Home Sweet Home?
Disclaimer: Same as before!
Honesty
In the car, Ros could feel herself getting angry. He was not letting this go? He wasn't? After all the crap he'd put them through over Sarah? She couldn't believe it. She stared out the driver side window, both hands gripping the wheel so tight her knuckles had turned white.
"Lucas, I shouldn't have phoned you last night. I shouldn't have disturbed you. I obviously should put my mobile away before I start on the wine."
With that she went to turn the ignition on as Lucas rested a hand on her arm. Looking at him she dared him to stop her.
"You seriously don't expect me to let you drive." The daggers were practically shooting from her eyes. Lesser men would have run for the hills, but Lucas held her gaze. She narrowed her eyes, determined to maintain the composure she was so famous for.
"No, I seriously expect you to talk to me." Ros turned and opened the car door. She didn't have to hear this. .Who the hell did Lucas North think he was? God, if I needed psychobabble I'd be in Tring, not on a London high street with him chasing after me. Lucas decided to bite the bullet, and followed her along the busy high street, the car long forgotten as he tried to keep up with her retreating figure.
"Ros, stop! Please!" He shouted after the retreating blonde. Passers by begun to stare as she rounded on him.
"What?!" her gaze locked on to his. "WHAT exactly do you want me to say?"
Lucas was beginning to get genuinely scared. Somewhere in her tirade Ros had begun crying. Her stance suggested she was up for a fight, but her eyes said otherwise. Her watery eyes betraying exactly what her words tried to hide. He approached her carefully this time, not wanting her to retreat further into Ice Queen mode. Placing both hands on her upper arms he searched her face for answers before speaking.
"I want you to tell me the truth. That's all. Why you phoned me and said nothing. Why you don't trust Zoë or the boys. Why you won't go to Whitehall. You used to go to see Andrew Lawrence all the time before the explosion. I thought you liked the guy? Why are you still staying with Malcolm when you tell everyone that you are ok?"
Ros tried to look away but his eyes held her to the spot. She wouldn't cry, she never cried in front of people. It didn't happen. She gulped and tried to step out of Lucas' arms but found she couldn't. People around them stared and pushed past. Lucas realised they were causing quite a scene, which wasn't something you really wanted to do in his line of work. Guiding Ros carefully away from the main street into a small alleyway beside a shop he again asked her to talk to him.
Ros glared at the floor as if staring at it for long enough would persuade it to open and swallow her whole. Lucas was a friend but he didn't get to see her break down. He didn't ge to see her anything less than in control. Ros swiped the tears away. Crying still seemed shameful somehow, how dare she cry after all the things she'd done? After Jo. The thought of Jo and the look on her face in that basement broke Ros, the tears now flowed freely. Lucas pulled her into his arms and held her as she cried, stroking her hair softly.
Seconds turned into minutes as Ros' tears subsided and her breathing returned to normal. Lucas tilted her face to look at him. "Ok?" He whispered. He hoped desperately that the Ice Queen wasn't back. Ros nodded and offered a weak smile.
"Sorry, look I stay with Malcolm because he's my friend. Because I can't stand to be alone. I close my eyes and see Jo. Or she's there when the bomb goes off. I'm too slow. I have to choose between her and Andrew and I can't." The frailty in her voice almost brought him to tears.
"That's why I can't see Andrew."
He raises an eyebrow, not following her thinking. "I was too slow; if only I'd got us out of there faster he wouldn't have been hurt. It's my fault. I'm Section Chief. It's my responsibility. You are all my responsibility."
He sees the Ice Queen begin to seep back in to Ros. It's unlike her to let her guard slip at all. So he wasn't surprised when she begins to shut down again.
"Ok, so why not speak to me when you called? It's not the first time you called and didn't speak is it?" His hands remained on her waist as hers held on to his arms. She shook her head, unable to believe she's going to admit what she was really feeling. But it's Lucas, anyone else would have been beaten into submission with a look, but not him. He stood up to her.
"Because." She swallowed hard. "Because I just wanted to hear a friendly voice I suppose. Malcolm was out. I had found some wine in the fridge. I forgot you were out with her."
Lucas noted the disdain in her voice as she mentioned Zoë. "I didn't disturb you did I? Oh Shit Lucas. That explains the daggers I got this morning. Great timing eh?" She sighed at her own drunken stupidity.
He shook his head. "You didn't disturb anything. I'd already taken her home when you rang." He smiled at the memory, Ros looks at him as if he's insane.
"She knocked you back?" Ros was began to feel a little like her old self. Lucas still held on to her, unsure if he wanted to let her go. Something which Ros seemed to mind less and less as time went on. Lucas smiled and shook his head. He couldn't talk about this with her, could he? .
"What makes you say that?" Lucas smirked, slightly put out that Ros would think he'd been rejected. He knew Ros was well aware of his bad luck with the opposite sex.
"Oh so she did." Ros offered a watery smile - glad the tension had eased slightly. She was used to this banter with Lucas. It was safer somehow than all this feelings and hearts and flowers stuff, she could deal with the banter. Even when it verged on the flirty, it was them back on an even keel.
