Disclaimer: I still don't own these characters or Spooks; they are the property of Kudos and BBC.
Anger Management
The morning meeting on the Grid was a lot more crowded than Lucas remembered. Ros was now back full-time after her recovery from the explosion, and determined to get back in the field. Ros leant against the wall opposite the desk reading the file Ruth had given her that morning. Tariq and Malcolm sat together discussing the latest gadget that Tariq wanted to try - it still amused Ros that Tariq was so enthusiastic about his gadgets, but then the microphone in the matchbox and mini cameras in button holes, or more recently in a pair of earrings she'd worn had proven invaluable. The boy wonder did actually know his stuff.
Also present at the morning briefing were Adam and Zaf, although Adam still felt a little put out that Ros remained Section Chief, he had to admit she was made for the job. Harry was at the head of the table waiting for the group to settle as Zoë walked in,
"Ah, Miss Reynolds. How nice of you to join us." Harry looked up from the paperwork in front of him as Zoe bit her lip and mumbled an apology.
"Sorry, I didn't think traffic could be any worse than it was before I left." Zoe sighed. "And no one told me about the Congestion Charge. Thanks for that." Ruth glanced at Lucas feeling slightly guilty that she hadn't mentioned it the night before. Lucas shrugged but kept his eyes on his papers in front of him. The rest of the meeting passed quickly with Harry instructing Ruth to pass on Special Branch's requests for help to Section K. Ros continued issuing orders and ensuring the newer members of the team knew what was expected of them.
Ruth looked round the briefing room as the assembled Spooks made their way to leave. Lucas and Ros first out the door, heads together deep in conversation. What are those two up to now? Ruth pondered. It had become clear that when Ros thought something was wrong there weren't many people she'd confide in. Not until she had all the facts. It also didn't go unnoticed that Zoë had shot Ros a filthy look just as Lucas had turned to leave. Ruth shook her head and began collecting the various files she had brought in with her.
Harry had also seen the look Zoë had given Ros and frowned. Zoe had only just returned to them, there was no way she could have made an enemy of Ros in the short time. Just as Ruth was going to leave he called her name. "Ah Ruth, can I have a word?"
"Yes Harry" Ruth sat back down as he shook his head, "No, not here. Feel a bit like we're in a goldfish bowl with that lot out there. Roof in about 10 minutes?" She'd been home nearly six months and Harry was still frightened that any wrong word would send her fleeing from the Grid - and his life never to return. Even more so after he'd sent her into the field to meet the Chinese asset before the bomb Nightingale had set off. How close had he been to losing her that time? What if the assassin had shot them both? He thought as a cold shiver ran through him. Ruth nodded and smiled. They both left the relative peace of the briefing room and went back to work before going to the roof, Ruth still had to call GCHQ before she could talk to Harry properly.
Lucas and Ros were still deep in conversation about the latest Nightingale asset to turn up dead. Huddled together at her desk staring at the computer Lucas could smell Ros' perfume and mentally shook himself - less than 24 hours ago he'd been out with Zoë. Ros seemed oblivious and was trying to devise a way that she could get to the contact this asset had mentioned, before being silenced for good.
"Look Lucas, he might recognise you. After all if he saw you with Sarah, then he knows you work for the service. It has to be me. Adam and Zaf have only been back 5 minutes, I'm not sure they're ready for field work yet"
"What about Zoë?" Lucas nodded towards Zoë who was getting coffee from the machine.
"What about Zoë?" Ros looked at Lucas as if he'd been talking in Mandarin. "She's not done any fieldwork for five years; she's not done any desk work for five years. I'm doing it. That's final"
"You don't trust Zoë?" Lucas met her eyes and Ros stared up at him from her desk "Lucas North, at the moment I don't trust any of your girlfriends." She pushed her chair away from the desk, grabbed her car keys and headed for the Pods. Lucas inevitably found himself chasing after her.
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The roof was a popular escape for a number of Section D operatives, as the small number of cigarette butts on the floor testified. Harry shook his head; he really didn't want to know which of his team were hiding up here for a sneaky cigarette when they should have been on the Grid. The roof was the one place where he could get away from the stress, so he could hardly blame his team if they needed a break too. Lost in his thoughts he stared out over the London skyline. The winter sun giving the city a watery glow.
Ruth stepped up behind him, looking over the skyline as Harry turned to her.
"Harry, are you ok?"
She genuinely looked worried. He still couldn't believe that they were together now. That late night drink on the Grid and the chips on the way home had led them to each other and Harry couldn't be happier, even if he half expected that they'd be ripped apart again.
"Me? I'm fine." Harry smiled as he placed an arm round Ruth's waist. "What is going on with Lucas, Ros and Zoë? Is it going to affect the Grid? I can't have that. What we do is too important for petty feuds and cat fights." Ruth smiled,
"And you don't want to see any of them hurt. Do you?" His grip round her waist tightened. "Going soft, that's the effect you have on me." He purred as he kissed her.
Pulling out of the kiss Ruth answered him. "All I know is, I took care of Emma for Lucas and Zoë to go for dinner. That's all. I don't think Zoë was that impressed, she didn't say she was seeing him again. Maybe Ros is just worried about Lucas after that business with Sarah."
