disclaimer ...I do not own Spooks. (If I did there would be a series 20!)
oh and thanks to littlemissruth for Tessa's new nickname. :)
Watercolours in the Rain.
Ros walked onto the Grid as the early morning chaos hit her. It seemed that the Grid was in a permament state of panic and crisis these days and it was beginning to take its toll on her friends and colleagues. She narrowed her eyes as she saw Adam talking to Erin. She knew the woman was going to be at the JIC and COBRA meeting Harry had asked her to attend. That thought was just as disturbing as the fact she knew Harry and Ruth wouldn't be back on the Grid for the ret of the day. That combined with the news that Tessa had escaped it was turning out to be Ros' idea of the morning from Hell.
"Ros." Adam smiled in relief as she reached them. She could see the blonde spook was begining to loose patience with the woman.
"Adam, Erin." Ros spat. "Harry is indesposed. So, I'm running the Grid until he gets back."
"Everything ok?"
"Of course, Adam. Why wouldn't it be? Excuse us, we have work to do." Ros smiled sweetly as Erin glared. Adam rolled his eyes as he followed the Section Chief towards the Briefing Room.
"Ros?"
"Harry called me at 6 am. Ruth has a hospital appointment. No one else is to know." She almost whispered. "Which leaves me spending the morning in the company of that." She nodded towards Erin.
"That is the new Section Chief of Section K."
"Good luck to them, thats all I can say." Ros pushed the Briefing Room door open.
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"Harry I am going to be fine." Ruth rested a hand on his arm as he drove. "You should be on the Grid."
"We are not having this conversation again." Harry turned the car towards the hospital as Ruth dropped her hand. She was terrified. The family history of cancer right at the front of her mind. Both her aunt and father had been diagnosed and died in their early 40's. She closed her eyes as she thought of her bonkers but brilliant Auntie Jess who had rescued her from Exeter and died at the age of 41. The same age I am now. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind as TalkSport news started announcing the cricket scores.
"I am going to be fine." Ruth sighed. "It's nothing." She didn't know what she was trying to do, convince Harry or herself.
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"Does anyone know what I am supposed to tell the JIC this morning?" Ros announced as she leant against the table in the briefing room. Every cell in her body radiated anger. The tension rolling off her in waves. Zaf shook his head as he looked up.
"Stan was released from hospital this morning."
"How is he?" Beth genuinely liked the jamacian security guard who called all the women in the section flower.
"He'll be ok. I called Rose last night. Apparently he was sedated, which is why she was able to walk out." Zaf folded his arms as Lucas shook his head. They had all been working since the early hours of the morning to find the woman that had caused them so much grief.
"Stan wouldn't hurt a fly." Zoe rested a hand on her still flat abdomen as she spoke, the anger palpable in her voice.
"Exactly." Beth answered.
"Do we have any idea where Teflon Tessa is at this precise moment in time?" Ros was beginning to loose patience.
"No." Lucas answered his wife. She swore as she looked away from the team. Her eyes snapped to the door as Callum walked in.
"Er, sorry."
"What?" Ros snapped.
"Tariq said to come and get you. It seems he has something." He ducked back out the door before anyone could say another word. Dimitri couldn't help but smile as the younger man practically ran from the room.
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Harry stared at the hospital wall as he waited for Ruth. He knew she was as scared as he was. That this time there was nothing he could do. He could stare down the barrel of a gun, argue the toss with more terrorists than he cared to remember and make the most horrific decisions but he couldn't save Ruth from this. And that thought nearly killed him. He almost physically jumped as his mobile phone started to vibrate in his pocket.
"Malcolm?" He was relieved to hear a friendly voice.
"Hello Harry. " Malcolm paused. "I just wanted to update you. Tessa was last seen boarding a plane to Egypt."
"The middle East?" Harry sighed. He would never understand that woman.
"Yes, seems so. Only strangely enough there is no sign of our friend from Legoland either."
"I knew Jools was involved." Harry spat. He hated to admit he was glad of the distraction. He knew Ruth was having a needle biospy under local anaesthetic but he really hated the thought of Ruth spending any time in a hospital. She may have been the daughter of a doctor but she was terrified of hospitals. It was that thought alone that had him on edge.
