Disclaimer I do not own Spooks/MI5. I wish I did. This would have happened somewhere in series 13 if I did. All copyright belongs to KUDOS and BBC Television. No copyright infringement is intended nor should be inferred.

The Age Gap

Harry paused as he pulled the door to his youngest child's bedroom closed. He knew he had to leave sufficient gap that she could see the stair light from her bed. The four year old was as entrenched in routine as her mother, but this time she had called for her daddy when she had seen his figure cross the landing. Now that she had he was half way to wishing he had stayed in his warm bed.

"Daddy?"

"Squeak, you should be asleep."

"Why do you call me Squeak? My name is Gracie-Jo."

"I know what your name is." He smiled at her as he opened the door a little more. "Why are you awake?"

"There's a monster under my bed. Again."

"Again?"

"I know!" Gracie's big blue eyes stared up at him. "He always hides under my bed!"

"And why is that?" Harry asked as he stepped in to the room. It was clear the little girl was wide awake and not at all concerned about the supposed monster hiding under her bed. He lifted the duvet, crouching to look under the bed.

"It's because its warm."

"I see." Harry nodded. "And what does this monster look like?"

"He's big and he's blue and he has a deep voice. He has a green friend with one eye." Gracie explained. He raised an eyebrow knowing that she was referring to characters from her favourite film. He had lost count of how many times they had sat through Monster's Inc or Monster's Uni. He shook his head, staring under the bed.

"Ok, you two. Off you go. My girl has school tomorrow and she isn't going to scream. So, go somewhere else." He watched as Gracie laughed.

"Daddy, you are silly!"

"Well, they wont bother you anymore. Go to sleep."

"Ok." Gracie lay back down. "Daddy?"

"Gracie."

"Where is Nick and Mum?"

"Sleeping. In bed."

"What about Scarlet, Muggles and Fidget?"

"Asleep. All animals need sleep. Including four year old girls with too much imagination." He handed her the small cuddly Smurf Graham had bought her when she was a baby. Clutching it tightly she closed her eyes. Harry smiled. He had no idea how or why he had got so lucky but he wasn't going to mess things up with his second chance. He stood up, leaving the little girl to sleep.

"Daddy?"

"Gracie-Jo."

"Can I ask you somthing?"

"One question but then sleep." Harry paused. He knew his youngest child was more like Ruth than she knew. She had inherited Ruth's abiity to analyse everything in minute detail. It often lead to tears when she found she couldn't understand something.

"Do you love Mum?"

"Yes. Yes, of course I do."

He frowned, wondering where the question had come from. Gracie rubbed her eyes.

"But you are lots older. Brittany and Tiffany said you were my grandad. That you were too old to be my Daddy because Mummys and Daddies are always the same age. Tiffany said her mummy had her when she was in school. That you are going to die soon because you are old and you are already a grandpa."

Harry sighed heavily, knowing that children could be cruel. He sat back on the bed as she watched him in the half light. Her eyes reminicent of her mother's but dark like his. He nodded.

"I am old and do you know what? I don't care. You were a surprise baby. I didn't think I'd ever have another baby. But your Mum and I got lucky. I am not going to die for a very long time."

"Are you sure?"

"Very."

"Promise."

"I can't promise. How about I promise to do my best to stay alive until you are a very very old lady?" Gracie laughed.

"But I'm only four! It'll be a very long time."

"I know." He smiled. "And as for your Mum, she loves you so much. You, Nick and the older pair. So don't worry. Age really doesn't matter when you are older. It doesn't matter when you meet the right person." Gracie frowned. "What is bothering you now?"

"What do I tell those two girls?"

"You tell them that no, your Mum wasn't a school girl when she had you. She was a grown up. She's grown up enough to look after us all. And your Mum and Dad aren't going anywhere. Every family is different."

"I kicked her."

"Ah." Harry paused. "Why?"

"Because she said bad things about my family. Miss Smith made me stand in the Hall on my own. I wasn't let out to play. I don't care. I read my book. I'd rather read than be stuck with those girly girls." She wrinkled her nose. Harry sighed heavily.

"Don't kick them again. It's not very nice and to be honest wont stop them being horrid. So just smile and ignore it. OK? Or if it really bothers you tell me or your Mum. Ok?"

"OK."

"Good girl."

"Love you." He kissed her forehead.

"You too. Squeak." He pulled the duvet around her as she fell asleep. He had no idea Ruth had been listening at the door the whole time. He raised an eyebrow as he saw her on the landing. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." She smiled at him as he stepped towards her. "Kids can be vile."

"I thought we agreed, no more Monster's Inc before bed." He brushed her hair away from her face as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Forgot to tell Terri when she was babysitting." Ruth bit her lip as he watched her. The Havensworth look as she had christened it was back. She could barely speak when he looked at her like that. Her breath seemed to catch.

"She was worried I was getting too old to be her Dad."

Ruth nodded.

"I heard. She will be fine." She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I heard everything you said. One day you are going to have to explain her nickname."

Harry looked horrified at the thought. He knew he would have to comeup with something plausable but not the exact truth. Squeaky bed springs in a cheep B&B wasnt something he wanted to discuss with his children.

"I'll think of something."

"Don't ever ask what it is I see in you." She kissed him gently. "You are a brilliant dad." He blushed. "And I love you." She took him by the hand before leading him back to bed.

xx