Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter. I've been struggling a little with this chapter and the next few, so apologies for the delay.
In the morning Harry dressed in yesterdays clothes, having little other option, a permanent smile on his face. He would change his shirt when he got onto the grid. He had a few spares in his desk, usually for all nighters. "You'll have to lose the smile," Ruth said, though she made no effort herself to stop her own grin. "Otherwise people will notice." Ruth was already dressed, but it didn't stop him from wanting to undress her and kiss her skin all over again. One night wasn't enough. He wanted more. He'd wanted her for so long that he needed more. To make sure every detail of her was imprinted on his memory permanently. The precise sweep of her collarbone. The exact way her eyelashes fluttered when she came. How her the heels of her feet pressed against him hard when she wanted him to thrust deeper inside her. He'd already committed the big things to his memory, but he wanted every small moment on his mind forever. In case fate got in the way, and took this chance of happiness away from them.
"Oh, and Adam knows about the two of us, too." That brought him down to earth with a bump.
"How?" he asked, adjusting his tie as she sat on the edge of the bed. He turned back to her briefly, wondering if she was concerned. But she didn't seem to be, much to his relief.
"I told him," she said. "When we were tied up in the van, I thought Moran would kill us both. And Adam's quicker than me, a much better field agent than me. He had a higher chance of escaping." She swallowed uncomfortably. "I told Adam to tell you… if I didn't get out of it, to tell you that... I loved you. Because I do." She felt very uncomfortable, because Adam shouldn't have known that before Harry did. But at the time, that hadn't been one of her concerns. "I love you, Harry." He looked at her intensely so she carried on. "If I died, I wanted you to know that." He leaned over her, his face very close to hers.
"I love you, too," he said, smiling slightly. "But you could have told me that last night."
"Yes, because you wouldn't have thought my judgement was impaired by sex and adrenaline, would you?" she said, slightly sarcastically. "You already thought I'd seriously impaired judgement after the operation for sleeping with you in the first place." He nodded once.
"Well, in the cold light of day, I may change my opinion," he said. Because last night was…"
"I remember what last night was," she said, a wide smile on her face. "And this morning." His touch returned to her gently, her face and shoulders, fingertips gently skimming over her skin.
"I love you," she said simply. He kissed her deeply, ending up pressing her into the mattress. "Work," she reminded him, his body weight against her.
"I don't care," he said. "I have to kiss you." She laughed and let him.
The weeks passed calmly, the status quo still intact. It seemed to become an open secret on the grid that Harry and Ruth were involved. Whenever bad news had to be delivered to Harry, Ruth noticed that she was always the one who seemed to given the file. It seemed to be that everyone else thought Harry was less likely to explode at her. While she appreciated the logic, she didn't always appreciate being the bearer of bad news.
She was glad that the news of her liaison with Harry didn't seem to have made it to the other sections, but she knew it was simply a matter of time. It bothered her, but not as much as she'd expected. In her personal life, she was happy. For the first time in quite some years. She didn't mind her friends knowing.
Near the end of the day she picked up her desk phone as it rang. "Yes?"
"Ruth, it's me," Harry said. She smiled, she couldn't help it.
"JIC meeting ended early then?" she asked.
"Yes," he said. "There's nothing pressing, so I thought I'd go straight home."
"Mine or yours?" she asked. She had given him a key to her house a week or two ago.
"Yours?" he suggested. "I'd like to cook you dinner, waiting for when you get home?"
"You? Cook?" she asked with amusement at the mental image of Harry donning an apron in her kitchen, Fidget winding around his legs.
"Order take away and open a bottle of wine, then," he countered.
"Sounds great," she said, smiling widely. "I can't wait to see you."
"Me too," he said, voice going husky and sensual. "Tonight, I want to lay you down and slowly…"
"This phone line is one of the grids," she said, interrupting him. "We can't."
"Fine," he said with clear reluctance. "But I'm going to enjoy tonight. I haven't had you in bed for quite some time."
