A/N: It took a while, so sorry about that. It's shorter than the other couple of chapters, but I'm hoping the next one will make up for that :) Also, thank you to all the people that have left reviews -you know who you are - I truly couldn't of done any of this without your kind feedback!

Appearances and Other Deceits: Chapter III

Their laughter was raucous. Ringing out across the garden in unguarded merriment and making the last few stragglers on the patio turn around and stare in surprise. At any other time Harry would have been bothered by that. After years in the service he drew ambiguity about himself like a well loved overcoat. The thought of drawing unwanted attention makes him a little uncomfortable, but then he turns to look at the woman at his side and his hesitations are thrown to the wind.

They'd found a bench at the end of the garden to sit and share their drinks. To begin things had been awkward. They'd passed the time politely enough. The weather, the party, what they'd been doing with their time. Then the conversation had drifted round to slightly more personal things, but stuck with the safe subjects. Favourite movies and what they liked to watch on TV.

Now, now he wasn't even sure what they were talking about. But he knew that Ruth couldn't hold her drink and that the hour was getting late. Most people had already left the party, but they were far from being the last. The time was getting nearer though when they would seriously need to think about leaving.

"We should call a cab." Harry said, voicing his thoughts aloud for the first time.

"I have special cabs." Ruth declared with a vacant grin.

"Special. Cabs." He repeated as he looked at her askance. "We really need to get you home."

"Time to go!" Ruth said boldly as she leapt to her feet and tripped over her own handbag. She landed in Harry's lap with a peel of laughter, leaning back into his chest and throwing an arm around his neck. He held on like a man grasping a life line, slipping slightly on the bench so they both ended up sitting at an angle.

It was insane. He knew it was insane, but still he didn't move immediately. It was as though he were rooted to the spot whilst his heart ran a marathon. Ruth giggled, she actually giggled, and smiled at him with an exclamation of oops! Harry smiled back despite himself and tried to sweep his thoughts aside. It was unnerving. The power she seemed to hold over him almost unconsciously was frightening in its intensity. Right there and then he could not think of a single thing he wouldn't do for her.

Caressing her cheek with the back of his hand, Harry realised it would be so very easy. All he need do was lean in. They would kiss and put an end to longing that had plagued him for months. No more wondering. No more speculation as to what could be. The look she gave him was so frank and appraising, void of all the small deceits they were forced to put up every day that he was completely and utterly taken aback. Then his mind was made up. Deep in his gut he knew that there would be a better time. Somewhere else where they weren't Rachel and John, two inebriated strangers at the bottom of a garden.

"Let's go?" Harry asked as he guided Ruth off of his lap and held her steady on his arm.


The rumble of the taxi was soothing in its repetitiveness. They sat side by side on the back seat, Harry's arm wound about her shoulders as she rested her head on his. At some point Ruth had slipped her arm beneath his jacket and now she marvelled at his warmth. The drink was just starting to wear off, leaving behind a warm sleepiness instead.

The fact that Harry had a very comfortable shoulder didn't help matters. As she thought such things Ruth knew she was drunk and she really didn't care because she was happy. Partially because Harry really did have a comfortable shoulder to lean on and he was warm beneath his jacket where she now had both arms wrapped around his waist. They sat in silence, Ruth content with her drunken, slightly sluggish thoughts. It was an easy, relaxed silence that Ruth felt no need to fill with talk. This was odd, because normally she felt compelled to try and fill any silence around Harry with talk. Any talk. It was the kind of thing that had got her into trouble all the time at work.

It was hard to say what made things different now and she really wasn't in the mood to analyse things too deeply. That's all she ever did. Look for the truths behind the lies, or more often than not just the truer lies behind the great big fat whoppers of lies. Early on in the evening she'd decided that this was one of the things that she wasn't going to analyse and debate over. With Harry she was going on pure instinct.

Which was difficult because Harry was very hard to read. Or at least he was very hard to read. Ruth wasn't certain whether it was getting easier to read his expressions or whether she was just making assumptions regardless. She smiled as she realised that she really didn't care about that either. She was having fun.

"Come on," Harry said as he disentangled himself from her, "We're here."

Ruth hadn't even noticed, but she was disappointed.

Stepping out of the cab and looking up at her house though she cheered up a little. After all, the night was still young and they were getting along fine. It took a little while to find her door keys, but that gave Harry a chance to sort out the taxi fare. As the door swung open Ruth turned to face Harry as he walked up the path to meet her on the step.

"Coffee?"