"I don't like this," Ruth said honestly. Harry drew the blinds in his office and sighed. They'd spent all of their free time over the past week together, mostly in bed. Or in the shower. Tonight Harry had the JIC meeting and it would last hours, God knows when he'd get home. He wanted Ruth to stay over his house, while he wasn't there, feed Scarlet and give her a quick walk. Ruth didn't like the fact that she would be staying at Harry's without him.

"Please Ruth," he said. "That meeting will be a whole lot easier to bear if I know that you're waiting for me in my bed."

"The way you're talking to me and the look on your face? Its indecent."

"I know. I'm hoping it works in my favour," he said, lips twitching at her.

"Alright," she said after a moment. "I'll warm the bed up tonight. If you insist."

"I do," he said. Harry kissed her briefly and Ruth pressed her lips together in a line when he let her go. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said. "Nothing's wrong at all." She kissed him again. "I need to get back to work."

"I'll see you later," he whispered. "The security code is 12345678 by the way."

"What?"

"No one would ever guess that. Everyone would think it'd be more complicated. Anyway, you can't break into the system, Malcolm made sure of it."

"You're changing that when you get home."

"Fine," he agreed. "As long as you'll be there."

"I will be," she said, a soft smile on her face. "Don't worry. I do have to get back to work." Harry nodded as she left his office, walked over to the blinds, staring through a gap in them and smiled as she took her seat across the room. It had only been a week, but this last week had been very enjoyable to say the least. It would be nice knowing that she was waiting for him at home tonight.

Ruth had gone to her house that night, picked up some extra clothes and a book and left some food out for Fidget before going over to Harry's. She still didn't like being there without him, but there was no denying that Scarlet would need a walk.

Once there, when she'd disabled the alarm (what a stupid number!) she spent a good twenty minutes trying to find the dog. Eventually she found her under the guest bed, frightened. Ruth left her there, thinking that when she was hungry she'd come out for some food, which she did about an hour later, glaring at Ruth, as if to say "I know you're an intruder." Ruth reached for the dogs lead, and the scared angry dog changed to a happy one, waging her tail happily.

"Are we going to get on then?" Ruth asked. The dog let out a happy yap and Ruth put the lead on her, heading out of the door. When Ruth arrived back at Harry's she had nothing to do. Recently all of her spare time had been filled with Harry. Either being with him, or thinking about him. Now she seemed at a loose end. So she did something she hadn't had time for since joining MI5. She had a long hot bubble bath, well in the knowledge that Harry wouldn't mind. He'd told her she could get undressed any time she liked. Which sounded a lot more cheesy in her head than it had when he'd told her that.

Anyway, she had a long bath and read several chapters of her book, delighting in the fact that no red flashes came through her phone. A relief. When the water was cold she got into bed, and felt really strange. Without Harry this was odd. She was half tempted to go home and sleep in her own bed, but she knew when Harry got here, he'd be hurt if she wasn't there, especially after promising that she would be. So she settled herself to a restless night.

At half past three Harry unlocked his house and went to his bedroom, pausing only briefly to lock his briefcase papers in the safe. He opened the door and found Ruth wrapped in the sheets facing him, wearing an old T shirt. She did truly look beautiful he thought for a moment. He was far too tired to do anything more than kiss her, but he did notice in the distant part of his mind how attractive he found her. He wondered if he'd get tired of that. Being honest with himself, he usually had by now. But Ruth was different and he knew it. He sat on the end of the bed and took of his shoes, socks, trousers and jacket off, leaving just his boxers and his shirt on. Then he climbed into bed next to her, resting a hand on her hip.

"Mm, Harry?"

"No, it's the other man you're sleeping with," he said sarcastically.

"Tell Ian to go away then. I'm too tired," she teased. The smile on her face made that perfectly clear.

"You better not even know someone called Ian after that comment," he growled at her. She laughed but then squealed as his hand went under her shirt.

"Jesus Harry, you're freezing!"

"Give me a minute," he said. "I'll warm up quickly."

"I'm not your personal radiator!" Ruth said, crying out as his cold feet leaned against her calves.

"Oh calm down. You're much more dignified when you're asleep."

"Is that because I don't talk when I'm asleep?"

"No way on earth am I answering that one." Ruth chuckled and gave up the argument, leaning her head on his chest as his arms wrapped around her tightly. He hadn't been lying, he did warm up quickly.

"Mm, you smell good," he murmured.

