The ambulance arrives and paramedics take over, patching Ben up quickly for the ride to the hospital.
"Alpha One," Harry says. "Report."
Sally's voice replies, "Targets are neutralized. One dead, two are in custody. Delta One is injured in the left shoulder. Delta Two is fine."
"Good work. Wrap up and come home," Harry responds. Then he turns and heads out of the room without a word.
"Where's Harry?" Ruth asks a few minutes later.
"He's probably on the roof," Malcolm murmurs without turning round, his focus still on getting the team safely home.
Ruth gets up, and after checking Harry's office, she grabs her coat and heads for the roof. She finds him looking out over the city. His hands are in his pockets and his back is toward her. Slowly she moves to stand next to him, but he doesn't turn to face her.
"You okay?" she asks gently.
He nods but doesn't speak. Slowly she raises her hand and places it on his forearm.
"Harry?" she whispers.
He shakes his head and turns to look at her. She sees the pain in his eyes and watches as a single tear escapes his determined hold on it and trickles down his cheek. Quickly he lifts his hand up and wipes it roughly away, dislodging her hand from his arm in the process and turning his head away from her once more. She watches him for a moment as he struggles with his feelings. She wants to help him so badly, but he's shutting her out and it's so very frustrating. It's time to clear the air between them, she thinks, looking for some constructive way to relieve her annoyance.
Taking a deep breath, she suddenly says, "You come to see me in Oxford, didn't you? I thought I saw you in the street, but when I got there, you were gone."
His head snaps round to look at her, and he studies her intently for a moment. Her face is serious and her eyes are guarded. Now is not the time he would have chosen for this discussion, but it doesn't look like he has much choice. And if he's honest, he could use something to take his mind off his failure to protect his team. He sighs and nods as he looks down at the ground.
"Why?" she asks. He remains silent and she continues, "You saw Matt with me, didn't you? You thought that I'd moved on."
He turns away and lets his gaze roam over the city as he nods again.
"Which means that you came to see me because I meant something to you," she continues in a quiet steady voice.
There's a long pause before he answers. Ruth holds her breath and waits patiently for his next words, but as the seconds tick by, doubt begins to creep into her mind, and she's scared that she's misread him.
"Yes," he says huskily and turns to face her before adding, "and you still do."
His gaze softens and for the first time she can see all the love he feels for her shining in his soft, hazel eyes. It takes her breath away, and she makes a split second decision to take the plunge. She has to try. Even if they cannot make it work, she has to try.
"I love you," she says simply, and placing her hands on his chest, she reaches up and kisses his soft lips.
She surprises him and it takes him a moment to realise what's going on and respond. She's already pulling away when he wraps his arms around her and brings his mouth down on hers, taking her lips in a firm yet loving kiss. She kisses him back with equal ardour and opens her mouth to him. He plunges in desperately, hungrily, possessively, erasing all traces of any other man who might have dared kiss her in his absence. His hands run through her hair, and he trails kisses down the side of her neck, sucking and licking her skin and making her moan.
Eventually she pulls away, and putting some distance between them, makes an attempt to rearrange her rumpled clothing.
"Ruth," he murmurs huskily and takes a step toward her.
"Harry," she shakes her head. "This is neither the time, nor the place."
"When?" he asks simply.
"Later," she answers in a low seductive voice. "I'll come home with you later."
He groans and reaches for her but she avoids him, and moving toward the door, she heads downstairs. Turning back to look over the city, he takes deep breaths of the cool spring air. It's amazing what difference those three little words can make, he thinks. She has lifted him up from the depths of pain and suffering that he's been dwelling in for the past week and catapulted him into the heights of bliss that only requited love can bring. And now, instead of standing on the rooftop dwelling on how he failed to protect Ben, he's grateful for Tom's good timing and the fact that Ben's life was spared.
A small smile creeps across his face, and he makes himself a promise to try not to screw this relationship up. Heaven knows he's had enough opportunities to practice before now, and hopefully, he's learned something from his failed marriage and other liaisons. But none of the women that have come before Ruth have meant so much to him. The depth and intensity of his love for her leave him breathless and a little scared if he's honest with himself.
