Disclaimer: I do not own Spooks

Friday Night

Ros stared at the scrawny ginger haired man that had been her asset for years. She had taken him on when she had joined five, knowing he had been Fiona's asset before her. She still didn't like the man but he seemed to know an awful lot about what went on in the criminal underworld. So far his information had been mostly useful.

"Ah, you came." His soft Scottish accent irrated Ros.

"Full marks for observation." Ros glared.

"You wanted to talk to me." He stated rather than asked.

"Yeah." Ros stepped closer to him. He stood his ground but she knew he was slightly intimidated by her. The still spring air did nothing to lesson the tension in the air. "Don't mess me about."

"You know something Rach? In about an hours time your boss he's going to get a phone call. Blonde fitting your description. Tall, skinny and blonde with a face like a slapped arse is gonna be dragged out the Thames." He smiled slightly as Ros narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Really." She paused as she loomed over him. "Tell me what I need to know or you'll be found floating next to me."

"You aint scared Rach? Dying alone in the cold, murky water?" He goaded her.

"Dying has never scared me." He met her gaze as she spoke. "Listen to me Gregor. Tell me about the March tomorrow. Tell me about Robert Well's apparent resurecction and I may just let you leave here with your testicles where nature intended them." Ros spoke calmly as she held his gaze. Gregor looked away first. Ros knew she had him.

"Robert Wells." Gregor shook his head. "Nasty piece of work you are asking me about. I was in the Guards with him. Didn't like him. Married some girl called Angela but was always playing about behind her back. Always chasing younger women. Girls really." He looked at the floor. Ros waited. She already knew what he was telling her.

"And?"

"And he died. Got to be about ten years ago." Gregor shrugged.

"No." Ros kept her voice deceptively calm. She knew the scrawny Scotsman was keeping something from her. He knew more than he was telling her. "He died a few weeks ago. Self inflicted gunshot wound to the head."

"Bloody hell. You knew?"

"Yes. What I want to know is why?"

"He." Gregor paused. "He met some woman years ago. I mean before he took up with his wife. An American bird. I think her name was Samantha. He called her Sam. Had some dealings in Russia for a while. He was on the take." Gregor sighed heavily. "He was good at what he did. Suddenly some young girl was refusing to have anything to do with him. He had been warned off her."

"Who was this?"

"Dunno, pretty little thing though. Alot younger. He asked me to drive to her university. I told him to eff off. She was a kid. Didn't need him hanging round. Anyway I told him to leave her be. Or I'd smack some sense into him. The next thing I heard he was dead."

"He was reported to have killed himself after the deaths ..." Ros left the sentance unfinished. She remembered what Adam and Ruth had told her of the Angela Wells fiasco. Adam still had a considerable scar on his chest wall. He seemed to have scared badly considering the gunshot had been a clean entry wound. It was the exit wound that had caused the damage. Ros tried to work out how old Ruth would have been in 1997. 26? 25? Too old Ros decided to be the girl at university. It seemed her step brother had moved on to other young women. Ros felt sick at the thought of it.

"Why did he come back?"

"Unfinished business? I dunno. I had heard he was in China. Met some wee lass there." Ros had a feeling everything led back to the two women they had arrested. Christine Dale and Mai Yung were really calling the shots. "Said there was alot of money to be made by changing the world. That his friend was already making alot of money. He just had to kill someone first."

"Kill someone?"

"Yeah. He reckoned it was hard to get done for murder when you were already dead."

"Gregor." Ros began before she felt the unwavering tip of a knife against her abdomen. She wanted to roll her eyes but the tip of the knife was already digging in her pale flesh.

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Harry watched as Alec took a seat next to Tariq. He couldn't help but smile as he knew Alec had no clue what Tariq was doing. He was also extremely proud that the young man had recovered so well from his ordeal with Andrew Lawrence. Now he knew the young techie was determined to put Andrew Lawrence behind bars for a very long time.

"Harry." Lucas walked across the Grid.

"No news as yet. Malcolm is going through the CCTV cameras. Ros knows how to avoid them but then she may just pop up on them somewhere." Harry watched as Lucas nodded. The younger man had always been pale but now he looked almost transparent. They all knew Ros was more than capable of taking care of herself but only a few knew how she took everything to heart. It wasn't just Dimitri blaming himself for Beth's injuries.

