A/N: We're making a bit of a time jump here…basically because I've been bitten by the festive bug! I hope that's agreeable to you all. It's only a short chapter too, but worth it I hope.

Chapter 10

Friday 25th Dec 2009 12:40am

Ruth sighed as she lifted a sleeping Sophia from the back of the car. As was tradition in this small village they inhabited, they had been to midnight mass at the local church. Ruth was far from being a Christian; in fact she considered herself and atheist, but there was something about keeping a Christmas tradition that had started with her and her father when she was just a child. She hoisted the little girl onto her hip and shut the car door with her foot, checking that the noise hadn't woken her daughter. As she walked down the path to the house, Ruth stifled a yawn. It had been a long day; Sophia's excitement growing steadily by the hour and it wasn't over yet; Ruth still had some presents to wrap for her daughter.

That was one of the local traditions that she didn't participate in; usually the children in Cyprus didn't get their presents until the 1st January on the feast of Ayios Vasilis, the Greek Santa Claus but Ruth felt that she should keep some of the traditions from Sophia's English heritage and so still gave her presents on Christmas Day. It wasn't so much of a problem as Sophia wasn't of an age to realise that what happened to her, was any different to any other children, but Ruth knew in a few years she would begin to question it. If they were still here then, Ruth would explain that because she is English, Father Christmas makes a detour to ensure she gets her presents at the same time as other English children.

She hoped she would never have need to explain; that they wouldn't be here next Christmas. In fact if she was honest, she'd hoped they wouldn't have been here this Christmas either but unfortunately things hadn't turned out that way. Recent communication with Harry has been sporadic; in the two months that had passed since Sophia's birthday, there had been two emails, totalling precisely twenty four words. The first, received the third weekend in November had read, "Susan, forgive me. I am no further on than I was when we last spoke but I'm trying. James" and the second, which had arrived just a week ago simply said, "Still no news I'm afraid." That was another reason she'd not wrapped Sophia's bigger presents, wanting to wait to find out if maybe Harry's name would go on the tags too; to know if this Christmas Sophia was going to wake up to presents from 'Mummy and Daddy', rather than just 'Mummy', but it didn't look that way.

Ruth was finding the lack of communication difficult; it was torture to go from those longer letters and emails to barely no contact, even though they'd not spoken for years previously. Sophia wasn't enjoying it either; she longed to hear from her Daddy. On her part, Rut sent regular e-mails to Harry telling him of Sophia's exploits; her achievements and funny things she had said or done, but she never knew if he received them. Just when there finally seemed to be some hope of a reunion, it had been dashed again. One blessing was that she didn't need to be worried about Harry safety; a quick email to Jo had confirmed that he was still alive and working to find a way for them to have uninhibited contact.

Ruth arrived at the door and began searching in her handbag for her keys; not an easy feat considering she was also carrying a three year old plus a basket of muffins from one of the older ladies in the village and a bag containing a couple of little gifts that had been given to her after the service for Sophia. After a few minutes of struggling, she pulled the keys triumphantly from her bag and inserted them into the lock. She turned the key once, hearing the lock click as it released, but when she attempted to turn it a second time to release the double lock it wouldn't go; it was already completely unlocked. Ruth racked her brain; she had definitely double locked the door on her way out that evening; she knew she had because she always did. She pushed the door open slowly, silently cursing it's squeaking hinges, and stepped over the threshold. She could sense the presence of a stranger in the house and began backing towards the door. She stopped however, when her ears picked up strains of music coming from her living room. She stood still; she recognised that music. It was the music that had been playing nearly four years ago when Harry had taken her out to dinner; their one and only date. The night that had ended with them in bed together and the conception of the child now sleeping in her arms. It couldn't be could it? Could he really be here? Instinctively, she wrapped her arms tighter around her daughter as she crept slowly in the direction of the music. She was terrified that she'd jumped to the wrong conclusion; that he wouldn't really be there and that her world would come crashing down again in disappointment, but as she stepped into the living room her fears were allayed and replaced by nerves stronger than she had ever known.

He was there; sat on her sofa, his fingers tapping out the rhythm of the music. Next to him on the floor sat a very large bag of Christmas presents; it looked like Sophia would get presents from both of them this year after all. Harry rose when he saw her, looking lovingly at her and Sophia who was oblivious to it all, before taking one step towards her and uttering three little words, "Merry Christmas Ruth."

A/N: *ducks flying objects hurledin this direction* Please don't hate me for ending it there!I'm sorry. I also know that those three little word probably weren't the ones you were hoping for, but at least Harry and Ruth are in the same place now. And it's Christmas, so I'm sure we'll get to that eventually.