That Harry feels himself relaxing, is due in no small part, to him watching Wes and Michael, who are walking across the beach in the direction of a fishing boat whose catch is being unloaded. On what is a let's see how the boys get on day, in advance of their trip to the Stacks. It's more than that though which is causing him to feel as though he's conquered Everest and has the badge to prove it. The chance to be happy for the rest of his life with the woman he loves. A life which will also include Wes. Because his trip here to see Ruth, not on his own but with a young boy in tow, hadn't come with a guarantee that she'd want to share the responsibility for Wes long term in the way that she does. Or that a couple of weeks later they'd all be living under the same roof, with a certainty that far outweighs anything else he has on his mind. Including spending a day with Angela and her son. Angela who just as the stranger in the shop had suggested, agrees that the best way to gain a child's trust, is to give them the freedom to make their own choices. Something that she'd told them, during what both he and Ruth had decided needed to be a 'cards on the table' conversation, on the evening when they'd invited her round to dinner. When they'd readied themselves to tell her that Wes wasn't biologically theirs and why, but as the evening had worn on and after a few drinks too many, they'd abandoned in favour of enjoying themselves.

That she's sitting with them now, watching the boys from a beachside café in Southwold, where they have a panoramic view of the bay which takes in the pier and the lighthouse on what is a clear blue-sky day, is not only a testament to how he's warmed towards her, but that he's accepted that she's genuinely fond of Ruth. Neither of which take into account how cold it is outside, or as the short-term forecast suggests, that there's an icy blast of Siberian proportions on its way. Putting to one side what that might entail, he turns to look at Ruth, who by the way her eyes are trained on the child who even from this distance he can see is enjoying himself, tells him that Wes Carter could ask her for a trip to the moon and back, and she'd find a way to make it happen.

What neither he or Ruth know, but Angela intends telling them in her own good time, is that Michael's father left for work one day and that was the last that she saw of him. That she'd quickly accepted what had been an irreversible situation, was not only because he had another ready-made family waiting, but her determination to protect the then three-year Michael from being used as a pawn in a potentially protracted divorce case. Instead, finding herself a job that allowed her to work at home and still does, by reverting to what she'd been trained to do as an accountant. Which in the early days had come with as many downs as there were ups, until she'd found a work life balance that suited everyone involved.

The positives of which are many, but most importantly is that she's learnt to trust her own judgement again. Something that having moved to a quiet and what she still believes to be a beautiful location, where people are either out at work all day and those that aren't are generally on the elderly side, has allowed her to get on with her own life. Leading her to believe that what she and Michael had was enough, until Ruth moved in a few doors down, talking about her job which had taken her across Europe and most recently to Paris. Another person who she's recognised as trying to escape or maybe find solace just as she had. A story which gained momentum, on the morning when Harry knocked on her door and asked her if she knew where Ruth was, and in the days which have followed, have left her wondering where these two met? Concluding that like her they have a secret yet to be told, which includes how Wes fits in. None of which will change her mind as to how she feels, no matter what that is. Because having spent time with them, doors that she's long kept closed have been opened. Michael has a friend who lives a few doors down, with parents who when she sees them looking at each other are clearly in love. People who she feels comfortable spending time with.

'Fish and chips,' suggests Harry, breaking her train of thought, as the boys, red faced and claiming to be hungry arrive back. A suggestion that sees them driving back along the coast road to the restaurant where she and Ruth had lunch, not long after they'd met. Ruth who'd she'd seen from her front window, struggling back from the local shop and had offered to give her a lift the next time that she'd needed to go shopping. How their conversation that day had been about the area and very little else and how now, only a few weeks later, it feels as though they've known each other forever.

.

What the adults haven't yet told each other, the boys have. A conversation which Wes is about to relay to Harry in advance of bedtime. Had it been anything less than, or told in such a way that only children can put pieces of a puzzle together and come up with an answer which means everything is going be alright, Ruth might well have continued upstairs to have a shower and get ready for bed. Instead, keen to hear how Harry will respond and just as Christopher Robin did, minus the teddy bear of course, she's stopped halfway up the stairs and sat down.