"Oh yeah, I used your shower gel, hope you don't mind," she said.

"No I don't mind," he whispered. "You smell good."

"I need to sleep," she said. "Be quiet."

"All right," he replied. He did nothing but smell her hair until her gentle even breathing filled the room. Then he quickly followed her into sleep.

The next morning they awoke, they got dressed and ready in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, it was simply the fact that they were both tired, and weren't looking forward to the early morning at work. Harry was driving them in early so they wouldn't catch attention coming in together when he remembered that the papers on the codes for Firestorm were still in his safe. He did a u-turn and Ruth looked at him curiously.

"I've left my case at home," he said apologetically. "I'm sorry. Do you want to take the bus instead?"

"No, it'll take just as long," she said, feeling her heart plummet. She didn't want to be talked about in the way she could see coming. Pulling up in his driveway, Harry froze. The door wasn't closed. Just by a couple of inches, but it was open. Someone had broken into his house

"Stay in the car and lock it," he said firmly. When he used that tone of voice she didn't argue with him. "Call for back up from the grid. Have them send a team round here."

"Okay," Ruth said, getting her phone out before she could think twice. Harry got out of the car and approached his house warily, wishing he kept a gun in the car. He'd change that when he got out of this mess.

Harry drove to the grid in silence, Ruth next to him. The thieves had broken into his safe and stolen his briefcase. The codes for Firestorm had gone. Did the thief know what they were? Or just took it for the hell of it? No one could have known they were at his house, he was supposed to take them to the grid last night. But he'd been exhausted and the attraction of Ruth had been too much to resist. With the result that now they would be the gossip of Thames House.

When Ruth had called through, she'd got Tom and told him to send a team and some forensic experts down to Harry's house before thinking. The silence on the other end told her she'd said something wrong. "Tom? Are you doing it?"

"Harry's house?" he questioned quietly and Ruth knew she'd put her foot in it.

"Yes," she said in a dead voice. "I woke up here, can you send a team round? He's been broken into."

"They're on their way," he said. "I'll let the others know you'll be late." Before she could say anything else the line went dead. Ruth closed her eyes in exasperation and she'd said very little at all since. In the car on the way to the grid, Harry was worried about his job, but more importantly, her.

"Ruth, talk to me. Please," he asked quietly.

"Everyone will know," she said, looking at her hands. "I called Tom, saying there was a break in at your house. The tone in his voice… He knew, all he needed was for me to confirm it."

"What did you say?"

"That I woke up at yours. Nothing else, but the speed he hung up on me…"

"Ruth, my career is hanging by a thread. Forgive me if I'm not concerned with what my employees are gossiping about." Harry sighed, and knew that he'd said exactly the wrong thing. "Ruth, I'm sorry. Its not your fault that I've been burgled. I shouldn't take it out on you."

"I don't like people talking about me like that," Ruth said firmly. "And you're too good to lose your job."

"They won't care about us," Harry said. "It'll be more of a worry that I've basically given the French a free pass to steal Firestorm. And I wish I had your confidence in my job."

"What is this Firestorm that you've lost the codes for?" Ruth asked curiously.

"I'll tell everyone in the meeting room when we get to work," he said heavily. "I don't think I've the heart to do it twice."

"Fair enough."

"Does it matter what people say about us?" Harry asked exasperated as he pulled into the car park.

"Yes," Ruth said simply. "To me it does." Harry looked at her sadly for a moment before the urgency of the day caught up with them both and they had to leave the car, and go up to the grid, for a long hard day.

Harry was on the phone to some people who owed him favours, trying to recover the codes they needed to steal Firestorm. The rest of them were in the meeting room. Ruth had some information on possible thief's that they could use and she came into the meeting room with copies of the information. The fact that everyone stopped talking and stared at her when she came in told her that she and Harry had been the main topic of conversation. "Hi," she said stupidly. Then felt like even more of an idiot. "So who else has copies of the codes we need?"

"Six and special branch," Zoe said. Seemingly glad of an innocent topic of conversation. "Harry has asked that we wait ten hours before reporting him."

"You think he'd do the same for us do you?" Danny said.

"Well, he might for Ruth," Tom replied quickly. Ruth blushed and the silence was very oppressive.

"We can give him a few hours," Ruth said, aware she was treading on thin ice. "It's not as if we have someone ready to steal Firestorm anyway. Find that person, and then…"

"What?" Tom asked bluntly. "Turn him over to the JIC, telling them he lost the codes to something we aren't meant to know existed? You'd be alright with that?"

