Nine:
Pieces of a Puzzle

Ruth poured herself a cup of coffee and smothered a yawn. Portia was already eating her breakfast – Harry was very good about getting it ready for her, it seemed. And Harry was at the table, too, with a cup of coffee and a couple of pieces of toast. He was, rather interestedly, perusing her Daily Variety magazine and humming a little under his breath.

"Good morning," Ruth said softly.

"Hi, mom," Portia chirped.

"Hello," Harry said. "I don't know half of who these people are."

"That's fine, love," Ruth murmured. "I'm going to call Joe Gregory this morning and try to cancel Sunday. No point in him lowering himself –"

Harry glanced at her over the top edge of the oversized magazine. "Stuff and nonsense," he said. "I think you'll find that the allure of a beautiful woman on one's arm will cause many a man to overlook whatever transgressions the lady might have committed."

Portia giggled and said, "Dad, you talk funny."

"So do you," Harry said, winking at her. Ruth smiled as she watched Portia grin and tuck back into her cereal, clearly pleased at having a father who loved her and who loved to tease her gently. "You go do what you need to do, and we'll pass the time. The girls are coming over in a bit because Catherine has an appointment, and I think we'll watch a movie or play games again."

"Mom, can we go to London with dad?" Portia spoke up.

Ruth almost spit out her coffee. "Harry, did you put her up to that?" she asked.

"No, I certainly did not," Harry said. "Portia, I told you yesterday –"

"Yes, I know what you told me, and now I'm asking mom because she loves me more," Portia said indignantly. "You only know me a little. She knows me a lot."

"Whether or not I know you has no bearing at all on whether or not you and I can travel with your dad," Ruth said firmly. "It's too expensive to just hop on a plane, Portia. Your father already has his tickets arranged and –"

"That's not fair," Portia said sharply. "He'll go and won't come back! He'll forget about us and –"

"I won't," Harry interjected. "Portia, it's very complicated to travel between countries, and you probably don't have a passport –"

"I DO," Portia said. "Mom keeps it in her dresser. She said if anything ever happened to her, I had to be ready to go live with my dad, so I've got one of those."

Ruth sighed. "Portia Eloise… please don't make a scene about this. Your dad has to go back to London and you and I have to stay here. End of story, young lady. Maybe sometime soon, Cate and the girls would like to come with us and we can go, but for right now, it's just not feasible."

"It's not fair," Portia huffed. "What if dad realizes he made a mistake and he doesn't want to come back to California, mom? What then? Can we go then?"

Harry set aside the magazine and said, "Portia, wherever you and your mum are is where I'd like to be. I will be coming back, soon as."

Portia frowned. "I don't want you to go!"

"And I don't want to go," he replied. "But my doctor will be very cross with me if I don't make my appointments."

Portia pouted. "It's not fair."

"No," Harry agreed patiently, "it's not fair. But I will bring you something back, okay? Something wonderful and just for you."

"Like what?"

"Like never you mind right now," Harry said, "and eat your breakfast, love." He caught Ruth's eye and gestured for her to go, seeming to have everything in-hand. "Now, what shall we do today? Should we play games or should we watch a movie?" he asked as Ruth retreated back down the hallway to her bedroom.

She got on the phone and waited. "Hello, Joe? It's Jan," she said.

"Janet, good morning – I was going to call you and make certain that you've got everything in-hand for Sunday…"

"Joe, I can't go on Sunday."

"Why ever not?"

Ruth sighed. "Because you don't want me on your arm after the Iain Lewis thing breaks."

"It's already broken – by the way, how long have you been shagging that piece of work?" Joe asked. "I had one of my reporters on your lawn this morning in case things got ugly, but your man friend seems to have calmed things down immensely."

"Well, I – wait, what?" Ruth asked, stammering a little.

"Your gentleman friend… Sir Harry Pearce, I believe he told the gaggle of reporters?" There was a pause while she digested that, then he added, "He did take out your rubbish this morning, didn't he?"

"Ah, yes," Ruth exhaled. "And he's not my… friend. He's my fiancé."

"Oh, really? Gone and snagged yourself a knight?" Joe teased. "You'll need a bit of respectability, what with all the hellfire Iain Lewis is trying to rain down on you. I've been trying to keep the hounds at bay, and so it seems, also, has been your fellow." There was another pause. "Jan, look, I know you've had a rough couple of days –"

Ruth shook her head and sighed. "Joe, the last thing you need is bad publicity –"

"I'm no stranger to bad publicity," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "My son likes to blow up science experiments and my daughter used to take off her clothes and her diaper and run all about like a wild child… not to mention the spectacular way my wife deserted our family and the way I've crashed my car twice. You're the least of my worries, Jan."

