Ok I don't know if I'm entirely happy with this (I find Ros very hard to write for) but hopefully this kind of works. Next chapter is Malcolm visiting Ruth after retiring.

Ros Myers: [after Zaf refuses to tell her Ruth's location] It's all right, I don't need to know. I just hope she's well hidden, that's all, because there's going to be a full-scale witch-hunt. Just hope she's got a broomstick.

Episode 5.5.

There was a knock on the door. Ruth was in a safe house again. She had been dropped here by an MI5 officer from a different section. She had been too distraught to control herself at the sight of anyone from Section D. The sight of even Lucas, who she did not really know, brought her to tears. She supposed it was someone come round to check up on her. Another nameless face if she had any luck.

She opened the wooden door. It was Ros Myers. Her eyes widened, and she considered slamming the door in Ros' face but then she thought even that would take too much energy. It wasn't Ros' fault that George was dead.

"Hello," she said finally.

Ros raised an eyebrow. "Ruth. This isn't on official business. You'd be well within your rights to..."

Ruth interrupted her. "I know what my rights are. You don't have to come preaching them to me. Just tell me. What do you want?"

"Can I come in?"

Ruth studied Ros' face. It was serious and unsmiling but surprisingly there was pity in her eyes. She nodded and soon they were both seated on the safe house lounge.

"You know what this is about already," Ros said after awhile.

"Yes," Ruth said quietly.

There was something else in Ros' green eyes now and what Ruth saw there shocked her. It wasn't just pity. It was fear.

Ros' voice was calm and collected and somehow that made what she said more powerful. "Why didn't you slam the door in my face Ruth? Why didn't you hit me? Shout at me? Scream at me? React? I ruined your life Ruth. I ruined your sole chance at happiness."

"I thought that too sometimes Ros, on my more bitter days, but there was no point in the end, on dwelling upon it. You can't go back. You can never go back. It didn't matter how it happened, why it happened. I had to make a new life for myself. There was no other choice."

"And now that choice has been taken away for a second time." It was a statement of fact.

"Don't... please."

Ros looked her in the eye and braced her shoulders. "You're absolutely right Ruth. That was... entirely selfish of me."

They sat in silence. After awhile Ruth got up and tried to pour them each a glass of wine. She began to cry at the sight of the bottle. It had been a vintage George had loved. Ros had said nothing. She had taken the bottle out of Ruth's hand and poured the glasses steadily. She passed Ruth the tissue box.

"When Adam...died, I went home and threw things about my room. Smashed valuable things to pieces."

"Did it help?"

Ros smiled sardonically. "A little."

They sat down and were silent again. Eventually Ruth began to speak. "You've changed Ros."

"You've been gone two and a half years Ruth. People do change."

"You know, when I first started out in the service I replaced a woman called Tessa. She was a cold, hard bitch. She turned our secretary with lies. I was the one that realised what was happening. Tessa never apologised, not to me, not to Harry, not to her protégée Zoe. Tessa was always right. It was everyone else who had to pay. Never her. Once upon a time you reminded me of her."

"And I don't anymore?"

Ruth shook her head. "No Ros. I know how much coming here must have cost you."

Ros stood up. She held out her hand to Ruth. She grasped it, shook it once. "I underestimated you Ruth. I thought that because you cared you were weak. Showing emotion is not a weakness."

"Isn't it?"

"Never say that it is Ruth, never say that it is."

"Ros."

Ros paused and turned back.

"I'm not coming back you know."

"I wasn't trying to convince you otherwise. I'm not Harry's lackey. You should know me well enough to know that I wouldn't act as some messenger girl."

Ruth shot her a weak smile. "I shouldn't have doubted the great Ros Myers." She waited till Ros' hand was on the doorknob to leave. "And Ros..."

Ros turned around. There was respect in her green eyes that had never been there before.

"Thank you."

Ros smiled. Her eyes were glistening, though she would never have admitted it. The door shut and she was gone.