A completely silly 2.2 vignette in which Ruth is still an innocent and the Grid isn't quite a vale of tears yet...

I don't own these characters, though I wish I did. Damn you Kudos.

"So Ms Evershed..."

"Feel free to call me Ruth," Harry's new intelligence analyst said smiling brightly.

"Ruth... home to the boyfriend then?"

She looked down, blushed. "No boyfriend. Just a cat. And lot's of books." She looked up questioningly. "Er Mr Pearce,"

"Call me Harry."

"Harry. Do you always ask your new employee's such personal questions on their first day?"

He shrugged. "I was just being friendly."

"So Harry," she said after a pause, "going home to the wife?" Her expression was that of a cheeky child.

He smiled ruefully. "No. I was married, now divorced. I have a dog. And... lots of books."

She bit her lip, smiled, nodded and then pulled some folders into her arms from her desk. "Some light reading. I should go home now."

"The cat get's lonely?"

"Fidget? She's a grumpy old thing."

"I bet you spoil her rotton."

"I bet you spoil your dog..."

"Scarlett."

"Scarlett rotten."

"Probably. Animals eh? You've got to love them!" Zoe shot Harry a sarcastically inquisitive look complete with raised eyebrow and Harry stopped talking.

Ruth just looked confused. "I'll just...just go now. It was nice to meet you... all of you." She stopped and looked around at everyone but her eyes rested longest on Harry.

"You too, Ruth."

Harry turned and glared at Zoe as Ruth exited the pods. "And what was that look for? You threw me right off!"

Danny cut in. "I think she's had to re-evaluate your type."

"My type!"

"Home to the boyfriend?" chortled Danny, "like there wasn't an agenda behind that question!"

Zoe's eyes were twinkling. "At your age too Harry!"

"At my age! I'm not eighty!" Harry protested indignantly.

Danny held his hands up for peace, "look I'd never stand in your way... though I suppose Ruth is unusual. In a geek culture, left over from the 70's, flower child kind of way."

Sam was putting on her coat to leave. "I thought she was too bonkers for you Danny?"

"Maybe," Danny winked. "Don't worry Harry. You won't get any competition from me. She's not my type."

"No," Sam said sarcastically, "we all know what your type is."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Danny asked hurt. He'd told her about 'the incident' in confidence.

"Well there was that thin Russian girl you were telling me about the other day," Sam said playfully, "Remember? The one who didn't speak a word of English and you never noticed till the next day because..."

"Yeah well... enough about me," Danny said uncomfortably.

'Not embarrassed are we?" Harry asked facetiously. "besides what's wrong with Ruth... I like her eccentricity..."

"Clearly," Zoe muttered from the corner.

He glared. "I think the lime green hair tie is cute, and so is her ridiculous hippie dress sense and the way she came in and dropped the folders and..."

"Ok, Ok we get the picture. Uh oh. You're really in love aren't you?"

"Shut up Danny." Harry looked at him, Sam and Zoe in turn. "You mention this to anyone, but especially to Ruth and I'll arrange for Special Branch to pay you an unexpected visit..."

"Gees alright," Danny muttered, rolling his eyes.

Ruth was smiling as she fumbled with the door keys and finally let herself into the house. She had wanted this new job so badly, to be a real spy, it was all so exciting! Everything was going so well- Harry seemed so kind and friendly, like he actually cared about her being transferred over! It was good to feel wanted again! Even Tom had done his best in his solemn "darkhorse" man of mystery kind of way. Oh- it was all so much like a deliciously fast paced adventure novel where she was the real heroine for once!

Now if only Harry and Tom never found out about how she got the job... but no... she wouldn't be caught... she was so very, very good... so, so good at her job. They'd never catch her out.

But if they did... if they did, she didn't want Him to know. He mattered. He must never, ever find out.

It kind of killed me re-watching series two and realising how much happier Ruth was back in the day. It broke my heart. Even just remembering as I wrote this fic broke my heart. Petition for happy Ruth days in series ten starts now... sign up in the reviews.