Going back to canon now, this ties in with 4-6. A shorter chapter this time, sorry!
A few days later, the shrill ringing of the phone had Ruth groaning. It was the middle of the bloody night. Couldn't whoever it was sod off until a reasonable hour? She fumbled across to the bedside table, Harry stirring beside her. "What?" she asked answering the phone. It was only then that she realised her mistake. She'd picked up Harry's phone. Had she not been roused from sleep, feeling disorientated and drowsy, she'd never have made that error.
"Is Harry there?" an amused voice that she unfortunately recognised straight away. She said nothing, just passed the phone over, feeling awful. The voice on the other end of the phone belonged to Oliver Mace. Shit. They'd done so well hiding their relationship from other areas of the service, and she'd ruined it by blindly picking up the phone in the middle of the night. Now no longer even remotely sleepy, she put her head in her hands as Harry finished the rather brief call.
"I have to go," he said heavily.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to do that. Answer your phone. It was a mistake."
"Don't worry," he said calmly, getting out of bed and turning the light on so he could get dressed.
"There's no way Mace wouldn't have recognised me," she said, though she was admiring Harry's naked back as he dressed.
"You said one word," he replied. "Even if he did… so what?"
"Harry…"
"I don't want to hide you," he said, putting his shirt on. "I'm in love with you, Ruth and I don't care who knows it." She smiled at that. She was worried about Mace knowing, but hearing Harry say that warmed her heart.
"Why do you have to rush off? What can't wait until 9am?"
"Intercepts from a terror suspect. Nazeem Malik. Apparently planning to bomb…" he shrugged, the specific details from the call having faded away. "Oh God, I'm too tired for this."
"Which requires you to be up now because?"
"They want to give me the intel they've discovered and my opinion about what to do about him. Well, me and a few others including Mace and Juliet."
"Forgive me if I don't seem thrilled that you're leaving our bed at three a.m. to spend time with your former lover," she said, but her voice was light. "You're crooked," she added. She got up and straightened his tie and collar at the back, before he turned around. His eyes took her in, wearing nothing at all and he smiled at her.
"Thank you for the lovely image you're leaving me with."
"Take care," she said.
"I will. See you later." He kissed her deeply in farewell. She got back into bed as Harry left and after a while she managed to go back to sleep.
Ruth saw the nod of Harry's head from across the grid and knew he needed to talk to her, without him saying a word. She went to his office, and opened the door. "Yes?" He tilted his head in a way which she understood to mean "close the door." She did and stood in front of his desk, waiting.
"Somewhere in special branch, there's a file containing what Malik said to his interrogators when he was first imprisoned. Now Paul Seymour doesn't want me to see it."
A smile hovered on her lips. "I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you." She turned to the door and then changed her mind.
"Harry, I might have to… flirt a little bit, to get my hands on it."
"Oh?"
"Not everything is hackable, Harry. I need to appeal to a mans…
"Choose your words carefully, Ruth." She couldn't help the smile that broke out onto her face at his raised eyebrow.
"Better nature," she said. "Don't worry. I'll get you the file you need." She reached across his desk and squeezed his hand gently. "Give me a few hours."
As promised a few hours later Ruth passed the aforementioned file into Harry's hands as he flicked through it.
"Do you also turn water into wine?"
"Not really," she said.
"How did… what did you call it? Appealing to Hopkins' better nature, go?"
"I got the file," she said, avoiding the question. "It turns out that Hopkins particular weak spots have nothing to do with me. More his career."
"Mm," Harry said, leaving it at that.
"Besides I have a weakness for one particular man, with the most expressive, gentle hands I've ever felt on my skin," she said, not letting her eyes leave his face as she carried on. "He has the most beautiful hazel eyes that always make it feel like he's seeing straight through me." She'd never flirted with him this brazenly, this openly at work before and he found it very exhilarating and highly arousing. "Oh, and his lips. The way they caress my body and send such exquisite sensations through me, every single time he kisses me."
"Ruth," he breathed.
"I want you tonight," she said, her voice quiet. "I need you. Come over to my place later."
"Yours?" he asked. Their evenings tended to be spent at Harry's house as it was both larger and closer to work. She put her hand on his and leaned closer.
"I have some rather revealing lingerie I want to wear. It's at mine. Unless you'd rather me not bothering…"
"Well, it will be coming off rather soon. I hope," he said, eyes glowing.
"Yes," she agreed, almost breathless. She reached across the desk and squeezed his hand tightly. "Later. I can't wait." She turned and left his office. When he was alone he let out a deep shuddering breath. Her words turned him on immensely and he had no idea how he was meant to get through the rest of the work day. She couldn't wait? Well, he couldn't either.
Thank you so much to those who are sticking with this longer story. More soon.