Ruth looked out over the skyline, the clouds drawing in. Harry couldn't help but be glad Zoë was only back as a desk officer until her clearance came through, at least that way the two women would be separated for a while. Heading back down to the Grid Ruth and Harry chatted about plans for the evening, while Ruth secretly worried that she did have to worry about her friends. While her and Ros hadn't really got along in the beginning, now she was back they had begun to get along much better. Ruth didn't want to see Ros get hurt, especially after everything with Colville and Jo's death.
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Back on the Grid, Zaf was on the phone to someone in GCHQ. Obviously flirting, Adam laughed as Zaf passed the phone to Ruth.
"It was for you, but you weren't here." Ruth took the handset and shot a look at Zaf.
"Hi Sam, what have you got for me? Sorry about him."
Zaf looked wounded and clutched his chest as Adam cuffed him round the head. All the while Zoë kept her head down and got on with her paperwork. She really wanted to talk to Lucas but as he and Ros had been out for most of the morning it didn't look like she would have the chance.
Harry was getting his things together ready for a trip to Whitehall when his phone rang. Ros, it seemed would not be attending the meeting with the Home Secretary, she had a lead to follow up with Lucas. Since the explosion a few month earlier Ros had been managing to avoid spending any time with Andrew Lawrence. Now he was back in office Harry knew it was going to be difficult for them to continue avoiding each other.
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Ros sat in the driving seat of the immobile car waiting for Lucas to return from speaking to his asset. She could have left him to get on with it, but wanted another excuse to avoid Whitehall and Andrew Lawrence. Lucas returned to the car after a few minutes looking tense as he got in the passenger seat. His piercing blue eyes staring at her.
"Didn't know much, thinks there's someone high up in this, some mastermind. I thought he'd know more. Waste of time."
Ros' eyes focused solely on the street beyond the car windscreen. "Mm."
Lucas was getting slightly fed up of Ros' attitude. She could be cold when she wanted to be, offhand and sarcastic certainly. But there was usually a reason. Today Lucas was at a loss to see what it was.
"Ros, are you ok? Why did you ring me last night?"
"Fine." It was all the reply the blonde spook gave as she pulled the car out into London traffic. At the lights Ros began feeling a little guilty about the treatment she was giving Lucas - he didn't deserve it this time. Putting the car into gear as the lights changed she sighed.
"Look, sorry. Bad day that's all." Ros didn't normally allow anyone to see her more fragile moments. Her father had brought her up that to show anything bar the traditional stoic front was to show weakness. There was no way Ros would appear to be anything other than fine. Lucas turned to face her, knowing he was one of the very few people she considered a friend.
"Ros, last night. Why did you ring me? Why didn't you say anything? I know it was you, the number came up."
"Shit." I thought I'd put it on private. Idiot, idiot she cursed herself. "I shouldn't have disturbed you. Sorry." She pushed on through the mid day traffic as Lucas stared at her, blue eyes slightly narrowing.
What was wrong with her? He had to get an answer before she clamped up completely. He looked round and decided that the best way to get her talking was to get her to stop the car.
"Ros, pull over. I'm not letting this go."
Ros wanted to throttle him, but for once did as she was told and parked the car.
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Back on the Grid Zoë was beginning to feel like she'd never been away. The basic lay out of the place hadn't changed. Harry had been out for a little over an hour, Adam and Zaf had gone to check out some information and Tariq and Malcolm were off somewhere trying out a new camera that Tariq had put in contact lenses. So lunchtime found Ruth and Zoë eating sandwiches at their desks.
Ruth was worried about Zoë. Her friend hadn't been back in the country long, just escaped a violent partner and back on the Grid in a matter of weeks. But then Zoë Reynolds had never been a woman who took her time. Ruth knew Harry was right to be worried, so thought she'd start asking about the date Zoë had been on. Girl talk right? Not interrogation Ruth thought to herself.
"Well, how was it? Are you going out with Lucas again?" Ruth picked up her orange juice trying to look like she wasn't prying.
Zoë shook her head " Oh no you don't Ruth. You have told me nothing about you and Harry so you get nothing out of me."
"Nothing to tell. We're friends. We're very good friends." Ruth smiled coyly.
"If you say so." Zoe smirked as she picked up her sandwich.
"Zoë, come on, are you going out with Lucas again? When do you want me to look after Emma?" Ruth was not going to give up, especially not when there were no men on the Grid to interrupt.
Zoë relented, sensing it would be easier and then she could get some information of her own.
"Lucas is a nice guy." Ruth raised her eyebrows, but remained silent. Zoë smiled "Oh ok, a very nice guy. The spark wasn't there, you know? Got the feeling he liked me but not like, liked me." Zoë looked down. "We got on so well in Santiago, but then I got on well with Adam and Zaf too. I think he's hung up on Ros."
"Ros? Ruth exclaimed "What makes you think that?" The orange juice and sandwich now forgotten.
"He never stopped talking about her. I know I asked about everyone, what I've missed and everything, but the conversation came back to Ros. Is there anything going on there?"
Ruth smiled sadly - perhaps Harry had been right? Perhaps this was going to lead to trouble.
Authors note. This chapter is mostly like the original. Please review.