Just a short last one. I felt I had to finish posting this before the start of the new year. Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck with this till the end, and thank you for the kind reviews. They mean the world to me.

8

"Purdey!"

No reaction.

Again, but louder this time. "Purdey!"

She knew that voice, she was certain of it. But how? She wondered. It wasn't possible. Or could it?

"Come on Purdey-girl, wake up."

Finally she opened her eyes, and for a moment she felt disoriented. She was no longer on a rooftop. Instead she was inside somewhere, lying on a sofa. For the second time in a relatively short period, Purdey felt lost and confused. Only this time she did have a recollection of what had happened before. She had been there, on that rooftop, together with Lucas. And now she was in a room that seemed vaguely familiar, though it wasn't her basement flat. Something strange was going on, but she was sure she would get to the bottom of this.

Suddenly she heard the voice again.

"Ah, there you are, back in the land of the living Purdey-girl. You were fast asleep a moment ago. You wouldn't have woken up, even if someone had detonated a bomb right next to you."

Purdey's head snapped up and she looked straight into the green eyes of a broad grinning Mike Gambit.

"Gambit!" she exclaimed, before throwing herself into his arms and burying her face in his shirt. "You've no idea how much I've missed you."

"Well I know I'm hard to resist Purdey, but I was only in the next room you know," he grinned.

"Were you?" she asked, looking surprised. "How long was I asleep for?"

"For about half an hour I think," Gambit replied.

He turned his attention to the TV, where the end credits for 'Spooks' were just appearing on the screen.

"I think you must've nodded off halfway through that," he continued, gesturing towards the TV. "Honestly, I don't know why you bother with programs like that. You know as well as I do that it doesn't reflect reality one bit."

"Well it's entertaining I suppose, " Purdey answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"Entertaining enough for you to fall asleep you mean" he teased her. "Well I can't blame you. You've seen far more exciting things over the past 30 years, and then there's those men. Good looking actors, but not quite as interesting when you're married to the real thing is it?" he waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"No, I suppose not" she replied, ignoring his teasing. Now it was her turn to tease. "But don't get too cocky and full of yourself Mike Gambit, or I might start considering trading you in for a younger model. Someone like Lucas for instance."

"Why. Because he's tall, dark and handsome?" he murmured, before leaning in to kiss her.

She responded to the kiss, but only briefly. "Well you're tall and handsome too. However, you're not that dark anymore," she said teasingly as she pulled at his hair, which was now laced with streaks of grey.

"Are you telling me I'm getting old, Mrs. Gambit?" A mock pained expression in his eyes.

She found it hard to suppress a giggle. "No, not old. Just….more mature if you like."

In response to this he grabbed her hand and started leading her upstairs.

"I'll show you mature," he said. "You won't want a younger model once I've showed you what I'm capable of, trust me."

Purdey laughed as she followed her husband upstairs. That dream had been fun while it lasted, but she was glad that it had been just that, just a dream. She loved her own life and wouldn't want to change it for the world.

Thanks for reading. I'd love one last review :) xx