A/N: Apologies for the delay, I've been away and life has been busy. Oh and just so you're aware, Harry is still being a bit of an idiot, but hopefully by the end of this chapter you'll begin to see that it's not all his fault…

Thanks to HR always live on for checking this over for me!

Chapter 11

Saturday 27th October 2007, 11.45pm; MI-5 safehouse, North London.

Harry stands anxiously on the doorstep of the safehouse where Ruth and Matthew are staying, holding a carrier bag in his un-slinged hand. Today he's going to be able to spend some time with his son and he's nervous. He's walked into all sorts of dangerous situations in the past but nothing he has ever done before has made him feel like this. He puts it down to a mixture of worry that Matthew won't take to him and fear that he'll make a complete hash of things and Ruth will decide she doesn't want him anywhere near her son. He's already made a mistake and he only hopes Ruth has forgiven him. He'd been an idiot when he had suggested to Ruth that he see Matthew in secret; he realises that now.

He can't justify his actions, he knows that. He'd handled the situation terribly; something he'd realised as soon as Ruth had stormed out of his hospital room. It had taken him a few days, and a visit from Malcolm, to get his head around what had happened and to see the situation from Ruth's point of view, but when he had, he'd realised that he couldn't stay with Anna if she couldn't understand how important it was to him to have a relationship with Matthew.

It was just a matter of finding the right time; being confined to a hospital bed wasn't conducive to dealing with relationship problems, especially once he'd been moved onto a ward – he could hardly dump her in full view of the other patients. He may be a bastard at times, but even he couldn't do that to her.

Once he'd been discharged, he'd geared himself up to talk to her, but she had announced one evening that she'd realised how unfair she was being by demanding that he didn't see Matthew. She apologised and told him how she'd been worried when Ruth had reappeared, with his son, that she was going to steal him away. This, coming so soon after he had been injured so badly, had just shaken her.

So, he'd called Ruth, holding his breath as he waited for her to answer, and now, as he stands on her doorstep, trying to work up the courage to knock on the door, he thinks back to their telephone conversation

***Flashback***

"Hello?" The knot in Harry's stomach tightened as he heard Ruth's voice on the other end. He hoped she'd hear him out.

"Ruth, it's me… Harry."

"Oh, hi."

Well, she hadn't hung up, so he took that as a good sign. "How are you?" he asked.

"Oh y'know, surviving. You?"

"I'm fine. The hospital discharged me today."

"Good. I'm glad you're okay." Her tone of voice expressed the fact that she was genuinely pleased he was recovering.

"How's Matthew?"

"He's doing really well. Changing by the day."

Her words stabbed at his heart; he had already missed so much of his son's life while Ruth was exiled and now, due to his own stupidity, he'd missed even more. "Listen Ruth, I wanted to apologise about what I said… suggesting that I see Matthew without telling Anna. I was stupidly trying to please everyone and I'm sorry."

"Harry-"

Harry continued talking, not wanting to lose the thrust of what he wanted to say. "Anna and I have talked, and she's realised that it was selfish of her to say she didn't want me to see him. So, if it's okay with you I'd like to spend some time with him; get to know him."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"You sound surprised."

"I suppose I didn't expect you to agree so easily. You were rather angry last time we spoke."

"You're his father Harry; I don't want to keep you from him. I should apologise too; I shouldn't have blown up at you like I did."

"Ruth it's okay."

"I am sorry."

"I know."

"…"

"So when did you want to see Matthew?" Ruth asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

"Well I'm on sick leave for the next five weeks at least so I'm as free as a bird."

Ruth was silent as she thought of a convenient time. "Shall we say Friday. Around twelve-ish at the safe house? If you think you'll be up to coming out? I can always come to you, I just thought it might be better for Matthew if he's somewhere a little familiar."

"Friday at the safehouse sounds great." Harry agreed, before adding, "Thank you Ruth. Thank you for giving me a second chance."

