So here it finally is, the last chapter. Thank you for sticking with it until the end, even though it took me so long to finish it. Hope you like the final installment.

Ruth yawned as she navigated her rental car through the unfamiliar, though luckily not too busy traffic. The biggest part of her journey was behind her now, and the remainder of the journey shouldn't take her more than an hour. Soon she had left the city behind her altogether, and she found herself on the motorway bringing her closer to her destination, bringing her closer to him.

A combination of excitement, fatigue, nervousness, and anticipation washed over her, leaving her with trembling hands. She gripped the steering wheel tighter and forced herself to focus on the surrounding traffic. She passed mile after mile of townships on her left, and she tried her hardest not to look or even think about them. She knew it was egocentric and she hated being that way, but right now she needed to focus.

She couldn't believe it had been nearly a year since she last saw Harry, on that fateful night when she tried with all her might to persuade him to leave the country. At the time she hadn't expected it would take this long to find him again. Back then she hadn't realised how slowly time passed when he wasn't around.

She had dragged herself to work every day, knowing she wouldn't enjoy even a minute of it. The first few weeks after his disappearance were hectic and chaotic. Of course they all suspected her involvement in his disappearance, and she was questioned about it almost on a daily basis. Ruth was glad that she didn't know where Harry had gone off to, so she couldn't accidentally slip up when they put her under enormous amounts of pressure.

After a few weeks the interrogations stopped, when the inquiry panel realised they were getting nothing out of here, with added help of the Home Secretary, who kept insisting that it interfered too much with her work on which the nation's security depended.

Even though she was glad that the time of constant questioning had ended, it still didn't mean that she could fully concentrate on the work she was doing. Her thoughts kept going back to Harry. She wondered where he was, and whether he was OK. What got to her most is that she had nobody to share her concerns with, because nobody was allowed to find out that she had indeed helped him get away.

After four months without a sign of life, she received her first message. It was in code, of course, hidden inside a double layered postcard. And this is how their communication, albeit only one-way, started. Every few weeks she'd get another postcard, and each time it was sent from a different location. First it was Greece, then Egypt, Dubai, after that it was Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, and finally three weeks ago the last one, from South Africa. His last card contained a multitude of clues and puzzles that Ruth had to solve, and it showed how well Harry actually knew her. The clues were aimed specifically at her knowledge and interests, and she was sure that nobody but her would have been able to solve them, at least not in the same timespan.

The outcome of the riddle was Harry's current location, and a request to come visit as soon as possible. Ruth didn't need any convincing whatsoever. Within a few days she had handed in her notice with the Service, ended the lease on her flat, and had booked her plane ticket. She had bought a plane ticket to Amsterdam, and paid for her ticket to Cape Town there in cash, so she couldn't be traced that easily. She dreaded the thought of her stupidity leading anyone to Harry's whereabouts.

And now she was driving a rental car in the direction of Stellenbosch, through the beautiful wine routes of the Cape province. She wasn't surprised that Harry had chosen to come here, the country was absolutely stunning. The further along she drove, the more anxious she became. She was nearing her destination now, and she wondered what it would be like. In the year that had passed she often fantasised about Harry's whereabouts, and had tried to imagine how and where he'd be living. But somehow she could never really picture him anywhere but England. She could now though, as she was driving through the beautiful South African scenery. She wondered why this had never crossed her mind before, because now that she was here, she thought it was exactly like Harry, and suddenly she couldn't imagine him living anywhere else.

Ruth turned left into a narrow driveway leading up to a small but beautiful colonial style white house. Her heart was thumping so furiously that she feared it might burst out of her chest at any moment. She parked the car in front of the house, and as she got out she could hear a dog barking somewhere in the distance, but other than that there wasn't a sound to be heard.

As she went up the few steps leading onto the front porch of the house, she noticed a rocking chair standing on her left. Images of Harry sitting there at night, watching the sunset, instantly flashed through her mind. She knocked on the front door, but there was no answer.

She walked around to the back of the house, and found a large, well kept garden. The place seemed deserted, but suddenly she saw someone in the distance, all the way at the back of the garden. The figure was crouching down, and appeared to be busy tending to a rose bush.

Unable to wait a moment longer she called out his name.

At the sound of her voice he immediately sprang to his feet and turned around. She smiled broadly as she saw the familiar face of the person she loved most in the world for the first time in a year, and started running towards him.

He awaited her with open arms, which she gladly fell into, and he enveloped her in the biggest hug possible, before pulling back to kiss her long and passionately.

"It took you long enough," he said jokingly after they'd ended the kiss.

"If you'd wanted me here earlier you should have sent me more clues," she replied in an equally teasing manner.

He laughed as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, and whispered softly into her ear. "Welcome home Ruth."

The End

So that's it people. Thanks again for reading, and please leave me one last review to let me know what you thought of it :)

I will be continuing my story Deeper Understanding next, which I've abandoned for much too long now, and should definitely be finished at some point.