15. Chapter 15 (1/2)

a/n: this chapter, the final one of this fic, is m-ish, so that's your warning. thank you to all readers, followers, encouragers, and reviewers for your comments. this is more epilogue than chapter, and is not a terribly likely outcome, but just sometimes, it is fun to play around with h & r, and give them some opportunities they'd never be given on "spooks".

18 months later – 4 days before christmas, 2011:

"shhhh," harry says, finger across his lips, as he ushers his daughter and son through the front door. "no jade?" he adds, his enquiry directed at graham. harry has hugged catherine, and placed a parental hand on his son's shoulder in greeting. although they communicate regularly by phone, it is almost four months since he has seen either of them.

catherine and graham remove their coats, and hang them on the coat rack just inside the door, before harry turns, and shows them through to the kitchen, where he has already prepared a pot of coffee, and a cake, which he'd bought only that morning in a bakery in bude.

"jade couldn't come," graham says, sitting at the table opposite his father. "she had to visit her father in northumberland."

"if you want my opinion -" catherine begins.

"you have no right to an opinion," graham counters. "she has other ….. responsibilities – family responsibilities. i'm not her only family."

"it would be nice were she here ... that's all i'm saying. where's ruth? is she resting?"

"she's in

istol until 3," harry replies. "she has a faculty meeting, and then she has two weeks off. she's due back at work on the 4th."

"but she's still only part time, right?"

"one day a week ….. and she volunteers one day a fortnight at the local li

ary."

"and you go fishing," graham says, one eye

ow raised.

"only sometimes. i built the pergola," he adds, pointing out the window, where his structure sturdily protects the back of the house. "i'm rather proud of that pergola."

this is the first time his children have visited the house at bude since before he and jane had separated. - almost 25 years ago. they have met in

istol on a few occasions, but this is the first family gathering since he'd faked his death. harry is nervous. he wants this three day visit to go well. privately, he is relieved jade is not here, and with catherine's mark in cambodia for the month of december, being maddened by the heat and humidity of the monsoon season, he is to be surrounded by his family …... all those he holds closest to his heart, now that he knows for certain that he has a heart.

it is ruth who has saved him. he'd always believed that to be somebody, to be worth something, he'd needed the job, and he'd needed to excel. ruth has taught him that all he needs in his life is her, and to love her. if he does that, then everything else falls into place.

harry is listening while graham tells him about his new job, when catherine suddenly interrupts.

"what was that? i heard something."

"it's just the wind," harry says.

catherine stands, and walks to the door, silencing the others, while she listens. "there it is again." she says, as she heads for the stairs, bounding up them two at a time.

harry follows, but he is too slow. he looks back at graham, and shakes his head.

it is little more than a minute later when catherine returns, and in her arms she holds a baby, still in the process of waking up. when the baby stops rubbing her eyes, it is clear that she has her mother's startling blue eyes, and her father's sensual mouth. what little hair she has appears to be fair in colour. when she spies harry, she leans towards him, her arms open, as if begging him to rescue her.

"if you woke, her, catherine -"

"you need to live a little, dad. the last time graham and i saw her, she was only three months old."

graham quickly joins his sister, and reaches out to grasp the baby's fingers, his face softening.

harry watches from a close distance. he knows it is their right to have time with their new sister, but his instinct is still to fiercely protect her. he holds back the words, `careful with her; don't drop her.' as if catherine would drop her!

he and ruth had taken some time to find one another again once they'd moved into this cottage. they had slept together chastely for almost two weeks, when one evening, while harry was washing the dishes after dinner, he had felt ruth at his back, as she slid her arms around him, and pressed herself against him. he'd allowed himself to sink back against her body, and closed his eyes. ruth's hands had circled his chest, and then one hand had travelled down his belly, and then quickly to the front of his trousers, where she'd grasped him gently through the material of his trousers and underwear. he'd gasped, and his eyes had sprung open.