Ruth was trying to make her hair behave but she wasn't having a great deal of success. Apparently passionate encounters didn't make for good hair days. She heard her doorbell go and hurried downstairs. "Its open," she called and saw Harry's head peering around the door frame.

"You're a spook and you don't lock your door?" Harry questioned as Lucy bounded in with a smile.

"Tempting fate," she said, although the real answer was that she had known he'd be around soon.

"Don't do that," he said firmly. "Keep yourself safe and your door locked. Please."

"Alright Harry," she replied, quite liking how protective he was being.

"Oh wow!" They both turned as they heard Lucy's voice from the kitchen. Following the noise they saw Lucy petting the tabby cat with concentration on her face. "No one said Ruth had a cat!" she said to the room at large.

"Sorry sweetheart," Harry said.

"What's it called?"

"Fidget," Ruth said. Lucy smiled and continued stroking the feline who was now purring contentedly at the attention.

Harry turned to Ruth, confident that Lucy was distracted enough not to follow their conversation. "Are we still on for dinner tonight?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Ruth asked confused.

"After spending all night and all day with me, you might want a break," he said slowly.

"Of course I want dinner with you tonight. You've only ever taken me out once, and I'd like that number to increase a little."

"Good," he said. "I've got the nanny in tonight to take care of Lucy, so we're all set."

"Sounds perfect." She kissed his cheek lightly and then reached for the stale loaf of bread for the ducks. "Come on Lucy, we've got to go."

"Ducks?"

"Yes," Harry said, smiling at her. "Ducks."

Ruth and Harry were sitting on a bench by the water, watching Lucy throw bread at the birds. He held her hand gently, fingers caressing her skin softly and sensually.

"Ruth, I don't want you to work for Towers," he said firmly. She looked up from their joined hands to his face.

"Why?"

"That means you're going to do it anyway," he said sadly.

"No, it means I'm wondering if you have a good reason, or if its just a bruised ego that I could consider working for someone else," she replied, a twinkle in her eye.

"You keep me sane," he said quietly. "You're my voice of reason at the grid. You know instinctively what's the right thing to do. I don't trust anyone the way I trust you. I'm sure I could go over the budget and have your salary…"

"Its not about the money Harry," she interrupted. "You know me, and you know that's not my main concern."

"I'd do anything to try and keep you," he replied, and the statement went a lot deeper under the surface. She leaned her head against his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her.

"I don't know what to do," she said quietly. "I feel like I've gone as far as I can at Thames House. There's no challenge to it anymore. Not for me."

"I want you happy," he said. "I want that over whatever I may feel Ruth." She sighed but felt a sense of comfort in the fact his arm was still tight around her. "Answer me a question. What's keeping you at Thames House?"

"You," she said instantly.

"Anything else?"

"Not really," she admitted. "Although I rather like knowing I'm the best."

"Then take it," he said slowly. "Take the job, because I'll still be here with you, whatever happens professionally."

"It wouldn't be an issue?" she asked.

"Only if that smarmy git tries to make a move on you," he said. "Then I might have to resort to some unseemly Neanderthal type behaviour." She laughed against him as he smoothed her hair. "Thank you."

"For what?" she asked, sensing a change of subject.

"For Lucy," he said. "I mean, you could easily hate her, but you're wonderful towards her. Thank you."

"I don't like how she came into the world," Ruth said quietly. "But I can't exactly hold that against her can I? Its not her fault. Plus she's a really sweet little girl. Nothing like her grumpy father."

"Great," he said sarcastically. She laughed again into his chest.

"I like this," she said quietly. "I like pretending we're normal. Just like everyone else enjoying their Sunday." Harry smiled and kept holding her close. They looked up when they heard Lucy scream loudly, both very tense. Ruth relaxed when she saw what had happened. A pigeon had flown down and grabbed the chunk of bread she had in her hand. It had rather scared Lucy and she was looking around as if wondering whether to laugh or cry.

"Its okay Lucy," Harry called to her. "I think you gave that pigeon what for." She giggled slightly and turned back to the ducks, throwing in another piece of bread for them to fight over.

"Oh God," Ruth said quietly. "I thought…"

"I know," he said. "I know exactly what you thought."

"Oh to lead normal lives, when your worst worry is how your child will hurt herself. Not which nation state will kidnap her." Harry held her close without replying. There was no good that he could tell her anyway.

Harry had taken Ruth out that night, leaving Lucy with the recently acquired nanny. Lucy had sneaked upstairs into daddy's office. She knew she shouldn't be there, but she just wanted a look around. She was about to close the door when she heard a ringing noise. She could see the phone and without thinking about it too much she reached for the desk, and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Ah, am I speaking to Lily?"

"Lucy!" she corrected loudly.

"Sorry, Lucy," he said. "Its Towers, do you remember me?"

"Of course I do, I'm not stupid. I remember people's names. William. See?"

"Right," Towers said. "Listen, is your dad there? I need to speak to him."

"Nope," she said happily.

"This is important," Towers said. "I really need to speak to him."

"He's not here," Lucy said accurately. "I don't tell lies."

"Of course, sorry," Towers said, with more patience then most people would have credited him for. "Do you know where he is?"

"Ooh yes," Lucy said. "He's taking Ruth out tonight. They are going to a really, really nice rest-a-ront. I overheard daddy saying that the sham-pain was on ice, whatever that means. He told me to be a good girl because he didn't want to be disturbed tonight."

"Fantastic," Towers said through gritted teeth.

"Do you know Ruth?" Lucy asked. "She's got very blue eyes and she's very nice."

"Yes, I do know her," Towers said. "Right, if you could tell your dad I called, I'd appreciate it."

"Okay," Lucy said happily. She was about to put the phone down when she heard Towers speak.

"Bloody hell."

"You swore!" Lucy said loudly. "You said a bad thing! You shouldn't do that."

"And now I'm being told off by a three year old," he said to himself. "Oh how the mighty have fallen."

"You've stopped being nice now," Lucy said. "Goodbye." And then she put the phone down.

"Lucy?"

"Coming Julie!" she called, and she promptly skipped off downstairs to where her babysitter was waiting to read her her favourite story. The one that never failed to make her sleepy.

Okay, what now? I've come to a bit of a stalling point...