A conversation which starts when Harry asks Wes 'if he's enjoyed his day?' During what is a shared hot chocolate ritual, which had brought to an end each day in London and he and Ruth have agreed should continue. Time spent on his own with Wes, which in the early days had given Harry the chance to gage how Wes was adjusting to life without Adam and since moving here with Ruth, has seen them chatting about everything and anything. All of which have been positive.

'It was great,' Wes told him, before going off on what could only be described as a tangent, by telling Harry, 'Michael doesn't have a dad, just like me. He thought you and Ruth were my mum and dad and he said I was lucky. I didn't want to tell him what had happened to dad, so I told him that you were my real uncle and auntie, which you are now aren't you.'

'Yes, we are,' Harry told him, glad that he'd included Ruth.

Only to be dealt the punchline of, 'then he told me he didn't have any of those either, so I told him he could share you.'

Wishing not for the first time that Ruth hadn't gone to bed, 'is there anything else?' Harry finally managed to ask the boy who was calmly drinking his hot chocolate, while he himself was taking a break from mentally transforming himself into quite what he didn't know.

Until the moment when he was watching Wes climb into bed, in the small room that still needed to be cleared of things that Ruth didn't want to keep, but somehow Wes had transformed to make it his own. After which, with a last glance to ensure that Wes had settled down, he turned out the light and padded barefoot along the landing and climbed into bed beside Ruth, grateful to see she was still awake.

.

'Before you tell me that what Wes said was anything less than straightforward, I need to confess that I overheard your conversation, Harry. Ignoring the fact that I wish I could have seen your expression, Wes isn't trying to turn us into real life Mother Hubbard characters with a house full of children, or is he a child who keeps his thoughts to himself thank goodness. My early years were spent longing for a brother or a sister, but unlike Wes, my parents spent more time arguing that they did listening to what I had to say. Wes as hard as it might be, is finding a way to tell you that he knows his mum and dad are gone and that he trusts you to look after him. Which in my limited experience, means he won't keep secrets from you, which is also a good thing. I'm sure Adam will have recognised this and was the reason he chose you to look after him Harry and by association me. Today proved how well he and Michael get on, which is why he wants him to call us Harry and Ruth, in the same way that he does. As opposed to Mr. and Mrs. Pearce, thinks Harry before he agrees that she's right. Having spent what feels like a lifetime wondering how Ruth would respond if he actually asked her.

Which brings him nicely on to another question. But not until he's kissed Ruth goodnight and she's fallen asleep beside him does he allow himself the time to think about his retirement from MI5. Something that when he does, he intends to do in the correct manner. Not to take the easy option of posting a formal letter, which will be opened by whoever might be on duty on the day. Because from the day he joined until now, he's taken his job seriously, at the expense of a personal life and a family, which until Ruth had gone away, he'd accepted for what it was and now knows differently. Unfortunately, he has no idea what the reaction will be to him leaving, although he'd like to think that had it been him and not Adam who had died on the dreadful day, that he'd have been given the same respectful send off.

Which is why when he does resign, he intends to stand in front of Dolby and dare the bastard to smile. Before what he plans will be a low-key celebration with his colleagues and a personal goodbye to London. The city where he's spent more than half his life and if all goes to plan, he'll leave in the safe hands of Ros. The yet to be answered question as to whether or not Ruth and Wes will agree to come with him, which is what he'd really like to happen, is one that will have to wait until his told Ruth that he's made the decision.

One week later.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore that Christmas was just around the corner, when trees were being put up and decorated and the postman when he arrived, was delivering parcels, as well as letters and cards. But through it all, Wes remained his usual cheerful self as they encouraged him to plan for the holiday. What he wanted to take with him and what he wanted to do when they were there, they largely left for him to decide and he responded ten-fold with suggestions. Once the schools broke up, which meant that Michael was at home and by arrangement and on the three days when Angela was working, he became an ever- present fixture and time filler for Wes, until suddenly it was the day before they were due to leave.

A day when Harry's smile, the same one that had wound Ruth up on that first day, was threatening to reappear. Because although he hadn't said anything to Ruth, he was imagining them spending time on their own. While the boys were doing whatever it was they wanted to do, that came within the boundaries of the let them spread their wings category, but safely. Whereas in their case, he intended throwing caution to the wind in every way possible.