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Bed
Harry stared at the ceiling as Ruth slept on beside him. She was oblivious to him as he continued to process the thoughts that had been swirling in his head all day. She's alive, she's here. He couldn't help but think things could have turned out so differently. He hadn't been to the hospital but he had spoken to Catherine so at least he knew they were safe. How long for? How can I keep Catherine and Charlie safe? What about Graham? What is Towers up to? Why Cotterdam? Why now? Is that bloody cat in here? He huffed as he heard Fidget jump off the bed and make his escape. Sighing he turned on his side to look at Ruth, who was still fast asleep. A quiet sob escaped her as Harry felt his heart break. His shoulder, although healing burned mercilessly. He heard her sob again as a tear fell from her eye. He was loathe to wake her, knowing she was usually the insomniac. It was a perfect opportunity to assess the injuries she had dismissed as nothing.
"Oh Ruth" He muttered as he finally saw the angry red bruises around her neck and the swelling that was beginning to form on her lower lip. She seemed to grow quiet as he ran his finger around her neck. It was almost as if his touch had registered somewhere in her dream. The anger burned in the pit of his stomach as he realised Ruth now had something else to haunt her dreams. It was lucky for Mohammed Hussein that he had been shot by Ros.
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Ros stood in Amy's bedroom watching her daughter sleep. It was late and she couldn't help but think about the case. What had started out as a standard terrorist threat had developed into something more sinister. Amy seemed to sense her mother was there and turned in her sleep as Ros ran a finger over the baby's dark hair. She had been unsettled since she had been collected from Carrie's house. It was only when she had spotted Lucas that she seemed to calm. It was as if she had sensed the danger her parents had been in. Ros sighed as Lucas wrapped his arms around her waist.
"It was too easy" Ros stated as she rested her head back on his shoulder. He kissed her neck as she spoke.
"For once we are all home in one piece" Lucas wanted to see that as a small victory. No one in section D was in hospital. No one was dead. That had to be a good end to the day. A precious few hours to rest and then it would be back to the Grid to tie up what loose ends there were. He didn't want to think about it.
"Yes" Ros closed her eyes as he kissed her again. "But why? Hussein could easily have killed Ruth. Shukkarier could have killed Zoe and Zaf. The bomb could have killed you and the others. Even over in Syria Hussein could have taken out everyone at that table, not just Farrah. No Lucas, this isn't finished. This is just a pause. There is more going on. There has to be. I want Tessa followed." She sighed as Lucas made it very difficult to concentrate.
"Tessa?" His voice was low in her ear.
"Yes. We have nothing to charge her with. But I want a team put on her. I don't care if it's spotted, she's ex service. If she knows she's being followed that may work in our favour too. I also want to know what the problem with her and Zoe is" Ros turned in Lucas' arms.
"Fine." He ran his hands down her back. "First we get some rest. It's late and Amy will be awake soon. Let's get some sleep while we can" He kissed her lips as she felt him pull her to him. For once Ros didn't argue.
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Zoe held a packet of frozen peas wrapped in a towel to her forehead as she walked around her kitchen. It was late and she was tired. Zaf was already asleep. She smiled, he had been staying at her place a lot recently. She knew Emma loved having him around. As if thinking about the five year old summoned her presence the little girl appeared in the doorway.
"Muumm" She whined.
"Hello you" Zoe smiled "What are you doing awake?"
"Can't sleep. You said a bad word. I heard you" Emma frowned as she rubbed her eye.
"Sorry" Zoe couldn't help but smile, sometimes she wondered if she really did have the ears of a bat. "Come here" She held her hand out to her daughter. Emma yawned and walked across to her mother.
"Mum" Emma settled herself on Zoë's lap as Zoe placed the frozen peas on the table "Did you bump your head?"
"Yes sweetheart." She saw the little girl raise her eyebrows. "I was trying to stop a bad man and he pushed me. I hit my head on the door. Don't worry we stopped him."
"Did Zaf help?" Emma knew her mum was always stopping bad people. She just didn't know what that meant. As far as Emma knew her mum was a detective.