"No, of course I wouldn't," Ruth said. "But judging from the looks I'm getting, it would not be my decision."

Zoë, Danny and Tom all looked at each other and Ruth felt relieved that the spotlight was off of her, at least momentarily. It didn't last nearly as long as she'd have liked before she was subject to their stares again. She dropped the information on the table and left the meeting room, heading back to her desk.

"Why on earth did you take them home and not here?" Tom asked Harry in his office not more than ten minutes later.

"It was three in the morning, I was closer to the house, I wanted sleep."

"You didn't want to have a quick shag with your analyst instead?"

"Tom, that's uncalled for," Harry said, a dangerous tone to his voice. "My career is hanging by a thread. I don't need your criticism too."

"Fine. They're bringing the teenage burglar in now," Tom said. "We'll get you when he's here."

"Fantastic," Harry said sarcastically. He started rubbing his temples, feeling the beginning of a splitting headache coming on. This was not a good day.

It was nearing midnight and Ruth was laying on her arms which were resting on her desk. They'd stolen Firestorm, and Harry's loss had been covered up, thanks to the photographic memory of a fourteen year old burglar. What was bothering Ruth was that she wished she could erase some of the conversations she'd walked in on over the course of the day. The most embarrassing one had been between Sam and Zoë, in urgent whispers by the water cooler. Ruth hadn't realised they were talking about her. Looking back she should have known better.

"… was at his house this morning," Zoë whispered. "Tom said she called in for a team."

"Yes she did, Danny says he thinks this has been going on for a while. He saw them outside the pub together."

"Danny knew?" Zoë asked, hurt that he hadn't mentioned it to her.

"Apparently," Sam said quietly. "Maybe she likes him?"

"Oh come on Sam," Zoë said. "He's got to be at least twenty years older than her, no way is she doing it just for herself. She has to see the benefits of this, and her transfer to section D is up soon. Maybe she wanted a glowing review."

"Do you really think?" Sam asked, her face alight with the knowledge of good gossip. "Oh no." It was at this moment that she'd seen Ruth standing behind them and Zoë turned, both of them suddenly embarrassed. Ruth walked away, her face flaming and her heart in tatters. She hated that everyone thought of her in this way. It was hurtful and humiliating. Which is how she found herself resting her head on her desk, unwilling to move or go home.

Then suddenly, as if a light turned on in her brain, she knew what she had to do. She got up and went into Harry's office. His desk lamp was still on so she knew he was there. "Oh, hi Ruth," he said as she came in, flicking the file he was reading closed. "How are you?"

"Awful," she said honestly. "I'm awful."

"Yeah, I know it was a tough day…"

"No, it wasn't a tough day, it was an impossible day. And its only going to get worse. Look, I can't be talked about and laughed at like this. I'm sorry."

"Wait a minute," he said standing up suddenly as it clicked what she meant. "You're not ending this… because of gossip?!"

"No, I'm not," she said quietly. "I'm ending this because I'm being laughed at, and in the nicest terms possible, everyone thinks I'm a whore. I'm a private person and I can't stand it. That's why I'm ending it."

"No," Harry said simply. "I don't accept that."

"Its not your decision," she said, hating that she was doing this. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" he said in disbelief. "Why do you care what they think?"

"I wish I didn't," she said. "I'm going home. And I'm really sorry."

"No." He quickly crossed the office and stood in front of her, his hands cradling her face gently. "I can't take this as the end. Over something so trivial."

"Its not trivial to me," she said honestly. "Please let me go."

"I won't give up on you Ruth," he said, his hands slipping from her face to her sides and down to her waist. "You'll come to your senses sooner or later. But I won't give up."

"No, I daresay you won't," she replied, knowing from experience that Harry didn't give up on anything he'd set his mind to. "Take your hands off of me," she added in a quiet voice. He did, his arms swinging uselessly by his side. "I'll see you next week."

"Okay," he said. "Goodbye Ruth."

"Don't look at me like that," she said. His eyes were burning at her and it felt like he was seeing down into her soul. A very penetrating gaze which she wanted to escape from. With a sigh she left his office, pausing by her desk to pick up her coat, and then she went home.

Once in bed later that night, cuddling her cat and halfway through a box of chocolates, Ruth still didn't know if she'd done the right thing. Or if, in fact she'd made one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

A long chapter, but it didn't feel right to split it. Hope you're not too mad at me!