Under Your Skin
By: Odainath

Author's notes: So, for once in my recent lot of stories, this one isn't a challenge! It is the 'joiner' between episode 7 and episode 8 of Season 5. I watched it yesterday and the look exchanged between Ros and Zaf during the below sequence was electric.

"Religion, the opium of the masses."
"Really? I thought that was football."
"Yes, except for 'ooh ah Cantona' wasn't his last message to the world."

Watch it and you'll see what I mean.

Summary: "If it's any consolation, I wouldn't report you." Set during Season 5.

Disclaimer: I do not own Spooks; it is the property of Kudos and the BBC. The title comes from Snow Patrol's 'You're All that I Have.'

You're cinematic razor sharp
A welcome arrow through the heart
Under your skin feels like home
Electric shocks on aching bones

The Grid was empty save for one occupant and Zaf typed steadily, occasionally glancing to the documents on his left to check one statement or another. He knew that he needn't be here at such a late hour but he preferred to get his report finished now rather than worry about it tomorrow. He frowned as he typed; the two latest operations had been linked - so obviously in hindsight – and he found it difficult to believe they hadn't seen the connection earlier. Though, and he willed himself to dismiss the idea, perhaps the reasoning behind the differing priorities was not Adam's reluctance to do Special Branch's job for them, but rather give the operation to Ros whom none had yet forgiven for contacting Mace about Ruth.

Zaf's fingers flew on the keyboard though his mind was not truly on his report; he himself had been furious with Ros for her actions but in the passing month had come to understand her reasoning. She was the newest addition to the team and still an outsider. To that end she had an outsider's perspective and the evidence against Ruth – though fake – was strong. Zaf stopped typing and re-read his sentence, swearing lightly when he noticed the numerous spelling mistakes. He began again and his mind immediately drifted back to his previous thoughts. He couldn't help wondering what the rest of the team would have done if they'd found the same evidence against Ros.

He knew that he wouldn't report her; whilst he and Ros were different in many ways and though she kept up an Ice Queen veneer the two got along extremely well and had from the outset. Once he'd got over the initial shock of seeing her step into the room when he'd been expecting Jo. The corners of his mouth twitched.

"Where's Jo?"
"Death by mascara."

He'd know then that he liked her; their senses of humour complimented each other and the two could easily rebut the other's statements with their own brand of wit. The pod doors opened and Zaf raised his eyebrows as the subject of his thoughts walked through the pods; or rather limped. Ros had yet to change and Zaf couldn't help but wonder what she'd looked like at the start of the evening before the siege. Even now, with her hair distinctly out of place and her make-up smudged, she looked incredibly attractive.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

Ros made her way toward him and drew to a halt on the other side of his desk. "The same as you, I imagine," she answered, resting against the edge of his desk.

"Ah."

Ros gave him a small smile as she pushed herself away from his desk. "I should get changed."

The corners of Zaf's mouth twitched. "I think you look rather fetching myself."

Ros rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Zaf."

xXXXx

Zaf had returned to his report when he heard the unmistakeable sound of a phone ringing. His eyes scanned the Grid, finally falling on a small evening bag – no doubt Ros's – which was shaking slightly. He quickly unclasped it and checked caller ID.

It was Harry.

Zaf flicked open the phone and Harry immediately began speaking without preamble.

"Ros..."

"No, Harry," Zaf interrupted. "Ros isn't here at the moment. She's having a shower."

He could almost see Harry's brow knitting together.

"We're at the Grid," Zaf continued hurriedly.

"I need to speak with her," Harry said and if Zaf wasn't mistaken there was a hint of amusement in the older man's voice.

"This second?" Zaf asked.

"Yes."

Zaf closed his eyes briefly. "I'll get her for you."

xXXXx

Ros's dress fell in a puddle at her feet and she kicked it into the corner as she stepped beneath the scalding water. The droplets pounded against her skin, each a pinprick of fire, and she turned her face upward to allow the water the stream across her face. Her skin protested and she at last turned away and opened her eyes. Steam clouded the glass, and she looked down at her body. Her ivory skin was littered with pink marks and she hunched her shoulder and allowed the steaming water to cascade over her back. She reached up and pulled out the tie that held her hair up. Blonde hair fell down, falling well below her shoulders and she didn't bother reaching for the tie as it fell from her hand and landed on the tiled floor by her feet. Ros reached for the bar of soap and scrubbed at her skin, cleaning away the sweat that covered every inch of her body.