"Yes, we are continuing to look for him. Harry, why aren't you and Ruth here? What has happened?" Harry sighed. He knew people would be wondering why they were absent from the Grid, and while he knew that Ros would keep his confidence it wouldn't stop tounges wagging. He also knew Ruth would hate for any of the others to know why she was in the hospital.
"Something that had to be attended to." Harry answered. "How are you? Should you be back in work?"
"I am more useful here than at home watching Jeremy Kyle."
"Malcolm if I ever caught you watching that I am sure the only option would be a six month stint in Tring." He hung up as he saw a young nurse in the doorway. He smiled sadly as he realised she was no older than Tariq. For a moment he felt incredibly old.
"Mr Pearce? Ruth would like you to come in." She held the door open as Harry nodded silently and walked past her into the small treatment room. Ruth glanced up as the doctor quietly left them to it.
"Ruth?"
"I get the results in a few hours. Apparently Mike has pulled a few strings otherwise I'd have to wait until tomorrow." Ruth stated as Harry held her gaze. "Something to do with having a friend in the lab and oh, I don't know Harry." She turned her head away as he walked to her side.
"Ruth." He swallowed as she stared up at him. He touched her face as he her eyes closed. For a moment she remembered the night before and the way he had touched her. It had been as though he was afraid she was going to disappear right before his eyes.
"Harry, the doctor says we can leave. The nurse will call when the lab have sent her the result." She got to her feet and winced as Harry's hand accidently touched the dressing on her left breast .
"Sorry." Harry recoiled as though he had shot her. Ruth grabbed his hand as he spoke.
"Harry, I am not going to die. Not today. Please let's just try to be normal. Go to work, have lunch. Do something we do everyday before I drive us both insane." She smiled but Harry noticed it didn't reach her eyes.
"Tessa escaped."
"See? Normal. Psychopath on the run. Everyday stuff for us." She took his hand and led him from the room.
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Sarah ran a hand through her unruly red hair as she stared up at the main entrance of Thames House. She had been inside a thousand times but knowing her brother, her only sibling was in the cells below made it seem somewhat alien to her. She sighed as she made her way up the small number of front steps to the reception area as Lee greated her.
"No Stan?" She sighed.
"No Mrs Wynn-Jones." She smiled at hearing her married name. "Can I help?"
"I've come to see my husband. Malcolm in Section D."
"You're Sarah? Stan told me all about you and how Ruth and Tariq tracked you down." The young man smiled as Sarah blushed. "The Grid's answer to Romeo and Juliet."
"I don't think so." Sarah blushed as she saw Dimitri leave the lift and jog towards her. She excused herself from the reception area as Dimitri reached her.
"Sarah?"
"I need to see Rhys."
"What?" Dimitri frowned as Sarah stared up at him.
"I need to see my brother."
"Why?" Dimitri was at a loss as to why she would want to see the man that had shot her husband and abducted her. He stared at her as she took a deep breath.
"Because he knows where she is."
"Sarah."
"Oh don't Dimitri. She called me. She actually spoke to me ten minutes ago. I know he set me up to take the fall for the murder. I know he gave Tessa an alibi and I know she wanted that man dead to prevent the truth about her involvement in torturing suspects." Sarah watched as Dimitri visibly paled.
"She spoke to you?"
"I just said." She sighed. "Look Dimitri, she's out and she still has some very powerful friends. Rhys is a bully and an idiot but he knows where she is going. He'll tell me."
"Why?" Alec asked as he joined them. "Why would that prat tell you? Harry and I interviewed her and him. Ros was there, Zoe. He said nothing."
"You didn't know what I know." Sarah stared at him. "Alec, you were there you and Harry saw the coverup. I now know why and how and I think it's about time the real murderer faced up to his actions."
"You know who killed that diplomat?" Dimitri felt as though he was still playing catchup.
"Oh yes." Sarah bit back the anger that had been building since she had answered her phone. "Let's just say that killing that poor Israeli girl wasn't the first time my idiot brother had killed on the orders of that bitch."
"Never mind Rhys, I think you better talk to Ros and Harry. Now." Alec rested a hand on her shoulder and gently steered her towards the lift. Dimitri stared after the pair as he realised Tessa maybe the one person that would continue to evade them for a long time to come.
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A/N One more chapter to go before I go on to my next story, Grenade. Please review.
