Disclaimer - still not mine, which is a shame really as they'd have loads more fun.

A/N - Final chapter. Sorry it's taken a hellishly long time but unfortunately real life has got in the way of fic writing recently.

Thanks to Em for the beta and to Em and Kate for all the encouragement.

This chapter is for Mummy Pea ;)

Chapter 5

After dropping Adam off at his flat, Zaf was immediately subjected to a grilling from Jo.

"So? What really happened?"

"It was just as Harry said. This woman was arguing with her husband and we stepped in."

"That's crap, try again."

"It's true, Jo." Zaf winced as he tried to shrug his jacket off.

"So why didn't you know that Harry and Adam had been arrested? And why did Harry tell Ruth that he didn't know where you were?"

"I, er, well…we got separated." He knew he sounded anything but convincing, so decided to try a different tack. "What did Ruth say when Harry called her? There's definitely something going on with those two isn't there?"

"Stop trying to change the subject."

Zaf sighed. "Things just got a bit confused. Some bloke bumped into me and we ended up having a bit of an argument."

"Really? Chatting up his girlfriend were you?"

"No." He sat down on the sofa and leant back. "Can we leave this now? I'm really tired and just want to go to bed."

She mumbled something he didn't quite catch and headed towards the kitchen. When she returned, she was carrying a mug of coffee.

"Thanks, Jo." Zaf extended his hand to take the drink from her.

"It's not for you." Jo sat down on one of the armchairs and glared at him. "You said you wanted to get some sleep; I don't think the caffeine will help."

"You're right."

"Aren't I always?"

"Yes." Zaf had decided that appeasement was the best way of dealing with Jo's current mood. Anything else would lead to even more trouble.

"I'm really sorry about this evening," he continued. "I'll make it up to you. What about a trip to the pictures on Saturday? We could go for a nice meal afterwards, that Italian place you like."

Her response was a non-committal 'maybe'.

Deciding that he'd done enough for one evening, Zaf heaved himself off the sofa and moved across the room. "I'm off to bed. Night."

He lingered by the door for a moment, hoping Jo might enquire if he needed any assistance, but she didn't. As he trudged slowly up the stairs, he knew that a film and a meal were not going to be anywhere near enough of an apology. Jo would make him pay for a long time; he was sure of it.

--

Harry kept his eyes closed as the bedroom door opened and the light snapped on. Ruth stomped round the room and banged the wardrobe doors a number of times. He maintained his pretence of sleeping, adding to the illusion by snoring loudly several times.

"I know you're not asleep, Harry, so you can stop the amateur dramatics."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Not much chance of sleeping with all the noise you've been making."

"Oh dear, did I disturb you? Sorry." She didn't sound in the least bit apologetic and glared at him as she started to undo the buttons on her shirt.

He watched her appreciatively. "We might as well make the most of it then."

Muttering something that sounded like 'not a bloody chance', Ruth grabbed her nightclothes and headed for the bathroom.

--

"I see you've gone for the flannelette passion-killers." Harry's laugh turned into a groan, and he clutched at his ribs as Ruth got into bed. She was wearing her thickest and, in her opinion, dowdiest pair of pyjamas.

"I thought it was for the best," she said, as she settled herself under the covers.

"How do you know I don't have a secret winceyette fetish?"

She snorted. "Go to sleep."

"Don't I get a goodnight kiss?"

"No."

--

A little while later, movement beside him disturbed Harry from a rather nice dream he was having. In the gloom of the darkened bedroom, he could just make out that Ruth was taking her pyjama top off.

"Changed your mind?"

She jumped as he spoke. "Harry! I thought you were asleep."

"I'm wide awake now." He shifted, awkwardly, and reached out a hand to pull her closer. "Need any help?"

Her reply was muffled as she tugged the top over her head revealing an irresistible expanse of bare skin. Harry gave in to temptation and she shrieked as he tickled her. The combined effort of trying to get the pyjama jacket off and stop his teasing left her breathless.

"Please," she pleaded with him, "I'm hot enough as it is."

"Very hot, in my opinion." He moved his hand to her back and began to lazily run his fingers up and down her spine. "Do I get a kiss now?"

She turned towards him, "One kiss."

Several minutes later, Ruth was sprawled on top of Harry as his hands wandered over her body. She tried to move and inadvertently prodded him in the ribs.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, but it's your own fault." She attempted to wriggle out of his grasp again. "Harry, you've had more then one kiss."

He held on to her. "No you don't. I'm not letting you get away that easily."

Ruth, who was also not averse to using deviousness to turn a situation to her advantage, decided it was time to play him at his own game.

"OK, but first I want to tell you how you're going to make up for this evening's misdemeanours."

Harry stopped kissing her shoulder and looked at her. "I thought I was already doing that."

"Oh no, I have something special in mind."

He looked mildly hurt at her suggestion that the activity they were currently engaged in was in some way ordinary.

"Even more special than this," she smiled seductively at him.