The bar of soap travelled over her thigh and she glanced down when she felt a sting. She saw what was unmistakeably carpet burn; no doubt from when she had been thrown onto the floor, only her quick reflexes preventing her from falling flat on her face. Her skin smarted and she rinsed off the soap and stepped out from the steaming jet. Her eyes caught the mirror on the wall and she assumed her usual straight posture as she examined herself critically. She was not inclined toward vanity and did not consider herself pretty, but she had – after an awkward adolescence – conceded she was relatively attractive. After all, it was her looks that had been instrumental in guaranteeing she was in the Saudi Embassy. Ros turned her head to the side, exposing the pale skin of her long neck which descended to slim shoulders. Water dripped from her skin, and she watched a solitary droplet follow the rise of her breast until it dipped down to follow the line of her sternum. Her eyes continued downward, eying her flat stomach which gave way to slim hips. Most of her height was leg, the faint musculature visible as she began to shiver.

Ros reached for a towel and wrapped it around her body. She started as a knock sounded on the opposite side of the door.

"Ros?"

She pursed her lips as she crossed to the door and opened it a fraction of an inch. Zaf looked at her apologetically, especially when he noticed her attire, or rather lack of attire.

"Er, it's Harry," he continued, holding the phone towards her. "He said it's urgent."

Ros opened the door a few more inches, enough to reach through, and took the phone from Zaf's outstretched hand.

"Thank you," she said shortly.

Zaf nodded and she noted with a slight amount of amusement that he was blushing. "Not at all."

She closed the door and put the phone to her ear. "Yes, Harry?"

xXXXx

Zaf kept trying to write his report but his mind was not on the task and after writing the same sentence three times he gave up and saved the document. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so embarrassed and wondered if his cheeks were still red. Zaf looked to the other side of the room as Ros entered, now dressed in a blue tracksuit.

"What did Harry want?" he asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.

Ros rolled her eyes. "He wanted to make sure I was at home."

Zaf laughed. "And his reaction when he discovered you weren't?"

Ros gave a true smile. "Apparently he is going to check video footage to make sure I leave the Grid in the next half-hour."

Zaf shook his head, a grin tugging at his lips. "Do you want a lift?" he asked, standing a grabbing his leather jacket from over his chair. "I'm pretty much done here."

Ros looked at him shrewdly. "Okay," she said after a pause.

Zaf nodded and waited as Ros gathered her things and put them in a gym bag she took out from under her desk.

"Okay," Ros said, walking over to him. "Let's go."

Zaf gave her a winning smile and together they stepped through the pods.

xXXXx

"So, what happened in the Embassy?" Zaf asked as he drove through the streets.

Ros shot him a side-long glance. "The usual," she said after a pause. "Men with guns acting on a political and ideological agenda."

"Sounds pretty hairy," said Zaf, recognising the serious undertone of her seemingly flippant statement.

"Yeah."

A silence settled between them, only broken when Zaf pulled up in front of Ros's house. Ros reached for the handle but paused and glanced over her shoulder.

"Thank you, Zaf," she said with a small smile.

He gave her a large grin. "Not a problem."

"Would you like a drink?" Ros asked, surprising herself.

Zaf nodded as he switched off the engine. "That sounds great."

xXXXx

"Favourite movie."

"'The Shawshank Redemption. Favourite book."

"Zaf, I can't answer that. I like too many."

He nodded slowly. "Okay, what was the last book you read?"

Ros tilted her head to the side. "Um... I think it was an Ian Rankin novel, I'm not sure of the title."

They were standing in Ros's kitchen, leaning against the bench, both holding beers in their hands. Ros took a sip and sighed softly; with her make-up gone and hair slicked back she looked far more approachable and Zaf moved an inch closer to her, hoping she wouldn't notice. She glanced to the side and Zaf shifted uncomfortably but Ros said nothing, much to his relief. He looked about her house and his eyes fell on a familiar beige coat hanging on the rack near the door that he hadn't noticed when he'd come inside earlier.

"Isn't that...?" he began.

"Yes," Ros said shortly.

He fell silent, his eyes still on Ruth's coat. Ros made a noise in her throat and he looked to her, surprised to see that she appeared to be holding back tears.

"I did what I thought was right," she said softly when he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I know," said Zaf, making circular movements with his thumb.

"The gun was in Mausdley's house which she'd just been in; she went to the mortuary... it all fitted," Ros continued, not raising her voice.