"Yes he did" Zoe smiled as Emma began to calm down. "Bed, come on" She led the little girl back to her room as Emma began to protest she really wasn't tired, despite yawning every third word. The little girl was asleep before her head touched the pillow.
"Sweet dreams" Zoe muttered before walking back to her own bed, hoping Zaf hadn't taken up all the room.
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Beth was annoyed. She should have been able to diffuse the bomb. It was a pathetically easy bomb. Very basic, even Malcolm had said so. She huffed in frustration as she turned on her side. Perhaps that second glass of wine with Dimitri was a bad idea. But he was very persuasive when he wanted to be. A soft touch, which was surprising considering his back ground Beth thought but also incredibly persuasive. She screwed her eyes shut knowing the alarm would go off in three hours and that she would be awake before it.
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Dimitri rose from the sofa in his flat. He was glad he had taken Lucas' advice and gone for a few drinks with Tariq and Beth. He hadn't got trollied as Lucas had suggested but he was decidely muzzy headed. He smiled. Tariq was a good laugh when you stopped him talking about gadgets. And Beth, he didn't understand her. She was pretty, bubbly and ruthless as hell but there was something about her. He didn't know what. She didn't trust anyone, despite making friends quickly with Zoe and Ruth. He wondered what was really going on there. He smiled, he didn't think he'd live long enough to find out if Harry found him in work with a hangover in the morning.
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Malcolm was worried. He was one of the few officers that had lived through the whole Cotterdam affair. He sighed as Sarah turned in the bed. He had lived through it twice, only where Ruth had been able to escape Sarah hadn't. It was one of the reasons he had helped Ruth get away when the whole affair had blown up in their faces. He sighed as Sarah woke up.
"Malcolm?" She propped herself up on one elbow, looking directly at him. He could feel her eyes on him despite the darkness of the room.
"I'm sorry my love" He whispered
"What's the matter?" She began tracing circles on his chest. Malcolm forgot for a moment what he had been so concerned about.
"Just thinking my love, just thinking" He smiled as she rested her head on his chest. Moments later he was asleep as he held her in his arms.
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"Oh I am drunk!" Tariq announced as his father Masood laughed.
"I can see that son" He laughed as he steered the boy inside. He knew his wife would yell, but for now the boy needed at least a pint of water inside him and a close eye kept on him until morning.
"We did good today Dad. Really good" Tariq smiled.
"Thats good" Masood had never seen his normally studious and serious son drunk. The fact that he was a happy drunk surprised him.
"I wish I knew what you actually did with those computers"
"Mm, I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you" Tariq giggled as Massood rolled his eyes.
"Best not then eh son?" He laughed.
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Adam smiled as he turned the television off. He had been home less than 24 hours and had already been caught up in an explosion. It was a busy week he thought first the trip to Syria and then the bomb in the bank. He was glad Zoe and Zaf had arrested Shukkarier before he had got there. He wasn't sure what he would have done if he had been the first person to find him. He looked across to his left to see Carrie curled in to his side. Her dark hair had flopped in her face as she rested an arm across his abdomen. He smiled.
"Caz?" He remembered the look on her face when she had opened the door to him. Seconds later Wes had walked through from the kitchen. The young boy was genuinely happy to see him and they had spent the next hour or so talking about school, rugby training and how things were going with his friend Molly and the nightmare maths teacher they both hated. Adam smiled, it was normal family life. Something he had missed so much. He kissed the top of Carrie's head as he realised something.
I'm always going to love Fiona, always but I'm not cheating on her. Being with Carrie isn't better, it isn't what I would have planned but it's different. Different can be good. Fiona would want me and Wes to be happy and we are. Carrie makes me happy.
Carrie finally stirred in his arms as she heard him call her. Looking around the room bleary eyed she realised where they were.
"You ok?" She asked as she straightened up. Adam immediately pulled her back to him. She raised an eyebrow in question as she realised Wes had been in bed for hours.
"I love you" He mumbled as Carrie smiled. She didn't answer, just pulled him to her and kissed him with all the passion her sleep befuddled brain could muster.