"Really? Tell me more."

--

Several weeks later

Harry looked up as his team trooped into the meeting room. As they settled into their seats, he frowned.

"Where's Zaf?"

"Physio, Harry." Jo sounded rather fed up.

"Again? Surely his shoulder is better by now?"

"That's what I was thinking but apparently Helen has told him he still needs more treatment."

"Riiiight." Harry drew the word out, wondering if this was a conversation he wanted to pursue. Jo was clearly not enamoured of the physiotherapist Zaf was seeing. He looked at Ruth, hoping she might indicate to him if he was getting on dangerous, domestic territory. Her face was impassive; he was going to have to rely on his own judgement.

"Well he'll just have to catch up when he comes in."

"Huh! If he's got any energy left," Jo muttered.

--

At the end of the meeting, Harry asked if there were any other issues.

"Yes, there is." Malcolm shifted uneasily in his seat. "It's a bit, erm, a bit, ah, odd."

"Odd, Malcolm?"

"Yes, Harry."

There was a pause.

"Go on, Malcolm." There was just a hint of irritation in Harry's voice.

"Well, it would seem that there are some things missing from the Grid-"

"Like Zaf, for example." Jo was going to say more but the look she received from her boss silenced her.

"Thank you, Jo." Harry turned back to Malcolm. "What things?"

"Two sets of handcuffs and a police uniform."

"Maybe Section A borrowed them."

"No. Dorothy always asks first and delivers the requisition forms in person. And why would they want two pairs of handcuffs?"

"I don't know; to complete the uniform? I really wouldn't worry-"

"You haven't forgotten about the Bethnal Green incident have you?" Malcolm's voice was developing a mildly hysterical edge.

Adam hastily turned a laugh into a cough as Harry glared at him.

"What's the Bethnal Green incident?" Jo's curiosity was piqued.

"It was appalling. Very nearly brought the service into disrepute. I think it's probably one of the most traumatic-"

Harry's authoritative voice cut through Malcolm's reminiscing. "I haven't forgotten about it. I was the one who had to sort it all out."

"What happened Harry?" Ruth, whose face had a definite pink tinge to it, was also intrigued.

"Two Section D officers thought it would be amusing to borrow a couple of police uniforms from here for a fancy dress party they were going to."

"Why they couldn't have gone as postmen or gasmen is beyond me-"

"Malcolm!" Harry didn't bother to hide his exasperation. "On the way home from the party they drove into the back of another car at a roundabout in Bethnal Green. Stupidly, they decided to pass themselves off as real police officers to try and intimidate the other driver. Unluckily for them, he was a genuine Detective Inspector. From Special Branch."

"Oh dear," Ruth said, faintly.

"Oh dear indeed. It was a bloody nightmare." Harry scowled as the memory of the incident returned. "I had to call in several favours to stop those two clowns from being prosecuted and we were beholden to Special Branch for months until we caught one of their Detective Superintendents in a compromising position."

"What sort of compromising position?"

The looks of surprise and shock that greeted Ruth's question caused her to hastily back-peddle.

"No, I-I didn't mean…I don't want graphic…" She could feel the blush spreading over her face. "Just forget it," she muttered, taking a keen interest in the documents on the desk in front of her.

"I think," Adam began, "it involved a dominatrix, a whip and misuse of Metropolitan Police prop-"

"Right, meeting closed," Harry said, loudly, gathering up his papers. "I'm sure the uniform will turn up, Malcolm. It's probably just been put back in the wrong place." Not waiting for a response, he stood up. "Come on. We have work to do."

--

Zaf sighed as he read the text message from Adam.

Jo's def suspicious so be careful. BTW, have you borrowed plod uniform from Grid? A

His fingers move quickly as he typed out his response.

Thanx for the warning. No, not me. Z

"Mr Younis? You can go through now."

He gave the receptionist a dazzling smile as he thanked her and went into the treatment room.

"Hello again, Mr Younis."

"Hello Helen." He slipped into smooth charmer mode. "I think after all these weeks you can call me Zaf."

"I prefer the more formal approach, Mr Younis, as you well know." The tall physiotherapist pointed to the treatment table. "Take your shirt off and sit down please."

Doing as he was told, Zaf's mind wandered back to Adam's text message. Something about a police uniform… Surely not…? He was frowning when Helen walked over to him.

"Something wrong, Mr Younis?"

"No, no, I'm fine."

As she began her examination of his shoulder, Helen questioned him, asking if he'd been having any pain or discomfort.

"Yeah, I'm still getting the odd twinge and I don't seem to have full mobility yet."

"Are you sure you've been doing the exercises I gave you?"

"Yes, I have. I think I might have overdone it a bit at work the other day."

"Doing what? I thought you worked for the Council. Planning Department, wasn't it?"

"I do. I was moving boxes of files. Lots of files. And plans. They were very heavy."

Helen made a 'hmm' noise and it was clear from the look on her face that she didn't believe him. "OK, well let me have another look at you then."