He realises now that he was wrong to believe that his love for her was a result of his suffering at the hands of Jason Miller. He's sure that he would never have been able to forget her, even if she hadn't been the one thing that had kept him alive during that week from hell. Her fierce brilliance, quiet courage, calm collectedness, strong moral fibre, demure beauty, stormy, blue eyes, and veiled passion are such a unique, irresistible combination for him that, he knows, he was lost from the moment she insisted on helping him outside the pub in Oxford. And this absolutely amazing woman actually loves him in return. Why she does, he has no idea, but he'll be damned if he'll let her slip through his fingers again. He turns toward the door with a determined look on his face and makes his way swiftly back to the Grid.
"Okay," Harry says getting up from his chair. "Good work today. Go home all of you. Get some rest. You can write up your reports this afternoon."
Everyone gets up and they all gratefully make their way out of the meeting room to their desks, where they pick up their things and leave. Disaster has been averted again, Ben is in a stable condition in hospital, and the suspects are safely in MI-5 custody ready for interrogation.
Ruth grabs her things and pauses in front of Harry's office. He's on the phone, but he motions for her to enter and sit down. She sits across from him, watching him as he speaks. From his side of the conversation, she surmises that he's talking to the Home Secretary.
"Thank you, Home Secretary," Harry says gratefully. "I will. Five o'clock."
He puts down the phone and grins. It lights up his face, and Ruth realises that it's the first time she's seen him look so happy.
"May I offer you a lift, Ruth?" he asks.
"Thank you, Harry," she smiles. "I take it your meeting with the Home Secretary isn't until this afternoon?"
"Correct as usual, Miss Evershed," he winks and glancing at his watch he adds, "I have seven hours until then. What do you suggest I do with them?"
"Well, one or two things come to mind," she murmurs quietly as she looks down at her hands.
"Such as?" Harry asks, raising his eyebrows at her.
"Go to bed," she replies innocently.
"And what do you suggest I do there?" he presses.
"Why don't we go and see what pops up?" she grins and then promptly blushes at her forward comment. Harry laughs delightedly and the sound sends a shiver down her spine and makes her stomach flip. Then getting up and taking his coat, Harry steers her out of his office and through the pods.
Harry unlocks his door and steps aside to let her in. She brushes past him with a smile and unbuttons her coat as he disables the alarm. He helps her remove her coat and hangs it up. Then removing his own, he hangs it next to hers.
"Tea?" he offers.
She shakes her head and takes a couple of steps toward him until she's standing so close that their chests are almost touching. His breathing quickens, and she sees his pupils dilate with desire.
"Just you," she murmurs.
He reaches for her and pulls her against him, brushing his lips lightly against hers. She slides her arms behind his back and holds him tight as she deepens the kiss. Harry responds gladly, opening his mouth and letting her tongue in to dance with his. After what seems like an eternity, he pulls away and murmurs in a deep voice laced with desire, "Come upstairs."
She nods, and taking her hand, he leads her up the stairs and into his bedroom. She glances around briefly, taking in the sparse, simple, wood furnishings and the neatness and order that prevails. The room is lacking in warmth as if its inhabitant spends little time here. What surprises her and draws her attention is a framed reproduction of Jean-Léon Gérôme's painting of Pygmalion and Galatea.
He follows her gaze to the painting and says, "I found it in a little shop a few years ago, and for some reason, it reminded me of you." She's touched by his words and smiles at him, her eyes sparkling and dancing in adoration. His breath catches in his throat, and his voice is deep and husky when he murmurs, "I've waited so long to see you look at me like that again."
He pulls her to him and kisses her tenderly and thoroughly, letting his tongue explore her mouth and his hands caress her soft curves. By unspoken agreement, they move slowly, undressing each other carefully, savouring each new bit of their lover that is revealed to their eyes and touch, and lavishing each other with love. Their first time had been filled with passion and haste, but this time they're determined to explore, love and appreciate each other fully.
He draws the curtains to block out the daylight so they can sleep afterwards and switches on the bedside lamp, wanting to see her adoring eyes and exquisite beauty in its gentle glow. "You are so beautiful, Ruth," he whispers as he lies down next to her and strokes gentle fingers along her ivory skin.
Her eyes darken and her breathing hitches as his fingertips caress her breasts. Her nipples harden in excitement, and he leans over and takes one of them in his mouth. She draws in a sharp breath and slides her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. He divides his attention between her breasts and her wet heat, bathing them in his love, delighting in each sound of approval he elicits from her.
"I want you inside me," she whispers in a throaty voice.
"I don't have any condoms," he admits anxiously and adds by way of an explanation, "I haven't needed them in years."
