Possibly the daftest update I've ever done, might need to come back and upload a more sensible version at a later date but till then I'll have a cringe plastered over my face and take cover whilst I await your reviews and opinions on this ...

-.-.-

With no sign of a free cab they continued to walk the short distance to Ruth's house.

"Ruth?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I make you a deal?"

"Oh?" amusement evident in her voice.

Harry's tone was light, "If I keep my distance from your admirers, you now keep from mine."

"Ha," Ruth chuckled. "I don't recall bating Doris away with a bat."

"Feel free, please, but actually I wasn't referring to her."

"Oh?"

"I meant Louise."

"Louise?" Ruth repeated, a trace of alarm and confusion evident in her voice. Bugger, did Harry actually think something of that glammed up doll?

"Yeah, you see it's odd, she's been rather shifty with me all evening, avoiding me I think."

He thinks?... "Well she can be odd at times, I wouldn't take it personally and I wouldn't blame me."

A smile twitched at Harry's mouth as he tried to maintain an air of seriousness. "Whilst you were off fixing the raffle I chose to say hello."

"Ah." Ruth replied guiltily.

"Indeed. Once she got over her initial embarrassment she was quite harmless I guess."

"Embarrassment?" Ruth, confused again.

"She said she hadn't knowingly spoken to someone of my 'type' before, that she was a little 'unsure of herself'. I was still rather in the dark at this point, so you can imagine my surprise when out of seemingly nowhere the woman asked me about what shoes I'd recommend for her sister's wedding… apparently the colour scheme's turquoise."

"Shoes? …Turquoise?" Ruth was stumbling through this conversation seemingly unable to do little more than repeat Harry's last words in a mix of her own confusion and a sense of escalating dread that soon he'd explain just how this was all her fault.

"Hm." Harry was enjoying this game, "…wanted to know if open or closed toe were more vogue this season…"

Ruth released an un-easy laugh "Huh, how odd."

"..It seems Louise is under the impression that fashion is an inherent gift of mine… Comes with the territory, so to speak."

Ruth had drawn the dots together and it all swiftly made painful sense. Harry dared a brief glimpse down in Ruth's direction, predictably, she looked guilty as sin.

"Ruth, Why do you think Louise would be under the impression that, now how did she put it… I 'bat for the other team'?"

"Oh God." Ruth muttered finally.

"Ruth?" He growled in good humour.

"I-er may have .."

"May have what?...Ruth?"

"It was an accident, sort of… I didn't mean to imply that you were but she just threw it out as an option and I-er, failed to correct her."

"Why not?"

"I suppose….I suppose, I didn't see the need."

"So you only implied I was gay?"

Ruth frowned, "Hm." Was her non-committal response.

Harry smirked, "You never said I was… 'as bent as a rainbow', then?"

Blowing out a held breath through her puffed cheeks, she replied, "Ah, that."

"Yes, that."

Ruth stopped waking and turned to face Harry. "Are you angry?"

"I should be, given your reaction to my talking to Tim. You know, I thought I'd got off lightly when you rather rapidly backed down. What was it, sudden realisation of hypocrisy?" Harry smiled smugly.

Ruth sighed, "Alright, fine. I told Louise that you were gay, the woman was doing my head in. Relentlessly asking me, were you single, why we weren't together, had we ever been together, did I mind if she had 'a go'. Awh , insufferable woman ...And yes, I did realise half way through my earlier rant that perhaps me being in a glass house, I should watch the stone throwing. So I eased off…" Ruth added in a sulky mutter, "Wish hadn't now."

Harry was grinning ear to ear. Ruth looked confused. "What? What 's so funny?"

"Us."

"Us?"

"Your description of Louise sounded like it steered dangerously close to jealousy?"

"Oh please" Ruth blushed and Harry's face only got smugger. Ruth carried on, "I'll set her straight. Tell her I got it wrong."

"Don't you dare." He said seriously, a smile still lighting his eyes, "You've agreed to stay out of it now,I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't spoil my new fun."

"What?...You went along with it?" Ruth crowed disbelievingly.

"Absolutely." Harry chuckled at the memory and slight personal pride, that by the end of his conversation with Louise he'd been able to keep a straight face whilst telling her, pout, flapping hands n' all, 'You'll look fabulous darling, when I'm done, Jimmy Choo will be getting tips off you'.

Ruth looked a little alarmed. "Jimmy Choo? How do you even know what…. No. I don't buy it, you wouldn't, you couldn't pull it off," she said flatly.

Harry knew a challenge when he heard one and transformed, temporarily, into his stand-in act. Hands gripping either side of his thick jacket collar, he cleared his throat and the tune began to rise from his voice, "I feel pretty…

"Harry?" Ruth's eyes positively bulged.

"Oh so pretty…." Harry's steps began to bounce.

"Harry, stop it" She warned, something similar to the embarrassment falling over her.

" I feel pretty and witty and Gaaaaay!" Passer-by's on the other side of the street threw them odd looks.

"Oh God." Ruth, obviously in some bizarre remake of West Side Story, now forgot to be embarrassed and crumbled into stitches of laughter.

Harry's prancing walk merged into a skip and, his feet in time with his tune, he circled Ruth singing,"And I pity, any girl who isn't meeee today." Lightly gripping Ruth's hand he twirled her round, continuing, "I feel charming. Oh, so charming, it's alarming how charming I feeeel….. And so Pretty…"

Ruth's aching muscles could take no more, laughing she collapsed into his hold. She begged, " Ok, Ok, I believe you, stop, please."

Converting back to a more masculine tone, Harry began to chuckle likewise. Still grasping her in his arms he steadied Ruth's, weak from laughing body, with his. Whilst Ruth was pulling something of her senses together again Harry, himself unable to believe quite what he'd just done, mused, Maybe too much Whiskey after all Pearce?

Clinging to his chest for much needed support, between laughs she managed to breathe, "Where did that come from?"

Resuming his position at her side and linking their arms back together as they walked , he returned, "Well, I've always thought you brought out the best in me Ruth," and Harry chuckled in with Ruth.

Ruth looked up to the side at him, open mouthed and shaking her head in disbelief, "Credit where it's due, you're quite a convincing act there."

"Thank you, Louise seemed happy with it."

"I bet."

He leaned in and murmured, "Just for the record though Ruth, I'm not."

"No, well…." Ruth tried hard to crush the remainder of what she wanted to say.

"Well what?"

"Well.." Ruth threw Harry a flirtatious glance. "I've not seen any definitive evidence to the contrary.

Harry came and to an abrupt halt and Ruth, attached to his arm, did too by default.

"Evidence?" He chuckled, and thought, Like asking you to marry me? Harry slid his tongue over his parted lips, "and what evidence would suffice?"

There was a fizzle in the air as both stood inches from the other. Ruth cleared her throat and with it, dampened the bubbles of desire that threatened to pour. "I'm sure I'll think of something."

"Well you let me know when you do." His eyes twinkled with desire.

Ruth smiled and turning back, they walked on. Only another few minutes and they'd reach her front door…

-.-.-

One chapter to go, I think.

AN: An absolute ridiculous chapter, I know…. and I'm sorry, have no idea what's got into me so apologise if you didn't like it.

I got the ridiculous idea about Harry dancing and gay-ness alike, from a throw away joke in one of the press releases a while back, and a certain 'Lady J' mentioned on the spooks forum how funny it'd be if he acted like Robert de Niro did, dancing in Stardust. Yeah, so the idea kinda got stuck in my head and now it's found its way in here. I'll just go hide now I think.