Dempsey finds himself sleeping in squats for two weeks to protect himself, and Chas, from the fallout when he's uncovered another corruption den. He seems to attract this stuff like filings to a magnet. His partner's track record, of course, keeps him above suspicion which he finds irritating. He's in the clothes he left Spikings office in, unable to visit his home.

Numerous times he falls asleep in chairs, tucked in the corner of bars and if he's lucky, a stained mattress, thinking of Harry. Several times he is approached by women offering him a bed and he's tempted if only to sleep in the false love of another beacause he's so bloody lonely. He has no motivation for any of it. Instead, he walks miles to her home and stands on the street, just to feel something, leaving before he looks conspicuous. He walks away with new resolve. Maybe it's time to talk to Spikings about the DI job and make proper arrangements to stay.

When he's finally home, cleared and back on the force, he finds a message on his phone from Harry. She's asked him to dinner. He tries to ring her, but the phone goes to her answerphone. On the fifth attempt, he can't find any more words to say how damm sorry he is. Dempsey grabs his car keys and picks up the case report, stuffs it into his jacket pocket. In the past weeks he could have lost his job, been shot or sent back to New York but nothing quite worries him as losing her.

Dempsey has no idea if she's working as he looks around the building. It's an incredible place and, if he wasn't so hung on his mission, he'd have paused a while to enjoy it. The receptionist is deliberately cagey and just as he's debating pulling out his SI-10 badge, he sees her thread through the crowds, her distinct blonde bob bright against the tourists, and appear at the desk. The receptionist glances at them both with unhidden curiosity. Dempsey can sense Harry stiffen, her back is ramrod straight. His heart beats a little faster when she turns to him and eyes him. She must see his nervousness because she softens a little and then says hello.

"I needed to see you." Dempsey explains, even though her posture is telling him she wants him to leave.

Harry eyes him carefully, "You didn't see me for two weeks and now you've changed your mind?"

The receptionist has put down her pen and is watching with interest.

"I had to go undercover. I got caught up in something that meant I might have to leave the country or the force." He can't tell her much, at least not when they're being watched and overheard. "It got really messy. I couldn't go home."

"And they didn't have telephones where you were?" She asks, there's a slight softening in her pose, at least she's listening to him.

"I've been living in squats and dives, working on building sites to get cash to eat. See, I got your message this morning…" He pulls out the somewhat battered case report from his pocket with the dates on it. She shouldn't really see this but he's desperate to explain. "It's all here, the dates. I could get Chas, my partner, to explain 'cept he's on honeymoon. I was his best man." He shows her the wedding invitation, gilded in gold as more evidence.

"I couldn't have visited, I didn't know who was following me, I won't bring you into it." He finishes, letting out a breath.

Harry looks up at his worried face and meets his eyes. There's a wonderful realisation that he hadn't just abandoned her when she'd put so much faith in him. She only glances at the case report in his hand. "This is confidential, you're risking your job just showing me these."

The receptionist stirs and Harry looks across at her. May as well ask her, she's been listening to the entire thing. Nosey bat. "Do you believe him?"

She nods, enraptured by them, "Oh yes. I'd believe anything he says."

Dempsey huffs out an embarrassed laugh, but speaks quietly, unwilling to share his words with anyone else."I want to you to believe me. Harry."

There's something sincere in this that she can't ignore but she's still cautious. Robert would disappear for months and whilst the motivation is different, she's uncertain how her and Dempsey can make this work. How he puts his life on the line. She sees a horrible vision of his death looming unless he takes more care. These fears have no place, and she has no right or claim over him to express her thoughts.

When she takes his hand, Dempsey thinks she's unaware that it's the first time she's done it. But then as she looks down as if studying the fit of their fingers, and he thinks she's very conscious. She leads them away to a landing on the stairs, looking down on the hall, nestled beside a bust of Charles Darwin.

"Can we talk?" He asks, gently swinging their hands. He feels the yearning like a love-struck teenager. "I missed you."

Harry nods slowly and watches his body relax, as if she was a balm. She lets go of his hand and tentatively runs a finger on his chest., testing herself. After two weeks she was certain he'd left her and the disappointment was crushing, yet she still felt a need for him. "I missed you too. I thought perhaps that you'd been scared off or it was too much."

Dempsey shakes his head, "No." He's emphatic and she can't help blushing. "Your terms, always."

"Thank you, for bringing evidence. I appreciate it." She feels relief too.

"Thank you for hearing me out. It really wasn't my choice."

"Does that sort of thing happen a lot? Undercover, getting into danger?" She worries, "It's a lot for you take on, me and your job."

"That's for me to decide." Dempsey says and she looks so doubtful he has to explain, "I called you five times this morning, left a lot of words on your answerphone. Said I missed you a lot and may have called you beautiful again."

Harry gapes at him and then entwines her fingers with his, "You're trouble, you do know that don't you?"

He's surprised, of all the words he imagined her saying this wasn't it. He chuckles, he can't help it. "I've been told that a few times, yeah."

Harry nods, biting her lip. Her eyes remain on his, there's a flicker of something that he thinks might desire as her eyes darkened briefly. "You make me feel things." She says shyly.

"And that's trouble?" He asks with a soft smile.

Harry nods again. Then he's shocked to see her brushing tears from the corner of her eyes, removing her hand from his. Suddenly he realises that she means it and his heart sinks. "I'm so sorry, this is all so very much for me."

Dempsey tries to find words, he's not sure what to say to salvage this. "I need you, Harry."

"You don't really know me at all, James, If you did, I'm sure you'd run a mile." Harry shakes her head, tears falling now. Slowly, gently, he raises his hand and wipes them away. She silently berates herself for letting him get close. He's polar opposites to her and she knows they'd challenge each other, he'd excite her but she can't do bring him into her damaged life. They're both hurting and it's only just begun.

"Tell me what I did wrong?" Dempsey says, "I thought we started something?"

"You didn't do anything wrong," She says. "Please, forget it ever started. That's my final decision."

He wonders what to do when she walks away from him, clearly devastated, just as he is. Patience is far from a virtue for him, he lacks it entirely. He recalls his words to Spikings. He needs to wait it out, she's worth it, even if she doesn't think she is. She didn't deny they hadn't started something and that gives him glimmer of hope as he sits in his car trying to find the energy to drive home.