"I know," Zaf repeated.

"You can't tell me that if the same evidence was against me that the rest of you wouldn't report me," Ros said, a slight note a bitterness entering her voice.

Her statement was eerily close to what he'd been thinking earlier and Zaf wondered briefly if Ros could read minds.

"If it's any consolation, I wouldn't report you," Zaf said with a grin, holding both her shoulders.

Ros raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"I wouldn't," Zaf assured.

She nodded though didn't look entirely convinced. "Why not?" she asked.

Zaf shrugged. "I like you too much, I guess."

At this, Ros laughed, a surprisingly throaty sound.

Zaf joined her briefly. "The others will come 'round," he said sincerely. "You know that?"

She nodded slowly. "I know. Thank you, Zaf," she said sincerely.

Their eyes met and they held each other's gaze far longer than was strictly necessary. Zaf found one his hands drift to her waist and pull her towards him. Ros wasn't sure why she was letting Zaf do this and found herself more surprised as he raised his other hand and pushed her hair back. Ros was tall but Zaf topped her by several inches and she raised herself onto the tips of her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a gentle kiss. She hadn't admitted her attraction to Zaf but when he raised his hand from her waist to pull down the zip of her top, exposing the singlet she wore beneath, she realised that her attraction was indeed real. She pushed his jacket over his shoulders, her breath hitching when Zaf pushed one of the singlet straps to the side. His lips left hers and drifted to her neck and she closed her eyes as he ran his fingertip along her collarbone, pushing aside the other strap.

Ros moved her hands down to the bottom of his shirt and lifted it, forcing Zaf to stop his ministrations as she pulled it over his head, exposing the upper half of his body. She ran her hands across his chest as he kissed her again and found that she was pressed against the bench. Zaf seemed to realise this and he lifted her gently so she was sitting and stepped between her legs. Her lips felt bruised and it was almost a relief when he pulled away.

"So," he breathed into her ear.

"So," she returned, taking one of his hands in hers. "Follow me."

He pushed her in front of him as she led him across the room, pushing aside her hair to kiss her neck. It already bore two pink marks and he smirked briefly as he vowed to make a third. They entered the bedroom and Zaf tugged at her singlet, pulling it over her head a fluid motion. He drew her towards him and kissed her again as she undid his belt. Somehow they reached the bed and fell onto the mattress, Zaf holding himself above her. Ros's legs rose and she used her feet to slide his trousers and underwear over his hips, past his legs, to be kicked onto the floor. One of Zaf's hands drifted across her bare stomach and Ros arched toward him. He pulled away from her as he put his other hand on her hip, touching the soft material of her tracksuit bottoms. In what seemed to take an agonisingly long time he pulled them down inch by inch, finally throwing them onto the floor next to his trousers. Ros's breath hitched as he ran his hands up her thighs, only to travel down almost immediately to remove her panties. Ros reached towards him and rested her hands on his shoulders, her fingernails digging into his flesh as she dragged him back upwards.

Zaf held himself poised above her and he noticed briefly that her eyes had darkened to be almost completely green. Any further observations were dismissed when she raised herself slightly from the mattress and bit his ear gently.

"So," Ros said softly, her breath warm against his ear.

He lowered himself gently as he kissed her again.

"So..."

xXXXx

The following day.

Zaf found himself making a conscious effort not to look at Ros as the team sat at their desks, discussing their latest case. Of course, it didn't help that he and Ros were seated opposite each other. She looked as immaculate as ever, with her hair in its usual sleek style; he wondered briefly what the team would say if they saw the pink marks on her neck which she had covered with a turtleneck shirt.

He brought himself back to the present when he heard Ros talk with Adam.

"So this cured Ellis of his addiction?"

"Yes," Ros said with an elegant shrug. "And introduced him to another. Religion. The opium of the masses."

Zaf grinned and leant back in his chair, looking at her directly. "Really? I thought that was football."

Ros turned to him, managing to hide the smile she could feel tugging at her lips. "Yes," she said, trying to sound like her usual self. "Except for 'ooh ah Cantona' wasn't his last message to the world."

They both grinned, though Ros's was considerably less obvious than his. They held each other's eyes briefly before Ros looked away, reaching for her phone and Zaf leant forward again and pulled up security footage on his computer.

Neither noticed the look of comprehension on Jo's face, nor her small smile.

Author's notes: Well, that's the best I could do. I'm not sure if I like it but here it is. :D

Please review,
Odainath