"Yes, but –"

"Look, pick a place and I'll meet you there in half an hour. We'll talk. I fancy a coffee and some eggs."

"That little place on Magnolia?" Ruth suggested.

"I'll be there," he agreed. "Janet, picking you and Portia up on the side of the road and taking you home with me was the best thing I've ever done. You do believe me when I say that, right?"

"Maybe, a little," Ruth said quietly. She was taken back to the day, in a flash, when her car had all but caught fire on the side of the freeway, torching all of their meager belongings with it. Out of nowhere, a limo had pulled over on the side of the road and Joe had offered them shelter and a new beginning. She owed him, and now she'd disappointed him in more ways than one. "Joe, I –"

"I've got a job I want you to do for me," Joe said. "But I want to talk to you about it face-to-face."

"All right," Ruth sighed. "Half an hour. I'll be there." She hung up and got dressed quickly. When she was done, she threw her phone into her purse and headed toward the kitchen. "I've got to go out," Ruth said. "Do you want anything while I'm out? What are we doing for lunch?"

"Never you mind about that," Harry said. He gave her a quick kiss and smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she murmured. "Especially for going to bat for me this morning; you didn't have to, you know."

"Yes," he said simply, "I did. Now, off with you. When you get back, we'll be happily watching the new My Little Pony thing the girls are so into."

Ruth gave him a gentle, lingering kiss. "You're a good dad," she murmured. "Oi, you, Portia – you behave for your dad. Got me?"

"Loud and clear, mom."

Ruth hugged her daughter and whispered, "I love you."

Portia said, "I love you, too, mom. See you later."

The diner was bustling with overflow from Warner Brothers Studios and the surrounding music offices, as well, not to mention the normal crowds. Joe was already tucked into the corner booth when Ruth arrived, and she waved at him and hurried to join him.

"Got you that caramel coffee thing you like," Joe said with a warm, fond smile.

Ruth appraised him for a moment, then smiled back. They had an easy friendship; he'd been coming off the heels of his messy divorce when they'd met, and he'd been noble and kind to her. She'd repaid him in full, and took time to help him with his kids once in a while. Joe was on the low end of forty, only a few years younger than Ruth, and she felt toward him like a little brother. They did one another favors… but not of the sexual nature. She couldn't see him like that, and likewise, he had no interest in her.

No, his interest lay pretty squarely on Catherine Grey, but she would remain unattainable until she 'got over' Stephen. Which would probably be the arse end of never.

"Oh, thanks – I could do with a full English, but god knows it'll never happen," Ruth said with a chuckle. "So… how are Billy and Maisie?"

"Maisie's learning to read, so she's always bringing books into my office and reading them to me," Joe said with a smile. "And Billy's having entirely too much fun with that book of practical science experiments you gave him for his birthday."

Ruth smiled and said, "I knew he would – and Maisie's got a bright future ahead of her, you know."

Joe reached over and grabbed her hand, holding it tight. "Jan, what are you planning to do now you've been let go?"

She squeezed his hand and pulled away, sighing. "I don't know, really," she admitted quietly. "There's not much I can do but try to find a different job and hope it's soon, so the mortgage doesn't go into default."

"I've got a position open –"

"Joe, come on," Ruth said. "How many times have you offered me a network job and how many times have I turned you down?"

"This isn't exactly a network job," Joe said. "I've been saying for years we need to streamline the PR office and the communications office into one division, and you getting your arse handed to you yesterday just brought it forward a bit."

The waitress brought over two coffees and a plate of honeyed fry bread. Ruth immediately reached for the fry bread; damn Joe, knowing her weakness like that. If he and Harry ever teamed up, she was doomed. "Iain Lewis is a prat –"

"An unemployed prat," Joe replied cheerfully. "His show is cancelled as of this morning – nothing to do with me, of course. Silly bugger probably didn't see it coming, but it was getting dreadful ratings and not even the tit shots were bringing things up."

Ruth sipped her coffee. "Yes, well… I'm a bit of a silly bugger, too, because I went along with him, didn't I? I knew better and yet…"

"Did you care about him?"

She didn't even hesitate. "No."

"Then sod him," Joe replied. "He's a prick without balls – he's done what he can to hurt you because you wounded his pride, didn't you? But regardless… Janet, I need you to come on board with me. Help me drag the network out of the dark ages, will you?"

"What kind of a position are we talking about?" Ruth asked.