"Yeah." He paused as he heard Ruth slam the phone down. She looked on the verge of tears. "Ruth?"

Ruth shook her head as she avoided his gaze. She couldn't believe the news her contact in the Met had told her. She stared at the desk for a moment, knowing both Lucas and Harry were watching her.

"Just something I have to check." She pushed her chair away from the desk.

"Ruth?" Harry started as Zoe jogged over to them.

"Sorry." She interupted. "Just got off the phone from Dimitri. Beth isn't well."

"That's why she is in hospital." Harry snapped. Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Funny I wouldn't have guessed." Zoe snapped as Lucas and Ruth exchanged glances. "She's back in theatre. She has a blood clot on her brain. If she survives then it'll be a miracle."

Ruth swore as tears filled her eyes. It was too much. First the news about Ros and then the news about Beth. She just couldn't take it anymore. "Dimitri?"

"He says he is staying with her. That the nurse said she had left a parcel for Ros. Information that she wanted." Zoe shrugged.

"The profile." Lucas smiled slightly. "She was working on a profile of the target. Look, I'll go to the hospital. Check on Dimitri." He pushed himself away from the desk as Ruth refused to meet the men's eyes. Harry waited until Zoe had returned to her desk and Lucas was safely out of the Pods.

"Ruth. My office. Now."

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Adam stared across the water at the Houses of Parliament and smiled slightly. The ancient austere building had been the subject of more myths and legend than anywhere else he knew. The base of UK government had also been threatened more times than he could remember. It seemed strange that it was only the Guy Fawkes attack that people seemed to remember. He dug his mobile phone out of his pocket and hit the speed dial.

"Zaf?"

"Yeah?" His friend walked along Oxford Street as he tried to avoid the various shoppers and tourists.

"You reckon we're right?"

"Look mate." Zaf looked along the street as he spoke. "Christine Dale got that money from somewhere. The more we dig the less I like this. Andrew Lawrence tried to kill us. I want to get to the bottom of this." He smiled at the blonde who walked past him in a short skirt. He tried to ignore how much he liked to 'window shop' and returned his attention back to Adam. "Sorry, bad line."

"Really? That happens alot with you. Should ask Malcolm to look at the phone for you." Adam joked. He knew the lack of phone signal was in Zaf's imagination. He knew it had more to do with girls wearing short skirts in the unseasonable weather.

"Yeah. Look, meet me in the book shop opposite the Uni in half hour. If tomorrow's protest is about student cuts I want to know what the real protestors are going to be like." Zaf spoke as Adam unlocked his car and stepped in.

"There will always be a rent-a-mob element to these things." Adam sighed.

"Yeah, but there isn't usually someone from Nightingale involved. Look I did a little digging and asked Ruth to double check." He spoke. "Christine Dale knew Sarah Caulfield."

"What?"

"They both went to the same uni. Both studied politics and Eastern European studies. ASk Ruth."

"Why is this any use?" Adam was already starting the engine.

"Leverage over Andrew? Sarah was a nasty piece of work."

"She's dead." Adam stated the obvious. "Gunshot wound to the forehead."

"Yeah. Bit convienient." Zaf spoke quietly as he looked along the street. "Look, didn't Ros say he blamed her for not stopping the bomb? At the Peace Talks?"

"That was ages ago." Adam had read the reports about the bomb, had heard half of it second hand. He knew Ros felt Adam blamed her for the injuries he had sustained during the bomb blast, he knew Ros blamed herself. "Zaf. What if Lawrence and Christine are involved in this out of revenge? What if the attitude we've had off him is guilt rather than blame?"

"Adam it's 7pm on Friday night. The march is in less than 12 hours."

"Get back to Thames House. I'll meet you there." Adam hung up the phone and drove towards Thames House. The more that he thought about it the more he could see that Andrew Lawrence wasn't the big man he thought he was. It still seemed to come back to Christine and Mai. He didn't know why and he didn't really know how but everything seemed to lead back to them. The more he thought about it the more he worried about Ros. Her going dark made her more vulnerable and he knew Ros knew that.

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"Ruth." Harry closed the door behind him as she wrung her hands together. She remained quiet, knowing that she had to formulate her thoughts before her mouth took over. Harry turned to face her. When it became clear she wasn't going to say anything without being prompted he took a step towards her. "Ruth. What is it?"

