Harry and Ruth AU

[sir_spook]

When the post arrived Harry was in his office, reading through the day's newspapers. It was bound to contain the usual mix of junk mail and bills and nothing that could possibly contain any hidden meaning. Not that it stopped him from looking. But the post would likely keep, he didn't need to rush downstairs to get it. And besides, it was no use

Comments

[dhmhthr]

Ruth knew that the post wouldn't bring much, it rarely did, but she didn't care. It was the idea of having anything domestic like this with Harry that had Ruth looking forward to it. It was automatic to separate into piles what was to be tossed, what needed attending first which wasn't much usually, and correspondence. She was just finishing sorting the junk when Harry came into the room.

"I think they wasted a whole forest on today's post." She smiled in greeting and handed the last few pieces of post to Harry. "I thought I saw a postcard in there. Know anyone on holiday?" Ruth was teasing because it could have been anyone they know traveling about but highly unlikely they'd send one.

[sir_spook]

"I don't know anyone who goes on holiday," he said as he looked through the pile. He'd surrounded himself with workaholics, who did plenty of travelling, but never for fun. Malcolm might take holidays, but Harry couldn't see him as the postcard sending type.

He found the postcard in the pile. The picture was of a beach somewhere warm and sunny - or somewhere that had been touched up to look warm and sunny. He put the rest of the post down and turn the postcard over to read the back. "No name." Whoever had sent it hadn't signed it or said who it was for.

[dhmhthr]

"No name?" Ruth's brow furrowed and she closed the distance between them. "Is there a postmark of when and where it's sent?" She peered down at the card that Harry held, her mind already going over too many scenarios that probably weren't even close to being relevant.

Seeing the card had taken her back to when she was on the run before she came back to MI-5. The hundreds of postcards that she'd thought about sending Harry that he would know was from her without anything on it to give her away, but she didn't.

[sir_spook]

He held it up to the light, but the postmark was smudged and impossible to make out. "It could just be an honest mistake," he pointed out. "The person who sent it could have got the wrong address or the postman's delivered it to the wrong house." Although he both knew they'd rule out every other option before they accepted that.

He tried opening it, but there was nothing there, just the postcard. "It could have a hidden meaning or be written in code." If it wasn't innocent, then that must be where the message was hidden - in plain sight. He passed it over to Ruth to look at, to see what she could make of it.

[sir_spook]

They reached the meeting place a little early. Harry wanted to watch Charlie arrive. When he did he walked over the bench nonchalantly. He sat looking out over the Thames, but his leg jigging either meant he was nervous or excited or both.

Harry waited a minute and then strode over to sit next to Charlie. "I've heard good things about you," he said without preamble.

[dhmhthr]

Ruth sat close enough that she could be of assistance if needed but far enough away that Charlie, if by remote chance knew her, spotted her. To anyone observing, she was enjoying the weather and view of the Thames.

Charlie couldn't believe his luck when Sir Harry Pearce called him. He'd been told that his work had caught the eye of prominent people but until then, he'd thought it was a line. It took everything he had not to jump up and greet the former head of MI-5, but rather stay in place.

"It's an honor, Sir." And that wasn't some bullshit line either. He'd heard quite a lot about him and liked that he did the right thing, damn the consequences.

[sir_spook]

Harry nodded, outwardly not reacting, but he was glad Charlie was at least a little overawed because it would make this easier.

"There's something I need you to do for me," he said. "But I need to know you can be discrete." He looked piercingly at Charlie. "Does anyone know you're meeting me?"

[dhmhthr]

It had been so, so tempting to brag to others that he was going to meet Sir Harry Pearce but in the end he kept it to himself. It was like a special treat and a giant ego boost. He shook his head in he negative. "No one knows I'm here and they definitely don't know that I'm meeting with you. I'm very discrete, sir."