"President of Public Relations and Internal Communications," he said. "You'll get a 5% profit share – mine is 8% - and an annual salary of $2.4 million, plus use of a private jet to hop from office to office. Six weeks of vacation, and the equivalent of two weeks' sick/personal leave per year, paid out at normal rate." Joe looked at her imploringly. "Please?"

"Where would I be based?" she asked.

"The main office is here, obviously, but you'll have to make trips to the satellite offices from time to time – London, Paris, Berlin, New York, Sydney, Tokyo, and we're about to break ground on a station in Olso. I'd like to say you could be based out of any of the offices, but you'd be of most use here in Los Angeles."

Ruth nodded. "Of course, because here is where the drama happens. If it's not reporters, it's on-air talent." She took a deep breath and sighed. "Let me think about it – I'll have to discuss it with Harry, see what he wants me to do."

"Your Harry isn't exactly a paragon of virtue," Joe said, taking a cautious bite of his fry bread. "You know he worked for MI-5, right?"

Ruth frowned for a moment, wondering briefly how Joe knew that. "Yes," she finally said, sighing. "Yes, I know."

"How do you know?"

"I worked for GCHQ once, and was seconded to MI-5 for a few things," Ruth said, trying for a modicum of truth shrouded in an elaborate lie. "Harry and I were… well-suited, and we got on well. Too well. We were forced apart and I left Britain because it was made very clear that my kind of 'distraction' was not needed." She shrugged. "I didn't find out I was pregnant with Portia till after I was in the States. By then, it was too late to do anything but mourn what could have been. But Harry's back, now, and neither of us is going to give up on our relationship. Not when there's Portia to consider." She looked up at him and smiled slightly. "And if you use that against me, I'll make it so you'll never get in Cate's good books."

"You're really going to marry him?"

She smiled and nodded. "I am. I'll be Lady Janet Pearce, and… and I'll give you the respectability your network needs behind the scenes to pull up its pants and kick it out into the open." She exhaled, then said, "Why don't you bring the kids – and the contract – round tonight? I'm game if you are."

He whooped excitedly and gave her a hug across the table. "I'm pleased!" Joe cried. "Very, very pleased –"

"Yes, well, I owe you, don't I?" she teased gently. "Not many people would have taken in strangers who'd lost everything."

"I almost didn't," he admitted. "But I heard my Gran in the back of my head, yelling about what a horrible tosser I'd be if I didn't at least try to help you."

"You're still a twat," she pointed out fondly. "But I think you're a lovely twat, Joe. Thank you. You have no idea how much this means –"

"Yeah, yeah, just show up on time and leave on time, and we'll call it even."

Harry looked up from the television when Ruth came in. "Hello – where is everyone?" she called.

"We're in here!" Gracie cried.

They were on their second episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and Harry could feel his brain beginning to melt out of his ears. He was rather glad of an excuse to escape. He got up and went to meet her in the hallway, unsurprised to see the smile on her lips. "So it went well, I take it?" Harry asked, giving her a kiss.

"You could say that," Ruth replied. She was almost bouncing with excitement, and he felt giddy just watching her. "I've got a job. A much better job than the last one. At iNBC, in PR and Internal Communications." She squeezed his hand and grinned at him. "Harry, I'm going to be the bloody President of PR and IC."

"Really?" he asked, smiling. "That's good – when do you start?"

"Joe's coming for supper and bringing his kids along," Ruth said. "I'll sign the contract tonight, he'll announce it tomorrow, and I'll start on Monday. It's a bloody good job, good pay, good benefits, possibility of a bonus and profit sharing, 401K and pension plan… the whole nine yards."

"Good," he said softly, leaning in to kiss her. "Now you won't have to worry about where the next house payment comes from. And, for the record, you're so beautiful when you're excited about something. I'm proud of you, Ruth."

She gave him another kiss and murmured, "Let's get married before you go back to London, Harry. Let's make it official. I want to be stuck in together. Please say we can. We can fly up to Las Vegas and do it right quickly –"

"But then I'll lose the chance to ask Her Majesty for permission," he teased. When the look on her face turned sour, he amended, "I would marry you five minutes from now, if we were able, my love. Honestly, it's just a piece of paper that says we belong to each other, but we feel it in our hearts, don't we? Haven't we always belonged to one another?"

Her lips twitched up into a smile, and she said, "Harry, I love you. And we're going to Las Vegas on Friday morning and on Friday evening, we're going to be Sir Harry and Lady Janet Pearce. Got it?"

"Oh, I've certainly got it," he replied with a grin on his lips. "Just as you've got the family trousers, m'lady."

END PART NINE