hey guys. long and winding chapter not much happens but it needs it...you'll see enjoy and R&R x

ps merry xmas!

"Your love is a place for a lonely man
With too much in his head
The liars and thieves who cramp your style
Won't be there for your last breath"
Ed Harcourt

Adam and Malcolm returned after about half an hour.

"There's a back entrance I think you should go in that way, they might have surveillance looking for you. If they know who Ruth is they will almost certainly know you." Harry nodded and slipped out of the car. Adam handed him a key "203".

Malcolm was busy finding their own surveillance equipment in the boot.

"It's a good job they think we're photographers, this could look really suspicious." He murmured.

"And booking a double room didn't?" Adam chuckled at the look on Malcolm's face.

"Great, so now we look even dodgier." He shook his head as he started making his way back to the hotel.

"I thought you liked dodgy?" Adam said just loud enough for Malcolm to hear. Malcolm spun round to see Adam with one eye brow cocked. "It was a joke." Adam dead panned, making his way up the steps.

Harry made his way through the kitchens, a few wry stares followed him but mostly he was ignored. He found himself in the staff stair well. Taking that the room was 203 he guessed it would be on the second floor and started to climb.

He hadn't gone far when he heard a voice, he stopped dead so not to alert his presence but soon realised this wasn't just another bus boy skiving.

"They've just arrived…..The Lexus was a dead give away, then they started to unload camera equipment, you'd think 5 would be a little more subtle…" ah so it was an agency and by the sounds of the man it was their non-so friendly counterpart, 6. Harry groaned inwardly, this made things harder, but then nothing was simple any more. "…No he didn't seem to be with them, but the bitch started to wake up so I had to leave the window…" the bitch. Harry could feel the anger rising inside him, he wanted to confront this cheat now but quickly decided that wasn't the best course of action. "…no I'm sure he will come you haven't seen them together, he adores her, thankfully for us she held less adoration." Harry's heart sank. He knew it must be true for her to come away with someone other than him but he was desperately hoping there was a different, less heart breaking explanation. "…I know what I have to do, He won't leave the building again once he gets here." The man snapped his phone shut and with a few steps was gone. Well at least they knew he was the target not Ruth, he didn't know if that was comforting or worrying.

He sighed and made his way up to the second landing, he carefully peered round the door t make sure no one saw him emerging and quickly found room 203, letting himself in he found the other two sitting intensely with headphones on. They removed them and he recounted what he had heard.

She stirred again, what ever he was giving her wasn't that effective. It only knocked her out for a few hours at a time. Now she wasn't shackled anymore instead she was just laid on the bed. Her body hurt as she tried to move it, first she stretched her arms, the pain was like none she had felt before, she couldn't describe it, it wasn't an ache or a sharp pain, but it defiantly hurt to move. She lay still, her eyes coming in and out of focus, she didn't know if it was the drug or the lack of sleep or just her flailing eye sight. He noticed her stir and made his way over to the bed. "Looks like a cavalry are here. Two men just arrived not your lover though so I need you to get him here. He pulled her to a sitting position and dialled a number she knew only too well in to her mobile. She tried to reach to hold it to her ear but her muscles couldn't do it, he pushed it against her ear instead. "Make it believable" he sneered.

His phone rang for a few seconds before he registered that the voice they had just heard telling her she was going to ring someone meant him. He picked it up, hoping they wouldn't hear the tone in the next room.

"Answer it" Adam urged.

"Harry Pearce." He said. Tears welled up when she heard his voice. So steady and calm, maybe he didn't care after all. No, she knew him better than that, he was pretending. She hoped to god he was with whoever had turned up before; she knew he wouldn't leave this up to anyone else.

"Harry" Her voice shook and his heart leapt. He had known it was her, but hearing her voice confirmed she was still alive.

"Ruth, what's wrong? Are you alright?" He asked keeping up the pretence.

"Its all gone wrong Harry I need you to come and get me, please, I know I don't deserve it but, please." She managed to say it all before the tears began to fall.

"Ok," he breathed. He pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up.

"Very good, I guess not everyone at 5 is incompetent." Her breath ragged as she kept crying. He let go of her and she flopped back down on to the bed, unable to hold her own weight. He crossed the room and returned with a needle. She tried desperately to fight him off but she couldn't muster the strength. The needle entered her blood stream and the liquid spread through her body, warming as it went. She could feel her self drifting slowly back into oblivion, her eyes closing and her body relaxing.

All was quiet now, that was worrying. Malcolm looked up Adam was subconsciously biting his lip and Harry was rubbing his forehead. He removed his headphones.

"Shall we run his voice?" he asked Harry "he might be on our system. Failing that we can do a photo fit Harry."

"Yes, I'm not sure I'll be much help, I only got a quick glance. Adam keep listening, I want to know if there's so much as a pin drop in that room. Actually can't we get a camera in there?"

"No the walls are too old, perfect place to come if you don't want to be spied on, were just using the micro chip in Ruth's phone to manipulate the speaker and mic to pick up any sound in the remote area, short of actually getting into the room we can't get any cameras in there."

"What about the window?"

"Curtains are drawn, I checked from out side when we were coming in."

"Oh right."