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Possibilities.

Beth sat at her desk reading the file on Andrew Lawerance as Tariq and Malcolm tried to fit together pieces of CCTV footage that had been damaged in the blast. Occasionally Malcolm could be heard tutting in frustration as he worked. Tariq had so far drunk three cans of Red Bull. Beth smiled slightly as she watched the technical officers. Malcolm had the patience of a saint whereas Tariq could certainly test it. She returned her attention to the file as Zoe walked across to where Ruth was studying the facial recognition profile running on her computer.

"Ruth?"

"Hello." Ruth didn't take her eyes off the screen.

"I, er was wondering."

"I can't babysit this week." Ruth didn't pause as Zoe rested her head on her hands.

"I wasn't going to ask that." Zoe frowned slightly. "Not that Emma wouldn't love to see you."

"What do you want Zoe?" Ruth paused the programme before turning to her.

"I just don't think this is Nightingale." Zoe bit her lip.

"Ok, on what evidence?" Ruth had hoped Nightingale was a long forgotten nightmare. She stopped staring at the screen in front of her and turned to her friend. "Zoe, no group has taken responsibility for what happened. By now half a dozen idiots are usually trying to claim responsibility even when half of them wouldn't be able to get a party popper to go bang." Ruth watched as Zoe nodded.

"I know." Zoe wasn't sure were she was going with it. "It doesn't feel like Nightingale. I know Mace is dead. But."

"Until proven otherwise we have to assume it's them."

"Why was Robert Wells involved in it all. I thought he committed suicide in 2000." She realised she had said the wrong thing as Ruth visibly paled in front of her.

"He did. He faked it, I am trying to find out why. That's why I'm waiting for customs to get back to me, see when he entered the UK. That's why I'm running the facial recon. He was here under an alias." Ruth paused as she suddenly felt sick.

"You ok?" Dimitri looked over at her as she pushed her chair back from her desk and almost sprinted from the Grid. "Well, go after her Zo!" Dimitri shook his head as Beth held up her hand.

"No, I'll go." She watched as Zoe breathed a sigh of relief. Zoe was certainly not the Ice Queen Ros was but she was not the most empathetic of people. She hadn't even noticed how Ruth had become more introverted since returning from Exeter. She turned as she realised Harry was staring out the window at her. She shrugged her shoulders and returned to her desk as Ruth's programme automatically restarted itself and began bleeping.

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Ruth sat on the floor of the toilet cubicle as she tried to calm herself down. She had felt sick since Lee Wong had hit her across the face. The doctor at the hospital had told her she had three broken ribs and concussion. She had put the nausea down to that but she had felt sick intermittently since leaving Exeter. Holding her injured ribs she took a shuddering breath as she realised someone was in the ladies toilets with her.

"It's me." Beth tapped on the door. "You ok in there? Have you stopped puking up now?"

Ruth smiled slightly. Beth was nothing if not straight to the point.

"Yes. and I think so."

"Good." Beth went to lean against the sinks directly opposite. "Why are you puking anyway? You eaten something from the canteen or has Harry been cooking again?"

"Harry is a good cook." Ruth paused. That wasn't strictly true. "Well, he's better than me."

"So why?"

"Concussion." Ruth mumbled as Beth seemed to have settled in for the duration.

"This Nightingale stuff? You really think the former Home Secretary is an asset?"

"Originally I thought it was a possibility. Now I don't know." Ruth stood slightly as the world swam around her. "Ros would hate it if he was."

"Tariq said he used to have a thing for her."

"Lawrence? Yes we all thought that. Ros and Lucas got together after the bomb. After Ros had been in hospital. I know she wouldn't look at him now." Ruth smiled as she remembered Lucas had asked her for advice when he was unsure what to do about Ros.

"I think he's a creep." Beth stared at the still closed toilet door. "You coming out of there or what?"

"In a sec." Ruth closed her eyes as another wave of nausea washed over her.

Beth smiled as she saw Harry open the door and raise a finger to his lips. She nodded as he stood next to her at the sinks. He felt decidedly uncomfortable. It was the first time he had been in the ladies toilets and he hoped it would be the last.

