Ruth jumps when Harry's mobile rings. She was enjoying the calm and quiet of the morning, but clearly their MI-5 life is always going to interfere. "Pearce." Harry says sharply. "Yes, I'll be right in." "No, I'll call Ruth to tell her." "I'll be in to the Grid in half an hour or so."
"What's up?" Ruth asks as she sets her dishes in the sink.
"New terrorist threat came in 10 minutes ago. It's a bomb threat on every major royal residence in the country. We've got to get on this or we could lose every member of the royal family in one go." Harry's voice seems tense and weary already.
"When is this attack supposed to take place?" Ruth asks as she and Harry climb the stairs.
"We have four days to figure everything out and find the bombs." Harry says as he begins to dress.
"So, we know the potential where and when, but we don't know who sent the threat and why or what kind of explosives they're planning to use. Four days is not a lot of time to figure all this out." Ruth says loudly from the closet.
"No, it's not a lot of time, but it's all we have. I'll have to talk to the Home Secretary so he can brief the PM and get the Queen informed. We need to know everything in four days. If this actually happens the entire country will be plunged into instant chaos." Harry pulls his shirt on as he speaks.
"Maybe that's exactly what the terrorists want. The royal family may be collateral damage in order to create chaos and have another bomb go off somewhere vital while we're scrambling around dealing with the royal family." Ruth says walking out of her closet carrying her outfit for the day.
"That's an interesting theory, Ruth. We'll have to take that into consideration of course. I have to admit that right now I have no idea why anyone would attempt this kind of attack." Harry and Ruth are both dressed quite quickly. "Come on, let's go. I'll drive."
Ruth grabs her purse as they head out the door. She settles into the front seat of her car and they're soon speeding down the streets of London. Harry loves the fact that with his security clearance he can speed in London and get away with it.
"Something tells me we're not going to see a lot of each other outside of work for the next few days. We're going to be not sleeping and eating bad food. I can't stand when we have long stretches of time like this." Ruth says with a heavy sigh.
"Did I ever tell that on the top floor of Thames House there are rooms where officers can go to catch naps? Maybe we can take breaks at the same time." Harry suggests to Ruth.
"You mean after all these years of me falling asleep at my desk I could have been sleeping in a nice comfy bed? If we take our breaks at the same time every time I think people will notice. It's hard to be discreet in a building full of spies." Ruth teases Harry. She knows he would never keep information from her unless he has to.
"Oh, everybody already knows anyway. Why should we be allowed to enjoy our lives in the midst of all the chaos we deal with every day? I'm tired of hiding my emotions towards you. It's destroying me and hurting you." Harry says as he tells Ruth the truth about his emotions for one of the first times ever.
"You're right. Everyone already knows, so we might as well show everyone how much we love each other. Malcolm would be happy to see us express our emotions for once. Everyone on the grid wants us to be happy and I love that our colleagues care that much." Ruth says admitting that Harry has the pulse of the team.