A/N: And, at long last, the epilogue. I don't think this is the last we'll be seeing of Harry and Ruth and Sophia, but the time has come to bring this particular chapter of their lives to a close. I'll be starting another project soon, so look for a new fic from me in the next week or two. In the meantime, please be warned this is almost unbearably fluffy.


Beth drummed her fingers restlessly on her thigh, staring out the window at the streets of London flashing by. She'd had every intention of arriving early to this little shindig, but life on the Grid stopped for no one. She willed her taxi to move faster, thinking excitedly about what was to come.

It had been a long year, for Beth. Lucas resigned, in the wake of Albany; forensics from the warehouse and confessions from the Chinese agents who'd managed to escape the bomb blast confirmed that he was, as ever, on the side of the angels. It was one test too many for Lucas, though, and he had seemed determined to live a quiet, peaceful life far away from those who wished to use his past to hurt him. Beth wished him all the best, she really did.

Martha had done well, in filling Ruth's shoes. She was a bit silly and a bit…naïve, but she was very nearly as bright as Ruth. Nearly, but not quite; even one year into the job, she still had a lot to learn.

Tariq was still hanging around, his hair still too long, his eyes still bright and hopeful, for which Beth would forever be grateful.

Malcolm had slipped back into the shadows, never to be seen or heard from again. Beth found she actually missed Malcolm, whom she'd only known for a few days, more than she missed Lucas. Malcolm was a real gentleman, and she'd grown quite fond of him while they were looking after Harry's little dog and fretting quietly together.

Dimitri had left the service, a few months after Albany. He'd met a nice girl called Amy, and he told Beth that after watching what Harry and Ruth had been through, in the name of Queen and country, he'd decided to put family first. They were getting married, last Beth heard, and she smiled as she thought about it. Good for him, she thought. He deserves it.

Beth had finally given the cat a name; Cat. Short, and to the point.

Yes, the world spun madly on, as ever, and Beth remained on the Grid, fighting the good fight, and finding her way. There had been moments, just a few, when she wondered if it was worth it. If it was worth the losses, worth the pain. In a year, three agents she'd known had died, and in those dark times, doubt gnawed away inside her. And when she felt low, felt certain that nothing in this world could be worth such a sacrifice, she pulled a small photo from the bottom drawer of her desk. It was a picture she'd snapped, in the hospital just after Sophia was born. She'd come to deliver Ruth's things, bluffing her way past the night nurse with a fake police badge, and wandered into Ruth's room to find all three of them, Ruth and Harry and Sophia, squashed together in the little hospital bed, Ruth and Harry grinning at each other like idiots. It was such a lovely moment, and Beth couldn't help herself; she taken out her mobile and captured the image before they even realized she was there. Looking at that photo now reminded her that Harry and Ruth had dedicated their lives to the people of this country, and as far as she was concerned, it was high time someone looked out for them. It's my turn, she thought.

The taxi pulled up in front of Harry's house, and Beth paid the driver before rushing out onto the pavement, her heart pounding excitedly in her chest. Protocol prevented any sort of fraternization between current and retired members of the security services, but Beth felt an exception ought to be made for her goddaughter's first birthday. She'd been careful, on the way here, and she was as certain as she could be that her movements weren't being tracked.

Beth rang the bell, and rocked anxiously back and forth on the balls of her feet, toying with the handles of the brightly colored gift bag she carried. After an excruciating wait, the door swung open, and for the first time in months, Beth was face to face with Ruth Evershed.

"Hello, Beth," Ruth said with a knowing little smile.

She looked better than Beth had ever seen her, her eyes clear and sparkling, her cheeks flushed prettily, her hair long and soft. And in her arms she cradled her child.

"Christ, she's huge!" Beth exclaimed. She couldn't help it; in the one photograph Beth had of the peanut the child had weighed barely five pounds, her skin had been nearly translucent, and a thin plastic tube had run under her nose, helping her little lungs to breathe. Now, though, she was a proper size, and every inch Ruth Evershed's daughter. The only piece of Harry she could see in Sophia's face were his eyes, those soft hazel eyes regarding her so cautiously now.

"Every time I look at her I think she's got bigger," Ruth confessed, taking a step back.

Beth followed her, stopping just inside the doorway to envelop her former flatmate in a warm hug.

"I've missed you," Beth said softly as they parted.

Ruth sighed a bit at that.

"I've missed you, too. I've missed everyone, I've missed the Grid, I've missed work. But look at this," she added with a smile and Beth watched, fascinated, as Ruth gently set the peanut down on the floor. After a moment, Sophia took one wobbly step, and then another, and then, gaining confidence, she tore off down the hallway, giggling.

"Christ," Beth said again, flabbergasted. So much can change, in a year, she thought.

"I miss work, but I wouldn't trade a minute of the time I've spent with her," Ruth said quietly. Beth could certainly understand that, and so she simply nodded.

"Tea?" Ruth asked. "Malcolm's already here."

Bloody Malcolm, she thought affectionately. "Tea would be lovely, thank you."

Ruth reached out to squeeze Beth's arm gently, and it was then that Beth saw the ring for the first time. She caught Ruth by the wrist, and watched in fascination as a rosy blush bloomed across Ruth's skin from her collarbone to her hairline.

"Something you want to tell me?" Beth asked with a grin. It's about bloody time.