"You going to puke again? Should I get the doctor?"

"Maybe Beth. And no. Do not call Dr Brown." Ruth shook her head. She hadn't actually vomited, just felt it was prudent to be near the toilet.

"Ok, if it is concussion you've been ill for a while. You should see the doc." Harry couldn't help but smile. Beth reminded him of a slightly younger Ros. She had the same habit of calling people on what was happening. He folded his arms across his chest as Beth walked towards the toilet door. "Unless of course this is your way of letting us all know you are up the duff."

"BETH!" Ruth touched the lock on the door as she shouted. "No, I am not. I can't be. Not now, not after what happened in December."

"Well you are not too old. Harry, maybe." She turned back to see Harry had raisd his eyebrows at her. "Ok ok. Come back to the Grid when you are ready. Ok, I'll get Zoe to cover for you. Might stop her staring into space and getting on my nerves. See you in a bit." She avoided Harry's gaze as she walked out. Satisfied that she was on her own she unlocked the door and stepped out in to the bathroom. Only to see Harry staring straight at her.

"Oh."

"Alec White will be here in the next half hour." Harry watched as she nodded.

"Good. How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." Harry smiled slightly as she walked over and rested her hands on the ceramic sink, holding on as she tried to calm her racing heartbeat. Beth may have a point. I haven't had a period since. Since? Oh God. Oh no. Oh this is not happening. Not now not after seeing Robert again. She closd her eyes as she felt Harry rest a hand on her shoulder. He was beginning to get slightly worried about the Ice Queen act she had adopted. It wasn't like her. He had seen her snap, withdraw into herself but he had never seen her cold. She reminded him of a china doll Catherine had as a child. Beautiful but fragile, likely to break if handled too roughly.

"Ruth." He watched as she bit her bottom lip.

"I'm ok Harry."

"No." Harry turned her to face him. "No don't give me the I'm ok line when you are clearly not."

"Just knowing he was here. That he was in the same building as me. It made my skin crawl." Ruth stared at a point on his blue shirt as he stared at her face. He could understand that. He really could. "All the evidence for this is pointing to him being the driving force behind the hotel bomb, the fake targets. Buying me and Lucas. The intel, what Mia told Ros and I. It is all beginning to point to him."

"He's dead. We have to find a rouge politicion who happens to have a talent for finding himself in trouble." Ruth nodded as Harry touched her chin, tilting her head towards him. "Noone can hurt you now Ruth. No one."

"You were right. I should never have gone undercover." She covered his hand with her smaller one.

"No, I wasn't. You got the information. You were amazing in there. None of this is your fault. It would have happened if Beth or Zoe had been in there."

"I don't know."

"Ruth. I do." Harry kissed her forehead. "Could Beth be right?"

"No Harry." Ruth felt the tears fill her eyes. She would not let herself even hope Beth had been right. Harry smiled sadly before pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead. Ruth clung to him as tightly as her broken ribs would allow. He kissed her hair as her tears dampened his shirt.

"It's ok Ruth. It's ok."

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Alec smiled as he walked back on to the Grid. He looked around as he realised the place had changed since his time in IA.

"Hello Alec." Adam held out a hand as Alec shook it. "Good of you to come."

"Like Harry gave me a choice."

"How's Juliet?"

Alec raised an eyebrow as Adam smiled. He knew exactly how Juliet would be reacting to him returning to the Grid.

"Busy." Alec observed.

"Aren't we always? Look, Andrew Lawrence isn't a rouge agent. This is slightly different."

"Adam, I don't see how. He is someone with links to a terrorist act. He needs to be found. We will find him." Alec stared at the younger man. Adam couldn't help but admire his confidence.

"Right, then. Harry wants us all in the Briefing Room in five minutes." He heard a collective groan from all the officers still on the Grid. Only Tariq seemed happy about that idea. Adam couldn't help but smile at his colleague's enthusiasm.

"Briefing Room?" Alec ran a hand over his craggy blue eyes. "Lead the way."

A/N Please review. Oh Lady J. Hope you like this. ;)