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Harry sat at the kitchen table nursing a very large whiskey. Fidget had known he had been caught upstairs and was keeping a discreet distance from Harry. He shook his head as he watched the grey moggie skulked away. Scarlet was sleeping in her basket and Muggles seemed to be settled too. He sighed as he thought about his team and how the arrest of Hussein and Shukkarier had been too easy. What was really going on? Harry sighed as he ran a hand over his face. He hadn't heard Ruth leave the bedroom.
"Harry" She leant in the doorway as she saw him sit with his back to her. The kitchen was still in darkness.
"Ruth, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" He winced at how sharp his voice sounded. Ruth didn't move.
"I heard you get up"
"So I see. Sorry I didn't mean to wake you" He still didn't turn to her as she pushed her hair from her face. Glancing at the clock she winced when she saw the time.
"It's 5 am. We'll have to be on the Grid in two hours and you shouldn't be drinking that with the painkillers you are on" She crossed the room and took the glass from his hands before pouring the whiskey down the sink.
"It isn't the answer Harry"
She turned so she was leaning against the sink. Realisation suddenly dawned on her.
"You aren't taking the pain killers. Harry" She sighed. She should have known he wouldn't. He shook his head once as he stood and crossed the room to her.
"So what is the answer? Because I don't know anymore" He held her gaze as he waited for her to answer.
"Harry" He was so close to her now.
"You nearly died today. Ros told me you thought the idiot that shot me may have been aiming for you. Cotterdam is haunting us and I have no idea why Hussein and Shukkarier practically let themselves be arrested" Ruth bit her bottom lip as he spoke. She had been thinking the same thing.
"A proper assassin would have killed you. You would have been shot in the head or the chest. Unless he or she was going after a two for one deal if you will. Hoping the trajectory of the bullet would be such that it would go through you and into my body. Like Jo" She closed her eyes as she thought of her friend. Harry nodded.
"If I didn't know better I'd swear this was Mace's handiwork" Harry was angry again. Ruth nodded.
"It isn't him. It can't be can it? He died. We both saw him die" Ruth held his gaze as she touched his cheek.
"Harry" He closed his eyes at her touch. "The entire team now know the circumstances of my leaving all those years ago. Even Beth and Dimitri know. It's going to be difficult for Ros."
"She was new in those days" Harry sighed as he felt Ruth run a finger over the stubble on his chin. "She didn't know"
"No, but someone from those days has made us look at Maudsley again. We know it was not just my paranoia now, it was a dead drop. Mace and his croanies were involved in torture. My 'death' meant they couldn't use me and what they thought you felt for me against you. What if one of those croanies now knows I'm alive? What if they used all this as a smokescreen? Get Adam and the others out of the country, to get them facing their own demons so that whoever it is can destroy us." Ruth watched as Harry nodded.
"So what do we do?" Harry knew if Ruth had been thinking about things she would have a plan.
"I'll go through the Cotterdam file. I'll need a list of people involved with Mace at the time. Shukkarier is in the cells below Thames House, so interview him as normal. Hussein is in hospital. Someone is going to have to speak to Yasmin again" She sighed. "If Towers is involved in this I don't think he's the main protagonist. I really don't"
"No neither do I" Harry brushed her hair out of her face as he spoke. Both jumped slightly as Scarlet barked quietly in her sleep as her front paws twitched. Ruth smiled. Harry rolled his eyes before kissing her slightly.
"But if it isn't Towers, who?" Ruth pulled back slightly.
"I don't know. But I really think Towers doesn't have the intellect to be so underhanded. I don't trust him but I don't think he is capable of treason and terrorism on this scale." He sighed.
"So what now?"
"Sleep. Then in the morning I'll go to Westminster, see if Ros can scare a few people in to telling us the truth" Ruth couldn't help but smile at the image. Harry tugged on her hand.
"Um?" She looked up at him.
"Bed"
"Harry!" She laughed as she saw his eyes widen in innocence. If Harry was anything innocent wasn't it.
"To sleep woman, to sleep" He chuckled as she stuck her tongue out at him, before letting him lead her back to the bedroom. Maybe things had got a lot more complicated but she knew whatever was going on around them, she was not running this time.
authors note. Not much plot but I thought we needed a bit of fluff in Haunted. This is about as fluffy as I get! Please review because it really does help!