***End Flashback***

They'd hung up then, neither saying goodbye; a custom they'd fallen into prior to Ruth's departure. It had felt good to regain that familiarity with Ruth and Harry could only hope that would continue; he didn't want a relationship with Ruth like the one he had with Jane, Matthew stuck in the middle. He knows that the first step to forming that relationship is to knock on the door so he raises his hand and does so. A few moments later he hears Ruth's footsteps on the laminate flooring and the door being unlocked.

Ruth opens the door, Matthew on her hip. "Hi," she greets.

"Hi," Harry replies, unable to take his eyes off Matthew; his blue eyes shining as he smiles and babbles away to himself. Ruth lets Harry look at his son for a few moments before the bitter chill from the open door gets too much. "Come in," she invites, stepping aside so he can enter.

Closing the door behind him, Harry puts down the bag and, with some difficulty due to his arm still being in its cast, removes his coat and hangs it by the door. He reaches into the plastic bag he brought and pulls out a soft purple elephant. "I bought this for him," he tells Ruth, unsure how to act around Matthew; he wants to touch him but he doesn't' want to frighten him, he is a stranger after all.

Matthew's eyes follow the elephant as Harry holds it out for Ruth and before she has chance to take it, he's grabbed it and begins chewing on its trunk. Ruth smiles at Harry. "I think he likes it," she says before leading the way into the living room.

There's a mat on the floor with a selection of toys on it, as well as a baby chair and a bouncer. Taking the elephant from Matthew, Ruth sits him on the mat and puts the elephant beside him. He reaches to take it back immediately.

"Would you like a drink?" Ruth asks Harry as she rises from the floor.

"A coffee would be great, thanks," Harry replies, his eyes not moving from Matthew.

"Okay. I'll be back in a minute." She makes her way to the kitchen, leaving the two of them to get acquainted.

Unbeknownst to Harry, Ruth's appearance has shaken Anna for a different reason. She knows Harry doesn't really care about her; she's known for a while. She doesn't care about him either. What she does care about however is his title. Being involved with a Knight of the Realm has its perks, especially for those, like her, hoping for a big promotion; a partnership in her firm.

She hadn't started out to use Harry, she'd genuinely liked him and he was good in bed, but it had soon become clear to her that he didn't care for her, not in the way she wanted from a man. She had planned to finish it, but then one of the senior partners in her firm had announced he would be retiring in early April; at the end of the financial year and she wanted that position. Anna knew that Harry's status would give her a head start on her main rivals. So she carried on the relationship.

But then a spanner had been thrown into the works, his old flame had returned, with his son no less. And she could feel her grip on him slipping away. So she'd paid her a little visit, and played the distraught girlfriend. Talking to Ruth had certainly been an eye opener, and learning of Harry's relationship with his son made her realise she'd made a mistake in her reaction to Ruth and Matthew; she hadn't realised the depth of feelings he had for them.

But, she hadn't got where she was today without honing her acting and manipulation skills. She'd managed to bring the situation back round to working for her rather than against her; her visit to Ruth being the first step along that journey.

Now she plans to turn her attention to Harry himself. She's already started dropping hints that Ruth isn't interested in him. Nothing so obvious to be noticed unless you were looking for it, just the odd comment here and there. Comments that Harry thinks she's making to reassure herself of her 'claim' on him, but that are also causing him to consider if perhaps she is right, perhaps Ruth has moved on and doesn't have any feelings for him anymore

As he recovers from his injury Anna also plans to remind him, often, of the perks of being with a sensual woman like herself and of how explosive and satisfying their physical relationship can be. If she's learnt anything about Harry in the time they've spent together it's that he likes sex… a lot. And luckily so does she, and she's very good at it.

She just has to keep hold of him until April; another four months, and then, well she'll have no need of him anymore.

A/N: So Anna isn't all she appears to be. It's okay, I didn't see this coming either - it certainly wasn't part of my original plan. But you've just got to go where the muse takes you.