Huge apology for the momentous gap between this chapter and the last. My only excuse is that real life appeared again. But thank you for all the reviews, they mean a lot.

Last chapter. I hate it to to be honest :/

His eyes locked to hers and realised she'd been staring intently at him. In all his vulnerability and complete isolation from the world, she saw there something impossible to deny; experience. It was from this, she concluded, that he was able to take hit after hit after hit and still stand. Emotional or physical, he could predict and therefore prepare. Whatever she was about to get herself into, she was confident he would bare it.

She continued, struggling somewhat, "I said no because... because I was frightened. And they say you only realise how important something is when it's gone. I didn't appreciate how true that was until I realised the enquiry wasn't what we thought, and you were in danger." Subconsciously her hand was holding his. He was warm and tense, eyes pushing into her for more. "At the prospect of losing you it hit me like a train. I just... it felt as if the world was falling. I don't think I've ever felt like that before. Even when George died... I didn't... I never grieved. I moved on like he was nothing to me because for some reason it was easy. But with you; one day of absence and I couldn't think. I fell to pieces." Finally, she lifted her gaze and met his, "What I said was wrong. About us being more together than we are now. That was wrong, I take it back, and if you still love me..." she saw his breath catch in his throat. A dusting of a smile on his cracked lips began to form, "If you still love me then ask me. Ask me again and I'll find the courage somewhere to say yes."

One week later.

He had been asked to wait at home - alone - before the whole enquiry within the enquiry began again. With the sound of gentle rain for company, he pulled himself from his light doze at the sound of the doorbell.

His mind pleaded for his visitor to be the only person he hadn't stopped smiling over since leaving the hospital. When he opened the door and the rain began to dampen his clothes, he was surprised and a little disappointed that it was not Ruth who stood smiling back.

"Hi Harry." Beth greeted him, her umbrella close to collapsing under the weight of water it had collected.

"Beth? Hi. Come in."

They stood in his hallway awkwardly. It was clear she did not want to stay; she denied a drink. She asked of him – his arm, still a dead weight in a sling. And it turned out that was all she had visited for. Just to see how he was. There was nothing to report from the Grid apart from the fact that it had not become any easier without his leadership. He found himself warmed by her generosity in offering to help with anything he needed, and also, merely by the fact she had travelled to his house as a friend and not a colleague.

In leaving, her eyes fell to his free hand to which he followed her gaze and realised. But pretended he hadn't.

"Everything ok Beth?"

And if ever there was an expression to define 'the look' – what she gave him there and then was just that.

"I don't wish to err intrude or anything, even though I'm in your house, but I can't help noticing the... ring."

He smiled,

"Oh this old thing?"

She frowned. "I swear you never used to wear a wedding ring. I thought you were divorced."

"I was divorced once, yes."

Was this some sort of test?

"But..." she whispered.

"But?"

Then she silenced herself, and lifted her head to look directly at him. There the smile formed.

"Ruth was wearing a ring this morning..." she laughed, "Oh my... I knew it! I bloody knew it!" she beamed – a child on Christmas morning. "Dmitri owes me a tenner! Yes."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't worry Harry. We'll be sure to keep it a secret; you'd obviously prefer it that way."

"Beth - "

"When was the wedding? I thought you were in a detention centre, then hospital?" She didn't let him answer. "You've been a very busy bunny haven't you." Though why she likened Harry to a rabbit, she didn't quite know. "Congratulations. How did Ruth manage to keep that a secret from me? See I wanted to say something before – as in, as soon as I joined. The chemistry between you two - "

"Beth." He chuckled, "Please. Thank you, but we'd like to keep it as quiet as possible. The Grid is chaotic enough with the whole enquiry affair still going. Like you said – I'd prefer it if you didn't add my and Ruth's marriage to the mix."

An obedient nod, and she began to leave. "Sure."

Just as she reached the front door, he said,

"So Dimitri owes you a tenner? What did you two bet on exactly?"

"Oh – he bet you'd get married in the next four months. I bet you'd both get married in the next two."

He couldn't find the words to express his surprise. Had it always been so blatantly obvious to everyone?

"... I err... I see."

She laughed. "Good job I didn't bet with Alec; he reckoned you'd get married the day after the enquiry."

"Well he was close enough." Harry admitted, smoothing his thumb over the shining gold, "It was the day I came out of hospital."

She opened the door, then her umbrella, before padding out into the rain once more wearing a fresh and honest smile as he stood to bid goodbye.

"I can't wait to tell her I know," Beth exclaimed to herself as she pulled her coat closer. "Am I to presume she'll be moving out of her flat soon then?"

He nodded shyly before she smiled to him and said,

"Every cloud has a silver lining."

Harry looked at his sling, then the ring. The pain, the love. He knew Ruth would always be his silver lining, whatever happened. The enemies of the enquiry that had set out the break them had only brought their friendship closer and at that, he silenty chuckled to himself in closing the door. Even in the gloom, the rain, the complete silence of his house, he saw the world as brighter everytime he looked at that ring.

And miles away at the Grid, as she sifted through a wall of paperwork, so did she.

END.