A small chapter to start with, going from 10-5, and I'm borrowing some spooks dialogue.

"Someone with diplomatic clearance might be able to lift it." Harry looked at her pointedly and Ruth felt a wave of disappointment swim over her as she realised what he was asking her to do.

"Oh God, Harry, you are not serious."

"This'll be the last time," he said urgently.

"Apparently you are serious," she said to herself. She shook her head to herself before speaking. "I can't, Harry," she said. "I'm not going to jeopardise my new job for your hunch. I no longer work for you."

"I know that," he said softly. "Please, as a favour to me."

"Haven't I done enough for you over the years?" she asked pointedly, and Harry felt the guilt swarm over him. "I won't do it Harry." She reached for the door handle, intending to leave the car, but something in the silence drew her back. "Look, Harry," she said quietly. "I think by now it's obvious. I care about you. For all the good it's done me," she added bitterly. "I'm not going to help you with your involvement with the Gavriks. If you thought about it objectively for one minute, you would see that this is helping no one. Not even you." With that, she did leave his car, going back to work.

Ruth walked away with a heavy heart, fearing that Harry really was in love with Elena Gavrik. She really wished she could just forget him and let him go, but she couldn't. It wasn't going to be that easy. Her phone buzzed and she knew it would be the Home Secretary without even looking. Sure enough it was. She quickened her pace, not wanting to make a bad impression so early in her employment, all the while thinking of Harry. Maybe after so many years, it was time to close a door behind all of that. Clearly her and Harry were never going to happen, and it was time to let it go.

Harry's phone buzzed for the fourth time in five minutes. He answered it through sheer irritation, not because he had any desire to speak to Erin. He'd been driving around London aimlessly, thinking of Ruth, Elena, the grid and the whole sorry mess, and wondering what to do next. He hadnt made any decisions, so he guessed he might as well talk to Erin to put off the inevitable.

"What is it?" he asked, pulling the car to the side of the road.

"We have new intel that there's a bomb in the Home Secretary's car," Erin said, speaking quickly. "Coming back from the meeting at the American embassy."

Harry felt his insides turn to ice. "Is it good intelligence?"

"Yes."

"Call them," Harry said urgently, pulling back into traffic. He didn't know what he could do, but he had to move.

"What do you think I've been doing?" Erin said exasperated. "I have been calling every minute or so, but I think Tower's phone is off, and Ruth isn't picking up either."

"Get Callum to flood their phones with text messages," Harry said. "I'm going to call Ruth." He hung up, and called Ruth's phone, praying she'd answer. On the third call, she did.

"What do you want, Harry?" she asked, sounding exasperated. "I thought I'd made my feelings perfectly clear."

"We think there's a bomb in the Home Secretary's car," Harry rushed, cutting across her. "Get out now!"

He heard Ruth telling the driver to pull over, and Towers indistinct grumble and then the raising of voices. Then an almighty boom, which he heard both through the phone and throughout the air. "Oh God, no." He looked over the London skyline, but could see nothing. A car horn blared out behind him, bringing him back to his senses.

"Ruth?!" he said, knowing that she wouldn't or couldn't answer. It didn't stop him from trying, though. He kept calling and calling her, all the way through the gridlocked streets until he'd get some news.

More soon.