"In that case, we won't need one," she murmurs, "because it's been years for me too." Their yearly physical exams include extensive blood work, and she knows that Harry would never knowingly put her in danger. She trust him. He still looks worried so she adds, "I'm also not going to become pregnant."
He smiles in relief, and without further delay, he positions himself between her legs. He sits back on his heels and uses one hand to run the tip of his penis along her delicate folds, coating himself in her juices. His eyes darken at the sight of his manhood caressing her so intimately, and he repeats the motion again and again, drunk on the sight and feel of her sex against his.
She whimpers in frustration, pushing herself toward him, and he looks up at her eyes and murmurs, "You're so exquisite. I can't get enough of you, Ruth."
Then he places himself at her opening, and leaning forward, he pushes against it, sliding smoothly in and filling her with his length. He pauses and looks into her sparkling eyes, bending his elbows and supporting his weight on his forearms. They kiss softly and tenderly, revelling in the feel of their joined bodies. Ruth wraps her legs around his waist, and he takes it as permission to start moving. He lifts himself onto his hands, and moving slowly at first and changing the angle of his thrusts, he finds the rhythm and position that stimulates her best.
She grips his shoulders tightly, rising up to meet him and pulling him closer with her legs on every thrust as she holds his gaze, delighting at the sizzling heat emanating from his lust filled eyes. Soon all she can focus on are the sensations coursing through her as she nears her climax, becoming more vocal the closer she gets to the edge, directing him and murmuring words of encouragement and love. He thrusts deeper and faster, knowing that he won't last long now, struggling to hold himself back. And when she bursts, calling out his name and digging her nails into his shoulders as her muscles contract around his length, and he barely registers the pain as his own orgasm rips through him and he pours his seed deep inside her. "Ruth," he murmurs and crushes her into the sheets, "My Ruth."
He rolls over onto his side, and pulling her close, he covers both of them in the duvet and reaches over to switch off the light. They cradle each other close, a feeling of pure bliss settling over them as they fall asleep quickly, relaxed and contented from their love making and exhausted from their long working day.
She lies in his arms, her head resting on his left shoulder and her hand trailing along his stomach. She listens to his heart beating steadily in his chest and smiles contentedly. She can tell when he wakes up from the change in his breathing pattern, but she's happy where she is and doesn't move. Slowly, she traces the line of an old scar on his abdomen and asks, "Where's that one from?"
"Ireland, an encounter with a knife in the hands of the IRA," he murmurs sleepily.
She lifts herself up on her right elbow and gazes down at him.
"And this one?" she asks touching a scar on his right shoulder.
"Gun shot wound also courtesy of the IRA," he replies as he lets his eyes drift closed again.
She traces a faint line on his cheek and raises her eyebrows in question.
"Jacob Miller," he replies, opening his eyes and looking at her. Tears gather in her eyes and she blinks rapidly as he says, "Hey, shhhhh...don't cry," and strokes her hair.
"It sounded terrible," she replies, her voice unsteady, "what they did to you."
"It's okay," he murmurs. "It's over now. I'm fine."
"Harry," she argues with a worried frown, "you're far from fine."
He looks at her steadily for a moment and shrugs. "I'll be all right," he murmurs.
She doesn't look convinced but says no more, knowing that it's pointless to argue with him. He knows he's shutting her out and can tell that she's hurt by it even though she tries to hide it. He wonders briefly when he learned to read her so well. He's not ready to talk about what happened to him with anyone yet, and he knows that he very possibly never will be. "I'm sorry, Ruth. I can't talk about it," he murmurs and he sees understanding in her eyes as she nods sadly. He gives her a grateful look, and as a concession, he says quietly, "You're the reason I survived."
"Me?" she asks.
"I thought of you," he explains, "and the thought of seeing you when I got out kept me going. So they couldn't hurt me."
"Oh, Harry," she says, "but they did hurt you. So very much."
"Not in here," he replies and touches his temple, "or in here," he adds and puts his hand over his heart. Then he adds, "I love you, Ruth."
"Harry," she murmurs, "I love you too. I always have. I waited and waited for you, hoping that you'd come back. And then you did and I missed it. I missed the opportunity to show you how much you mean to me." She shakes her head sadly.
"I know and I'm sorry," he replies, "but you've shown me now," he adds and kisses her softly.
"Yes," she murmurs against his lips. "Now, let me show you again."