As every single reviewer wanted what happened next, I wrote it. Enjoy!

Harry parked outside his house on the evening of the twenty seventh and he knew Ruth was there. A light was on and her car was down the street. He felt very pleased that she was here, in spite of the long journey he'd had to go back home. Suddenly he didn't feel tired any longer and he wanted to see her. He opened his door and saw the alarm was disabled, privately wondering how she had the number. He walked through to the lounge and smiled. Ruth was dozing on the sofa, her hand draping on the floor as Scarlet sniffed her fingers warily. The dog looked at Harry and tilted her head as if to say "is she allowed?" Scarlet's nose kept twitching and Harry leaned down and stroked the dog. "She's okay," Harry said smiling. Scarlet wagged her tail and then curled up by the radiator, her job done. Harry knelt on the floor and gently roused her. "Ruth."

"Hm?" She blinked awake and came back to herself. "Oh sorry," she said as she realised she'd been sleeping in his house.

"If you wanted to sleep in my house I have a perfectly good bed upstairs," he said. The words weren't too explicit but the tone made her blush.

"Harry Pearce, you're flirting with me," she said quietly.

"I am," he agreed, a smile hovering around his eyes. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No," she said after a moment. "Your present's on the coffee table." He almost said "you didn't have to get me anything" but he refrained, especially as he noticed her Tiffany necklace still on her neck. Instead he picked up the wrapped gift which was clearly a bottle of something alcoholic. "How are your family?"

"Well," Harry said. "I met my grandson for the first time too." His face broke into a happy grin.

"I didn't know you had one," Ruth said, surprised.

"He's only two months old," Harry said. "Arthur. He's Graham's. I rather got the feeling Graham was scared I was going to criticise him. But I managed to leave with no bloodshed."

"Good," Ruth said, smiling to herself. "Knowing the Pearce temper as well as I do, I'm guessing that's a minor miracle."

"Yes," Harry agreed fervently. Ruth laughed.

"Open it," she added, nodding at the bottle. Harry sat down next to her and did as she asked.

"Ruth…" he said as the wrapping paper revealed an extremely rare bottle of whisky. "There were only about two hundred of these ever distilled."

"One hundred and ninety five actually," she said easily, pleased he seemed to like it. "I know less than nothing about whisky but it seemed to be… appropriate."

"Its perfect," he said. "And far too expensive. I know what these fetch."

"Says the man who bought me a Tiffany necklace," Ruth replied, smiling at him. "I've missed you. Badly." This was more forward than they ever usually were with each other and he set the bottle back on the table, and took her hand gently. He ran his finger gently over her knuckles and she sighed as they continued to touch, sensually and almost bordering on erotically. Eventually she pulled her hand back from him, kissing him instead. Their lips collided in a surprisingly passionate embrace. Without having any memory of how she got there, Ruth found herself lying on the sofa, Harry hovering above her, his body pushing into hers comfortingly. She swallowed uncomfortably, afraid of what might be said to the suggestion she longed to voice.

"Harry… shall we take this upstairs?"

"Only once you've told me why you look scared," he said. Controlling his body was taking all of his self control.

"I'm afraid you'll say no," she admitted. "Especially for some stupid reason."

"What have you done with my shy and nervous Ruth?" he asked, kissing her neck.

"She worked out what she wanted," Ruth said simply. "That's all." Harry smiled and kissed her deeply. It took them a long time to stop long enough so they could move from the sofa.

Harry groaned as his alarm clock beeped far too early in the morning. He hit it to stop the beeping because his dream had been so good. Ruth here, with him. Her warm soft skin beneath his. Her moans and quiet whimpers as she climaxed around him. He didn't want to wake up. He wanted to sink back into his heavenly dreams. Harry sighed as he threw the duvet back and got out of bed. What surprised him was Ruth pulling the sheets back around her, moaning quietly as the cold air hit her skin. "Thank God," Harry whispered to himself. It had actually been real.

"Harry, do you mind if I stay in bed for a bit? Nowhere else to be and I'm too comfy to move."

"I don't mind," he said, smiling at her. As she had worked over Christmas she didn't have to be on the grid until the second of January. "Stay here all day."

"You sure?"

"Yes," he said. He leaned over her and kissed her lingeringly. "I love you."

"Love you too," she said, smiling as she rolled over and went back to sleep. It didn't seem to matter that they'd never said those words to each other. Because they both already knew how they felt about each other. By the time Harry was dressed Ruth was asleep and her quiet even breathing was all that could be heard in the silence of the morning. Harry ached to touch her but he didn't want to disturb. So he left the house quietly and went to work, a broad smile on his face.

Hope this lived up to expectations.