An hour later, Zaf was on his way back to Thames House with instructions to continue with the exercises he'd been given and another appointment with Helen for the following week.

--

Harry looked up as the door to his office quietly slid open. It was Ruth.

"If you really wanted to know what that Special Branch Superintendent was caught doing, you could have asked me in private," he teased, as she placed some folders on his desk.

"Very funny." She glared at him.

"Anyway," he said, his tone more serious, "Malcolm's missing items…I told you he'd find out. We'll have to bring them back tomorrow."

"Oh Harry! That will look really suspicious. Leave it for a couple more days." She smiled flirtatiously at him. "In fact, leave it until after the weekend."

"I'm not sure I can take much more. I might have to ask Zaf for the number of his physiotherapist."

"Don't even think about it or I'll leave you handcuffed to the bed."

"Is there any chance that I could handcuff you for a change?"

"No."

Harry decided against pursuing the issue any further. "I'm not sure why you get me to wear the uniform. It doesn't stay on very long."

Ruth moved closer to him. "That's because you look so damn sexy in it." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And then I just have to get you out of it."

"You are a very naughty girl."

"You love it," she responded, moving quickly to avoid his attempt to kiss her. "But you'll just have to wait until later for that."

She was gone from his office, leaving a very frustrated man counting the hours until it was time to go home.

--

Put off by the heavy rain, Jo had decided against going out and had ventured into the Thames House restaurant for lunch. She picked up a plastic wrapped pack of sandwiches: 'Premium Ham with Salad – freshly made today!' the label proclaimed. Deciding they looked anything but premium or freshly made, she disconsolately returned them to the display and moved towards the hot food counter. Bloody Zaf, she thought as she studied the 'Specials' menu. She was certain his shoulder was better now and he was only pretending it wasn't to avoid his punishment for getting arrested. Well, the longer he goes on pretending, the longer the punishment will last.

As she was deciding whether the vegetable lasagne was more appetising than a jacket potato with tuna, the conversation between the two girls in front of her started to filter through to her brain.

"…of course, Derek is really fed up about last Friday. I knew Zaf would beat him. He's such a demon pool player not to mention absolutely gorgeous."

"Oh yes! Sex on legs, definitely."

"I should try and get a transfer to Section D."

Over my dead body, Jo thought, angrily. She turned on her heel and headed back towards the Grid.

--

"Malcolm, what's all this about some things going missing?" Zaf kept one eye on the technician and one on Ruth as he waited for an answer.

"Someone's walked off with a police uniform and handcuffs. It's unbelievable. You'd think that with all the security we have here, not to mention we're all supposed to be responsible, trustworthy-"

"So what do you think has happened to the stuff, Ruth?" Zaf showed no compunction at cutting through his colleague's mini-tirade.

"Me? Why would I know what's happened to it?" Warning bells were already going off in the analyst's mind but she adopted her trademark vague tone.

"Oh, I was just thinking about the other week, when Harry ended up in a police uniform shirt. It just seemed a bit of a, I don't know, a bit of a coincidence."

Smiling triumphantly at the blush that began to spread across Ruth's face, Zaf leant back in his seat and folded his arms behind his head. He was so busy basking in his success that he failed to notice the pods opening and a very irate blonde marching across the Grid.

"How's the shoulder, Zafar?" The question was accompanied by a sharp slap to the side of his head.

"Ow! Jo, that really hurt!"

"It was meant to, you sod!"

"What have I done now?" Zaf asked as he rubbed his ear, which was stinging from the blow he'd received.

"Good game of pool was it? Apparently, Derek's not very happy. Well, according to Serena," Jo spat out.

"Serena? Oh, you mean Simone. I-" Zaf realised too late that he'd incriminated himself. "Er, Jo, I can explain."

"It had better be a bloody good explanation." Harry's voice boomed across the Grid, startling all of them. "Zafar, Joanna, my office. Now!"

--

"So, did you threaten Zaf with four weeks of intensive SAS training?" Ruth asked, her fingers toying with the buttons of Harry's shirt.

They were snuggled together on her sofa, both drowsy after their dinner and a bottle of wine.

"Hmm? No, he's got to help Debra Langham out with some new recruit induction courses."

Ruth lifted her head from Harry's shoulder and stared at him. "New recruit induction courses? Are you mad? This is Zaf we're talking about."

"Thank you for your pronouncement on my sanity. Two weeks with Ms Langham will be punishment enough for him."

"But Harry-"

"He knows about the police uniform."

"Shit!" Ruth sat up. "He can't know for certain."

"Well, I'm not prepared to risk it. The stuff goes back to the Grid tomorrow. No arguments."

Expecting to have to fight his corner, Harry was surprised when Ruth nodded her head in agreement.

"OK, but you know what that means, don't you?" Her fingers had returned to his shirt and were rapidly undoing the buttons. "We'd better make the most of tonight."

THE END

Thanks for reading. Thoughts/comments/concrit always welcome.