"No, but the kitchen table's got some memories," she said, her lips twitching.
"Come home," he said.
"I'm on my way." She put the phone down and signed off her work. It was already past seven in the evening. A perfectly respectable time to go home when no current operations were running. So she turned off her computer, gathered her things and went through the pods. Home to Harry.
She was just through the front door when hands grabbed her, pressing her against the door, a hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming. Fear flooded her when she heard the click of the safety being taken off of a handgun.
"Put her down," Harry said firmly. "Now." Her assailant let go and raised his hands and Ruth got a good look at him.
"Gary, what the hell are you doing?!" she shouted as she recognised him. "Are you trying to scare me?"
"I'm in trouble Ruth," he said, casting Harry and the gun a wary gaze.
"Put it down, Harry," she said calmly. "It's okay." He put the safety catch back on, but he didn't lower the weapon, still wanting to be on the alert. Years of training. She ignored the newcomer and walked towards Harry, her hand around the gun he held. "Harry, it's okay. He's a friend. Put the gun down." Her gentle touch on his skin was the reassurance he needed and he did let go of the weapon.
"Funny way of showing he's friendly," Harry said darkly.
"What kind of trouble?" Ruth asked turning back to the intruder.
"Kitchen," Harry said. They both followed him and Ruth picked up the wine glass that Harry had already poured for her as Gary Hicks sat down at her kitchen table.
"Since when do you walk around armed?" Ruth asked, looking at the gun on the kitchen counter top.
"I don't," Harry said. "I hid a gun in your house. For protection," he added at her look.
"You hid an illegal firearm in my house and didn't tell me?" she asked bewildered.
"It's not an illegal weapon. And I would have told you," he said. "I want you safe."
"Harry…"
"Sorry to interrupt," Hicks said, though he didn't look it. Ruth licked her lips, thinking there would probably be a better time to discuss Harry's need to hide guns in her house.
Harry walked behind her, a hand on the small of her back, needing to touch her for reassurance. She smiled at him slightly, silently telling him she was okay as he rested a hand on her shoulder. They both turned to the newcomer.
"Interrupting, am I?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What do you want?" Harry asked, not appreciating his presence here. Mentally he'd planned a nice evening with Ruth, drinking wine, laughing and hopefully ending up in her bed, making her cry out with pleasure. He'd been looking forward to taking her to bed all day. It'd been the single thought that got him through a spectacularly dull JIC meeting, but it looked rather unlikely now.
"Clive McTaggart," Hicks said. He proceeded to explain the scene he'd walked in on, two men killing the old spy and how he'd made a run for it.
"You left your car there?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Hicks said.
"Then they already know who you are," Harry said. "Have you got a mobile phone?"
"Yeah?" he said blankly.
"They could have tracked you here," Ruth said.
"Give it here," Harry demanded. His voice was so forcefully that Hicks barely hesitated before offering his phone. Harry stripped it, destroying the SIM. He turned to Ruth. "You can't stay here," he said softly. "It's not safe."
"I know," she said.
"I'm going to call Adam, arrange a safe house for the pair of you," Harry said.
"But, can't…"
"No," Harry said, looking at her. He knew what she wanted to ask, to stay at his house until the threat was over. "I'd love that, you know I would. It's too dangerous. I want you safe."
"Fine," she said.
"I was interrupting, wasn't I?" Hicks said watching the pair of them, a smarmy smile on his face. Harry didn't answer and called Adam.
"I need a little assistance in a relocation," he said lightly, in case anyone should be listening. The call was short and brief. Ruth knew they'd be here within ten minutes. She looked at Harry, both of them ignoring Hicks for the time being. He put his hands on her hips tentatively, because they had company.
"This could get…"
"I know," she said. "So much for our evening."
"We'll put it on hold," he said. He kissed her, gently as they had company. She smiled tightly against him. "I need you to take care."
"I'll be fine," she said. He nodded.
"Your boss, Ruth?" Hicks said. "Didn't know you had it in you." Ruth ignored him.