A/N We're heading into AU territory now, including being very free with timelines. New territory for me too so we'll see how this works out. Thank you to all who have stayed with this very slow-paced story and have taken the time to review. I appreciate it very much.
(Ruth) I finally got the nerve to thank Harry for checking after me last week. I didn't want him to see me as weak and when I mentioned that to him, he told me he saw me very far from weak. He explained that he saw me as brilliant and dogged. Relentless I think he said. He asked me to go for a drink after work and I said yes. I mean, how could I look into those hazel eyes of his and say no? He looks at me differently than other men have in the past. I can't put my finger on exactly what I see in his eyes when he looks at me but I like it.
We went to a pub not far from my flat (how did he know that there was a pub near my flat?) and had a wonderful couple of hours together. It was a delightful time and Harry began to drop the boss mask just a little. It was so, so nice to have a meaningful conversation with him about something other than work. He walked me home and thanked me for going with him and I was, I was…so happy! He was such a gentleman and asked if I would like to do it again. Do it again? I mumbled something and finally said yes, I would. Needless to say, I had wonderful dreams that night!
(Harry) Ruth came into my office yesterday to thank me for checking on her wellbeing. I tried to make light of my actions but she was having none of it. She made light of her importance and I would have none of that…what a pair we make; what a pair I'd like for us to make. Anyway, I took a risk and asked her to have a drink with me and she said yes, she would love to have a drink with me. I don't know if I was able to mask my emotions very well but I was so pleased she'd agreed to go with me. I really didn't think she would.
I'd already looked into possible nearby venues when I began to realize that she was more than a colleague so we went to a small pub near where she lived. I thoroughly enjoyed our time together and the conversation was very stimulating…none of that chitchat rubbish. I could see her begin to relax a bit as she realized that she could be more herself than at work. She really is beautiful in so many ways. After I walked her home I asked if she'd like to do it again and she mumbled something…I didn't understand what she was saying…but she said yes. Needless to say, I whistled all the way back to my car and went to bed looking forward to dreams of her.
(Harry) Happiness didn't last long; it never does in this job. Danny was killed yesterday, saving Adam from having to make an impossible choice and giving Fiona a chance to get back to her husband and her son. Danny died a hero and not even his family will know that. Ruth was devastated and heard everything that transpired. God! It was so hard to tell her to shelve her grief for the time being so we could find Fiona and bring her back. Sam was so upset she had to be sedated by medical.
I went around to Ruth's flat at the end of the working day (which happened to conclude at 2 AM) as I wanted to make sure that she was OK. (How can anyone be "OK" after losing a friend and colleague?) Danny was the first to die on the job since Ruth joined us and it was Ruth's first experience of a loss like that. Distressing to say the least. She didn't look surprised when she opened the door and she knew why I had come without me saying a word. Immediately she began to sob. All we could do was stand there and hold and comfort each other. That woman has an enormous loving heart and…I know she's captured mine.
(Ruth) Danny is dead! He's dead and I'll never see his cheeky grin or hear his voice again. God! I don't know if I can do this anymore. Danny died a hero and no one else will ever know that, no one else but us—his friends and colleagues. We couldn't even take time out to mourn him because we had to find Fiona and we did that, we did find her. She felt so guilty that she had survived and Danny didn't but I think Danny wanted to give her a chance to get home to her family. He wanted her to be able to go back to Adam and their son. There really can't be anything greater than to give one's life for the love of another. Danny did it for love, I think. He loved others enough not to have Fiona's son grow up without his mother and sacrificed himself for that. I wonder if I would be able to do something like what Danny did. I hope so.
I was so grateful that Harry stopped by that evening afterwards. I hated being alone and so distressed. I think Harry understood that and didn't try to make it "better." He just held me when I broke down. I haven't had anyone do that for me since before my father died. Harry doesn't let others see that he has a heart but I do. And I believe that he loves others and loves deeply but is afraid to show it to anyone. I also believe that he has been hurt often in the past. Anyway, I'm glad that he came around offering me comfort and I hope that I can be of some comfort to him too. He is such…