"It's only just happened; I was going to ring you Beth, honestly I was."

Once more, Beth drew her friend into a tight hug. The last two weeks at work had been a horror show, but it all seemed worth it now, standing in this house, seeing Ruth so happy.

"Congratulations," Beth murmured.

Ruth muttered something unintelligible as they parted, and headed off to make the tea.

The sound of voices led Beth to the sitting room, where she found Harry and Malcolm, deep in conversation. Sophia was sitting in her father's lap, trying valiantly to get her hands on his glass of scotch. The child would reach for the sparkling glass and Harry would pull it back just out of her reach, and as soon as he was sure she wasn't watching, he'd take a quick sip before starting the game all over again. It was odd, seeing Harry without a jacket and tie, his face so relaxed and warm, but it was right, too.

"Ah, Beth, we'd been wondering if you were going to turn up," Harry said with a twinkle in his eye. "You'll forgive me if I don't stand up?"

"Is that any way to greet an old friend, Harry?" Malcolm chided, rising in a rather formal manner and offering Beth his hand to shake. Beth took it, and used her hold on him to pull him close enough for her to drop a kiss on his cheek. A cheek that promptly turned rather pink, she noted.

"Always the gentleman, Malcolm," Beth said as the pair of them took their seats once again.

After a few moments Ruth returned with the tea, and Beth watched, smiling over the rim of her mug as Harry, seemingly without even realizing it, lifted his arm so his fiancé could slide underneath it. Sophia promptly abandoned her father's lap in favor of her mother's, and the pair of them exchanged a somewhat exasperated look at that.

"As soon as Ruth walks in the room it's like I cease to exist," Harry complained in a good-natured sort of way.

"It'll pass," Ruth murmured.

"You two are so bloody domestic I think I'm going to be sick," Beth said dryly.

Malcolm and Ruth chuckled a bit at that, but before Harry could express his indignation, the doorbell rang once again.

"Off with you," Ruth said, still chuckling, and he rose to his feet, grumbling.

"You seem quite content here, Ruth," Malcolm said in that gentle voice of his as Harry left the room. Privately Beth agreed; so far she'd seen nothing but laughter and smiles, a rare sight indeed where these two were concerned. Maybe they'd finally found that happiness they'd both been denied for so long.

"We are," Ruth said with a shrug. "Some days are hard for him. I think he misses the action. I'm getting a bit restless, myself. We've talked about it, and I think I'm going to start teaching, next term. I've been offered a position at a little school nearby, and Harry said he wants to stay with Sophia. I give it about a day before he's complaining about it, though."

"Complaining about what, love?" Harry asked as he came back into the sitting room with their new arrivals in tow. Following in his footsteps there came a young woman with short blonde hair and an aquiline nose, a young man with Harry's soft brown eyes and an easy smile, and an older man, with a close-cropped grey beard and a gruff sort of demeanor; Beth didn't recognize any of them.

"Oh my god!" Ruth cried, clearly shocked. She jumped to her feet, or came as close to that as she could manage while juggling her daughter and her tea.

"We talked about it, and we decided you ought to hug him first," the young man said with an impish grin, indicating the older man.

"Oh, David," Ruth said, her voice a little wobbly as she embraced him.

"You look wonderful, darling," he said, and it was only then that Beth made the connection; he must be Ruth's stepfather, she thought, smiling.

As she watched she also gathered that the young people must be Catherine and Graham, the mysterious children Harry had never spoken about. Beth and Malcolm sat together, each of them radiating awkwardness as they observed the impromptu family reunion taking place in the sitting room. Everyone was suitably impressed with little Sophia, who was doing her best to hide her face in her mother's shoulder.

"Did you plan this?" Beth whispered conspiratorially to Malcolm.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you really expect me to answer that?" he replied.

"Well done."

And so they sat, squeezed together in the sitting room of a quiet house on a quiet lane, laughing over Sophia's antics and discussing wedding plans, and for a few hours on a Saturday evening Beth Bailey forgot about bombs and terrorists and secret plots to destroy the world. For a few hours, she enjoyed the company of this little makeshift family, and decided that, just this once, the world could wait.


"Christ, I'm tired," Harry sighed as he flopped onto the bed beside her. Ruth smiled indulgently, tucking a slip of paper into her book to mark her page. It had been such a lovely evening, having their whole family there together for once, and she hoped they could arrange it again sometime, but privately she agreed; they'd been so long out of the world that sometimes being around people simply exhausted her.

With a little sigh she rolled over, tangling her legs with his under the duvet and flinging one arm out over his chest.

"It was a lovely little party, though," she pointed out, stretching just a bit so she could press her lips against his neck.

He hummed, wrapping his arm around her and drawing her closer to him. "We'll have to have another one soon. Maybe a nice reception, after the wedding."

It was her turn to hum contentedly; she still couldn't quite believe that they'd made it, that they were really talking about their wedding and racing around after a toddler. Some days she was almost too scared to walk out the door, convinced that their old life would be waiting there to greet her. They'd done too much, seen too much, and surely, she thought, such happiness was not allowed, for people like them. And yet, she woke up each day wrapped in Harry's arms, and each morning she walked down the hallway and opened the door to the nursery where their daughter slept, safe and well and healthy. Maybe it's not about what we deserve, she thought. Maybe it's about being grateful for what we have.

And she was.