Blessing?

Ros sat on the small wooden chair with a battered copy of the Bible in her hand. She knew Father Michael was supposed to believe that she was a criminal on the edge of finding God but she also knew there was more to him that met the eye. The Dog Collar did nothing to fool her. She glanced across at the heavily set woman who had demanded her presence in the Chapel. So far the Organ Grinder hadn't turned up; just the monkeys. For a moment she began to think she had been sent on a Wild Goose Chase, that Gruber was sussing her out. She pushed the thought aside as the priest began to speak.

"Did any of you get a chance to read the passage from Acts I asked you to look at?" He paused as the woman Ros has been waiting for walked in. She smirked, noticing that the older man was barely able to stop himself rolling his eyes.

"Yes Father." She spoke before sitting directly opposite Ros. She watched as the newcomer opened her own copy of the Bible. She instantly disliked the woman. While Ros was as far from a practising Christian as she could imagine she knew the religion was important to some people, to people she cared about. Malcolm, Lucas, Ruth and Sarah all had their faiths, her children had been Christened. Hearing this woman make a mockery of it made her hate her all the more.

"Good." Father Michael smiled slightly. "I'm glad you have been able to. Acts 3;19 says "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out." What did you make of that?" He watched several of the women shrug their shoulders. Ros kept her eyes on Gruber as the priest spoke. It was clear the woman was as suspicious of her as she was of Gruber. Narrowing her eyes, she knew things were about to get interesting.

xxxx

Ruth walked into the bedroom as quietly as she could. It had been an exhausting day, her mind still back in the prison trying to work out what Gruber was going to do next. Her meeting with the well spoken woman earlier that day was still fresh in her mind. She leaned her head against the bedroom door frame as she watched her daughter sleeping peacefully.

"Hi." She whispered as she felt Harry wrap his arms around her waist from behind her before kissing her neck.

"Hi."

"She still pouts like you. Even when she's asleep." Ruth smiled as she felt Harry rest his head on her shoulder.

"I do not pout."

"You do." Ruth bit her lip.

"I missed you today. On the Grid."

"I was there. Briefly." She squeezed his hand. "Spoke to Tariq and Catherine."

Harry nodded, his daughter had told him he had missed her visit while he was in Whitehall. The news had not put him in the best of moods.

"The JIC are being as productive and charming as ever. You'd think Brexit was the only thing that is likely to affect National Security over the next decade."

"Its led to problems." Ruth sighed as their daughter mumbled in her sleep. "You know that. Its why our budget was increased." Harry kissed her neck one more time.

"Nick is staying with Wes tonight. Pizza, football and movie with the lads as Wes put it."

Ruth smiled. Her children were growing up. She was still surprised that she had two children alive and happy. She had no idea what she had done to deserve having Nick and Gracie in her life but she wasn't about to question it. Turning quietly she took Harry's hand in her smaller one.

"I missed you too."

"Really?" Harry's voice lowered as she bit her lip. She nodded before stepping away from him while still holding his hand she led him to the bedroom next door as she tried to put the day's events behind her.

xxxx

"Rachel innit?"

Ros turned to look at Gruber. The woman was everything Ros despised. She nodded once as Father Michael took the battered Bibles back from the group before wishing them a good night.

"I said, you're Rachel."

"I know I am." Ros glared at her. Gruber smiled.

"You'd do right not to get on the wrong side of me." The brunette spoke calmly, her voice almost sweet. Ros remained still, her face neutral. She knew that the woman was sussing her out and she did not like it.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"I could say the same to you."

"Really?" Gruber laughed as Father Michael approached them.

"Everything ok, Ladies?"

"Oh yes Father."

"Confession is 6 pm tomorrow." He glanced at Ros as he spoke. Ros raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks Father, but Confession is what got me put in here to start with." Ros stood up as Gruber did the same. The priest smiled to himself, wondering where Harry Pearce recruited his team as Ros and Ruth seemed so different in many ways. He wandered away, chatting to two younger women from E wing that Ros recognised from the visiting room the day before. She turned back to Gruber.

"Why did you want me here?"

"Straight to the point. I like it."

"And?" Ros glared.

"See? Rachel. You are a little bit on an enigma."

"My business is my business. That's all." She glared at Gruber. The thinner woman smiled, reminding Ros of a Doberman that needed feeding. She glanced to where the priest was talking to the younger women.

"I see that. And I respect that. That's why I think you and I could come to some agreement. I feel I can trust your sense of discretion."

"No thanks." Ros turned, heading out of the Chapel. Gruber followed her, grabbing her shoulder she spun her so that Ros was facing her once more.

"That's a shame. You gave me the wrong answer."

Ros glared. "Now, if you don't do as I ask, and keep quiet about it."

"What?" Ros knew she had the woman. Suddenly being threatened meant she was now part of the inner circle. Gruber felt she was in control of her. Ros couldn't wait to take her down.

"I will make life in here difficult. Not just for you but for your little cell mate. Kyla. She is such a pretty young woman. It would be awful if something happened to change that."

The hate Ros felt for the woman multiplied exponentially as she listened. Making a show of sighing and pretending to consider her options she nodded once.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I'll let you know." Gruber smirked before walking away. Suddenly Ros felt that she needed a long hot shower. The op was finally starting to take shape. She knew Gruber was involved in drugs, shared and promoted racism as much as she could and had links to Britain for Britain. Now all she had to do was find out what the plans were and get the information to Adam and the others. Folding her arms she knew sleep was going to be difficult to come by. Counting her blessings she hoped this was the beginning of the end for the op. She wanted to go home.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zoe tucked her hair behind her ear as she and Beth looked at the papers spread out in front of them. Photographs showed Gruber with well known extremists as well as typed transcripts of conversations GCHQ had intercepted were covering the mahogany table in the Briefing Room.

"These were all 'Eyes Only'." Zoe explained. Catherine handed Beth a photograph showing Gruber looking a little younger. A man in a suit smiling at her as Beth seemed to be trying to avoid the camera. She frowned.

"Oh!"

"You know where this was taken?" Catherine paused. Beth kept her eyes on the photo.

"Yeah. Memory not the best but yeah. I think I do. Before I started here. Before Sailor Boy and Lucas found me on the pirate ship. Saudi? No. Not Saudi. Syria. She was in Syria when I was. She killed the man I was working for." Beth paused. "I."

"Yeah. She did." Catherine paused.

"Its why I took the job as the Russian Hooker." Beth ran a hand through her hair as she looked up. "Cath, I told you this woman is evil. She tried to kill me once, she did kill my boss. I'd bet money she was involved in my asset being murdered and some plank taking pot shots at me and Erin. If she is and she knows it was me in the park then she probably knows who I work for and that I'm linked to Ruth and Ros."

"That's what I was thinking." Catherine narrowed her eyes.

"Ruth is home. But Ros is still in there." Beth began pacing the room thinking out loud. "She's in trouble. If Gruber did order the gunman to come after me and Erin then she knows I'm MI 5 now. Which means she has someone on the inside working out here for her. She must know who Ros and Rachel are."

"I'll call Dad." Catherine watched as Zoe nodded.

"We have to get Ros out of there. Fast."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx