Thanks once again to everyone who took the time to read and review this story, it really does mean a lot, especially those who take a few seconds to give feedback. This is likely to be the last update for a couple of weeks due to other stuff happening in the real world, but I'm aiming to be back in two weeks time.

xxxx

Adam made his way over to the kitchen yawning, he'd spent the night on the Grid trying to juggle multiple situations and not for the first time, he wondered how the hell Harry managed to keep his fingers in quite so many pies simultaneously. At the moment, his most pressing concern were the multiple threats being made against the Remembrance Sunday commemorations. The Cenotaph had been swept multiple times and he was now convinced that it wasn't that location that was the target but rather somewhere else. The problem then being that there were hundreds of smaller services happening in suburbs and areas all over London as well as the rest of the UK, and there was no way they had the manpower to search each and every one. He pinched his eyes together with thumb and forefinger, yawning loudly as he did so as he waited for the kettle to boil. Two hours kip on the sofa in Harry's office had taken the edge of his fatigue, but not much else.

"I thought you'd need one of these." Adam jumped slightly at the unexpected interruption and opened his eyes to see Malcolm stood in the entrance way to the kitchen holding out a large takeaway coffee to him. "Double shot!" he added.

"Malcolm, has anyone told you what an utter legend you are." Adam said walking over and taking the coffee from him with a wide grin. He took a sip and smiled blissfully as he felt the caffeine work its way through his system.

"You're the first today." Malcolm answered bashfully. "I also took the liberty of bringing you in a couple of bacon sandwiches as well, Connie's taken them into your office... well Harry's office, oh you know what I mean!"

Adam ignored the comments about the office and went straight for the pertinent question. "With brown sauce?" he asked hopefully.

Malcolm grinned. "Of course, can they be eaten any other way."

Adam took another sip of his drink. "You're a man after my own heart!" As he led the way out of the kitchen he glanced over the Grid, it was surprisingly busy for 7.40 on a Sunday morning but there seemed nothing that needed his urgent attention. "You and Connie will both join me I hope?" he asked, casting his head round to see Malcolm heading back towards his desk before stopping at his words and making his way back towards him. "I presume you also bought yourselves coffees and bacon sarnies as well?"

"I had my All Bran before leaving the house, but I did treat myself to a coffee," Malcolm answered briefly, glancing over towards Harry's glass walled office, "and it looks like Connie is already digging into hers."

Adam raised his eyebrows silently at Malcolm before heading through the office door, he was slightly surprised that Connie hadn't chosen to sit in Harry's chair to make a not so subtle point to him, but quickly figured that would be too brazen even for her. "Morning Connie," he said breezily, sitting down and quickly opening up the first of the two foil wrapped sandwiches inhaling happily the smell of bacon that was drifting up.

She nodded to him, her mouth already full and for a few moments silence reigned as breakfasts were devoured and Malcolm sipped happily at his drink. Finally hunger assuaged and the caffeine having done its job and pepped everyone up, Connie piped up with a small smirk, wiping the corner of her mouth with a paper napkin as she did so. "So has she arrived yet?' Her words were weighted with importance as if she knew what she was saying would have an impact.

Adam and Malcolm's head both swivelled to her as she spoke and Adam was glad for a brief second that Malcolm was obviously as much in the dark as he was over who 'she' was. "Has who arrived yet?" he asked testily. It was obvious from Connie's demeanour and the look on her face that she was playing with him, knew something that he didn't.

"Rangefinder." Connie took a small sip of her drink, her eyes darting between the two men, not wanting to miss a single reaction from either of them.

"Rangefinder?" Adam and Malcolm spoke in unison.

"Who or what is Rangefinder?" Malcolm asked quickly, noticing the look of bemusement on Adam's face and the widening smile on Connie's.

She took another big sip from her drink before answering, using it as a way to delay giving the answer she knew they were both keen to hear. "I thought Harry would have told you both," she answered slyly, "especially you Adam, what with the position he's put you in... and your previous dalliance with her."

Adam's face drained of colour. "Ros." he guessed at length, "Ros is Rangefinder and she's coming back?"

Connie nodded, a look of barely suppressed glee on her face. "You really didn't know?"

"Something you were damn well aware of." Malcolm said shortly, as Adam leaned back in his chair and covered his face with his hands.

"It looks like it was just me Harry trusted with this." Connie smiled and pushed her chair back, ready to move back to her own desk on the Grid now that she'd delivered her bombshell. "Rangefinder's... or Ros's if you'd prefer, work in Moscow is finished. She completed her operation and now that Lucas is back safely and her part in his repatriation is complete there's nothing left for her to do over there." She glanced at her watch quickly. "She should be arriving at some stage in the next couple of hours." Connie waved briefly at them both heading for the door. "I really am surprised Harry didn't fill you in on all this," she said as her parting shot.

Malcolm waited until he was sure she was out of their hearing. "Are you okay Adam?" he asked looking over at the younger man in concern.

Adam nodded as his hands dropped away from his face. "That bloody woman," he began tersely, "why's it always games with her?"

Malcolm sighed, "it's just Connie being Connie." he said at last. "You know how she is, it's just her way."

Adam pushed his chair away from his desk and began to slowly pace, his earlier shock and surprise quickly turning to anger. "I know, anything to get a bloody reaction and to score a few points." He pounded his fist into his hand as he moved around the office. "And she's right you know, why didn't Harry tell me, why her and not me?"

"I don't know." Malcolm shrugged helplessly. "Connie and her connections at the Russian Embassy were instrumental in getting Lucas out, if Ros was involved as well then it makes sense that Connie knew what was happening with her."

Adam sat back down wearily, "for someone who supposedly despises everything Russian bar Vodka, Connie has got a lot of knowledge of our Moscow friends."

"The old adage of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer I suppose." Malcolm answered.

Adam rubbed his hands across his face. "But I still don't understand why Harry wouldn't tell me as well," he complained. "Ros and I... well we were close before she left."

"And that's probably why he didn't say anything," Malcolm said gently. "He didn't want anything to distract you."

"And Ros turning up out of the blue wouldn't be a huge distraction?" Adam stormed loudly, before dropping his voice as he noticed a few startled looks from the Grid at his raised voice. "I've got the situation up in Manchester to contend with, heightened tensions in Northern Ireland and Lucas and Ben combing all over London trying to find what the hell is going on with these threats on the Remembrance Services today and Harry doesn't think it's a good idea to let me know that Ros..."

"He's been distracted himself lately," Malcolm cut in, "you know that. All this stuff with Ruth has thrown him."

"Well he'll know exactly how I bloody feel then." Adam shook his head with a look of disbelief on his face before grabbing his mobile from the desk and jacket from the back of the chair. "I'm going up to the roof for some fresh air," he said abruptly.

"Adam," Malcolm said warningly. "Don't do or say anything you'll regret later."

The younger man turned back as he shrugged on his coat. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said with a tight grimace. "I'm just off to make a quick phone call." With that he disappeared through the door. while Malcolm put his head in his hands, silently cursing Connie for setting the cat amongst the pigeons.

Harry squinted as he blearily opened his eyes and the late morning sunshine streaming through a small gap in the blinds hit him directly in the eye.

"Good morning." He turned his head to be met be met with the sight of Ruth dressed in a pair of cotton pyjamas and clutching a mug of something as though it was a lifeline standing a foot or so away from him. "I just came in to check, I thought you'd never wake up." she said shyly, her head dipping slightly as she spoke, managing not to make any eye contact with him.

He smiled softly as memories of the previous evening flooded back. A not so auspicious start had fortunately led to the two of them consuming two bottles of wine during dinner to offset the nerves they were both feeling, and he was sure that it was this that had led Ruth to be bold enough to speak her mind after he'd stumbled and fumbled over his words and meanings. One kiss on her doorstep had quickly led to another and then another, as they'd moved firstly back to the lounge area, before Ruth had taken his hand and led him towards her bedroom mumbling something about not wanting to let any more opportunities pass her by. His smile widened as he really couldn't recollect much more of her words, so caught up had he been in their embrace. "Morning," he replied as he pulled himself up into a seated position in the bed. "What time is it?"

"Just gone ten." Ruth answered with a small smirk, which she quickly hid behind her mug as Harry's face dropped.

"Ten!" He rubbed at his face in shock. "I haven't slept past seven in years, and even that I'd consider a lie in."

"Well there's two hours time difference to take into account." Ruth said with a note of humour lacing her words. It's not quite as bad as it seems."

Harry raised his eyebrows briefly in acknowledgement. "Please don't tell me you've spent the last few hours pottering around quietly listening to me snore?"

Ruth let out a small laugh. "No," she grinned hesitantly, "I only got up half an hour ago or so myself... besides you don't snore, or at least you didn't last night."

He smiled at her admission. "I'm sorry I didn't get to wake up with you."

Ruth blushed slightly, "well... I..."

"You're not regretting what we did last night are you?" Harry asked gently, seeing the look of indecision shadow her face.

She shook her head firmly. "No of course not."

He held out his hand to her and when she took it, he pulled her slowly towards the bed. "Are you sure? Your face said something quite different just then?"

"Honestly Harry, it's not that." She sat down on the side of the bed as he shuffled over slightly to make space for her. "It's still a little strange for me to get me head around, that's all. The last twenty-four hours have been like a roller coaster."

"Are you sure that's all it is?"

"Well I am feeling a little seedy from the wine last night as well."she confessed with a small grin. "I haven't had that much to drink in a long time."

"You don't think I took advan..." Harry tailed off, a slightly horrified expression on his face.

"Don't be daft. What we did last night, well it was lovely and I was a very willing participant, the wine just settled the nerves a little" she said quickly, seeing where his thoughts were taking him. "I'm glad I drank that much, otherwise it's very likely that I wouldn't have had the courage in the first place to say what I said last night and then we wouldn't have ended up in bed together. There's a lot to be said for Dutch courage!"

He nodded slightly in acknowledgement as a smile slid across his face at her response. "Well then, I'm very glad you did to, last night was wonderful. If we'd have left it up to me, God knows where we'd have ended up." He took the mug from Ruth's hand and took a mouthful of her tea wincing as he did so.

"I've stopped taking sugar in tea." she said with a small smile. "From your expression I can see that you still have it with one."

"You still remember?" Harry said, gladder than he would have possibly imagined that something so small would mean so much to him.

She coloured slightly again and tried to pull her hand away from his where he was still holding it but failing to do so. "What happened here?" she asked quietly, changed the subject of conversation softly as the fingers of her free hand traced a large purple bruise on his chest. "I saw it last night but there never seemed an appropriate time to ask."

"It would certainly have been a bit of a mood breaker." Harry said with a short laugh, "I was shot..."

"Shot?"

"I was wearing a vest," he answered quickly, at the look of horror on her face.

Ruth took in a deep breath trying to control her emotions. "When was this?" She asked shakily.

"A couple of weeks ago now."

"But you didn't say anything last night about it?

He shrugged slightly. "I'd forgotten all about it to be honest, it doesn't hurt anymore, the bruising just is taking a little longer to go down than I'd like."

"How did it..." she trailed off. "I'm sorry, I suppose I'm not allowed to ask questions like that now."

"You can ask me whatever you like." Harry said softly. "Never think that you can't. It was someone I knew once in Northern Ireland, someone I thought... hoped I'd never see again. Me being shot was the best outcome to the events... any alternative could have been catastrophic."

"But you weren't to know that he'd hit you in the chest." she said, her face pale as she traced the large bruise with her fingertips. "What if he'd gone for your head?"

"Then most unfortunately for me, I wouldn't be in this position with you now," he answered glibly.

"Harry!"

"Sorry," he squeezed her hand gently in acknowledgement. "He knew exactly what he was doing, a professional will always go for a body shot given the chance, it's only in the films that they go for the head, there's a much bigger mass to aim for if you go for the body and much more chance of success."

Ruth nodded, her lips pursed, tightly together. "I suppose so," she uttered quietly.

"It was a calculated risk Ruth and it worked, it's something I hope to never have to do again as it hurt like hell but..."

"But you had to do it." Ruth said ruefully, "I suppose I forgot about that side of things for a while."

"As you should have," Harry said gently, setting the mug of tea down beside him on the bedside cabinet and reaching out to her."You could always kiss it better," he said softly, "if it'd make you feel any better!"

Ruth giggled slightly at his words. "I hope that's not a chat up line you've used before," she laughed, "because it's absolutely terrible."

"I'm a little out of practice," he murmured, running his hand up and down her arm. "It's been quite a while since I've tried to chat someone up."

Ruth looked at him with a question in her eyes, "a while?" she queried softly.

He nodded, leaning forward to kiss her gently. "About twenty months," he whispered against her lips. "It was someone who worked for me, but she turned me down for a second date," his words were punctuated by soft kisses as she moved closer to him on the bed, one hand steadying her balance while the other moved to cup his cheek rubbing her fingers against the stubble she found there.

"Well she must have been a little stupid," she confided, as their kisses started to deepen.

RING RING... RING RING

They both jerked back suddenly as a phone started ringing somewhere in the bedroom. "That's mine," Harry groaned in frustration. "I'm sorry Ruth I'll have to get it. The Grid is under strict orders not to call me unless it's an emergency."

She nodded in understanding, despite the frustration she felt towards the caller. It seemed that no matter where he was, Harry was permanently on call. She moved away from him locating the phone in his trouser pockets where they were laying in a crumpled pile on her floor. She glanced at the screen as the ringing continued, "it's Adam," she said as she handed the phone over.

He smiled in thanks before pressing the button to answer. "This better be bloody good," he said harshly, "as I believe Six are currently looking for volunteers to work in their outpost in Irkutsk!"

TBC