"I have to check some information. I told you that."

"Information about Ros." Harry watched as she looked at the hardwood desk. "Ruth." He tilted her chin so she had to look at him.

"My contact in Special Branch wanted to give us advance warning, before you get the phone call. I mean with Lucas in the field it's going to be you that gets the phone call. She named you as her emergency contact." Ruth swallowed hard.

"Ruth." Harry felt the familar stab of fear radiate in the pit of his stomach. Ros was probably the best friend as well as the best Section Chief he had ever had.

"Claire said there has been a body pulled out of the Thames. It's just a rumour at the moment but the local radio have picked up the story." Ruth watched as Harry nodded. "The body is said to be that of a female fitting Ros' description." Ruth hated the words coming out of her mouth. Harry stared at her as if she had lapsed back into Mandarin. Neither heard the Pods whoosh open or Malcolm talking aminatedly.

"Lucas isn't going to ID the body. Not until we know for certain." Harry stated as the door to his office opened. "BLOODY KNOCK!" Harry barked before turning his attention to the intruder.

"Lucas isn't identifying what body?" Ros stood in the doorway as Ruth's jaw dropped open. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

"You died."

"Yeah." Ros answered. "So did half the team at one point or another. I have the intel that links Mai Yung with Andrew and Wells." She watched Ruth for any sign of a reaction. Harry shook his head and smiled slightly.

"Good. But if you aren't dead in the water, who is?"

"No one." Ros stared at him. "Harry, I certainly am not the first woman to fake it." Ruth couldn't help but smile as Harry coloured a little.

"Ring Lucas." He barked before picking up the phone that was ringing on his desk. "Yes Home Secretary."

Ros and Ruth exchanged glances before leaving the office.

Dimitri sat on the hard plastic chair just outside the Neuro Intensive Care Unit. Beth had been in theatre when he had arrived and he was cursing himself for taking too long to get to her. He didn't look up as Lucas sat next to him.

"What happened?"

"Her blood pressure shot up. She had a headache" Dimitri stared at the floor. "Doctor said they did a scan and saw the clot. They did a crainiotomy."

"Brain surgery again."

"Yeah."

"Shit"

"Yeah."

"Zoe said she had something for Ros." Lucas looked at him. Dimitri nodded.

"She wanted to help. She had her Iphone with her so she was able to get online. She did a little digging and came up with some information from her contacts in the private sector." Dimitri handed him the phone. Lucas sighed as he thought of the young woman who had barged into Harry's office and demanded a job. She had certainly been a force to be reckoned with.

"Beth is going to be fine." Dimitri nodded but it was clear he didn't believe his senior officer. He was already preparing himself to say goodbye.

Lucas squeezed the younger man's shoulder. He didn't know what else to say. Both turned as a young woman wearing green theatre scrubs walked towards them. She smiled slightly as she realised both men were watching her.

"I'm Doctor Evans, I just operated on Miss Bailey."

Tariq opened the file Lucas had sent him. He knew Beth had contacts in the private sector that none of them would be able to easily gain access to. Tapping a few keys he smiled as he read the message.

"Malcolm?"

"What is it?" The older techie officer crossed the Grid to where Tariq was sat staring at the computer screen.

"Beth did it."

"Beth did what?" Malcolm sighed heavily. He placed his mug of tea on the desk in front of him.

"She found out who is going to be trying to blow up London tomorrow." He smiled. "Name and location there in black and white." He pointed at the screen as Malcolm smiled.

"FIND DAMON HAROLD. 19YRS OLD. GRANDSON OF HANS LINNERMAN. WESTGATE FLATS, SE 11. CARRYING ON GRANDPA'S WORK? ASK MAI."

Malcolm read the message out loud as he stared over Tariq's shoulder, suddenly aware that Zaf and Zoe were with him. Zaf was already pulling his jacket back on as Ruth crossed the room to them.

"Zaf?"

"Find out everything on Damon Harold. Think Beth may have just helped us out." He jogged to the Pods as Ruth stared at a grinning Malcolm and Tariq. For a moment she couldn't help but hope they had finally had a breakthrough. She glanced at the clock. Twelve hours to go...

A/N About two more chapters to go then I start the next story. Please review. Is Beth going to be ok? Will Zaf stop the bomber? More soon.