"Now, what would you say if I said I'd knocked her back?" Lucas raised an eyebrow as his hands slid from behind her back on to her waist. Suddenly Ros was aware of his touch, much more than a few minutes before when she'd cried in his arms.
"Oh yeah?" She glanced up at him briefly before beginning to step back, suddenly she realised her back was against the wall. "Why would you do that? She's pretty, young, good company I imagine."
Lucas tilted her head to look at him, still not ready to break the physical contact between them. What are you doing? She's your best friend! A little voice in the back of his head warned.
"Because she's not you" He practically whispered as he brought his lips down to meet hers. Ros brought her hands up to touch Lucas' face as his grip on her waist tightened, deepening the kiss.
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Back on the Grid Zaf and Adam had settled in well, typing up reports and generally teasing Ruth while she ignored them. Ruth couldn't help but feel things had gone back in time. After everything that happened to those boys they still seemed to enjoy winding her up. She smiled to herself and looked towards Harry's office. It was a subconscious habit she'd developed years ago - a similar habit of Harry's. He seemed to enjoy watching her as much. Harry raised an eyebrow as she looked away, blushing slightly.
The Grid was a hive of activity but with Nightingale and the other threats Section D had to deal with the place was getting over run with work. Ruth could sense another late night ahead. One look in Harry's direction confirmed her suspicions. He was pacing up and down his office, phone juggled from one hand to the other as he looked for a pen on the desk. Ruth smiled to himself. Only Harry could make that look sexy she thought. Adam and Zaf smirked at her as Zoe returned from the small kitchenette tea in hand.
Adam looked at the clock - "God, I got to go" he swung his legs down off the edge of Ruth's desk and picked up his jacket. "Got to fetch Wes, we're off to the football tonight" Ruth was pleased that father and son seemed to be back on track. He waved at the assorted spooks and made for the Pods. Zoe didn't bat an eyelid, instead flirting outrageously with the desk officer that had come from section K to ask for advice. Seemed the poor boy was getting more than just advice - which he didn't seem to worry about. Flirting outrageously back.
Ruth shook her head. How did Zoe do it? Back in the country less than two weeks and already had men falling at her feet. Although Ruth was happy to settle for just one man falling for her.
"Ruth, you know you said you'd baby-sit for me again?" Zoe leant across the analyst's desk.
"Mmm" Ruth didn't even look away from the computer screen.
"Didn't think you were seeing Lucas again." Ruth really didn't want to get involved in this. She loved looking after Emma but Lucas was her friend.
"I'm not. Well we never arranged anything. James has asked me to go for a drink, tomorrow. Look at him he's gorgeous. Please Ruth; Emma loved you looking after her." Zoe looked across the desk at the Intel Analyst.
"Ok, but I might have plans you know." Ruth couldn't shake the feeling she was being used. It was beginning to look like she wouldn't see Harry outside of work for a few more days and the thought was depressing.
"Ruth, you're a star. Tell Harry he's welcome to help with the babysitting." Zoe winked as she walked across to James and the two were still huddled together getting friendlier as they discussed where to go the next evening. Ruth shook her head and returned to her work, knowing Harry would probably take Zoe up on the offer of babysitting if he knew that he and Ruth could spend some time alone together.
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Ros and Lucas arrived back on the Grid to see Zoe fawning over James. Harry was once again in his office pacing up and down, but it seemed Adam, Zaf and the others had gone out. Although with Malcolm you could never assume he'd gone home. Apart from Harry and the girls the Grid personell had made themselves scarce.
Lucas' eyes immediately fell on Zoe and her new found friend, as Ros walked over to Ruth's desk. Both refused to make eye contact with Zoe. Ruth took the memory stick from Ros that had been acquired from her contact and noticed Ros was quieter than usual. She glanced across to see Lucas smile at her as he headed into Harry's office.
James it seemed had taken a shine to Zoe and both seemed oblivious to Lucas and Ros, although Ruth wasn't sure if Zoe was just using James to test Lucas. If she was then Lucas wasn't going to pass. Five minutes passed and Lucas strode out of Harry's office towards Ruth and Ros. Ruth smiled to herself at the soft smile Ros gave him as he approached. There was definitely a change between Ros and Lucas. Something had happened Ruth just knew it.
Zoe and James had decided to get a coffee before she went to collect Emma from the childminders - again shooting Ros a filthy look before exiting the Pods. If Ros saw, she didn't care; Lucas held her attention as she shrugged on her leather jacket. The two saying a quick goodbye to Zaf and Ruth as they headed towards the Pods. Lucas gently placing a hand on Ros' back as they thought no-one was looking.
Ruth smiled, it was nice to see Ros happy for once. Zaf looked at the couple leaving as he re-entered the Grid and glanced across at Ruth. He leaned across the desk and smiled at Ruth.
"Do you reckon it's too late to start a book on those two?"
Ruth couldn't help but laugh as she threw the eraser on her desk at him.
Authors note: Thanks for the reviews. I think I'm going to leave this here, I hope you have enjoyed. I'm not too sure about the ending. But it had to end up as Lucas/Ros didn't it? Please review x