Lucas pulled his coat about him, thinking that it was highly unreasonable that the day he was designated to carry out a surveillance operation in Hyde Park should be so unseasonably cold and bleak.

He'd been here four hours, waiting for a person of interest to carry out a meet that Ros has expected would occur three hours ago. He sighed and wondered how much longer he would have to stay for. Operations such as this gave him time to think. And he didn't like that – he didn't like that at all.

Something he liked even less was watching the young couple sitting opposite him on a park bench. They had been there for over an hour and normally that would mean that he would have had to move, so as not to arouse their suspicion. But there were completely oblivious to him – and to the world at large.

They were clearly very much in love. The young man kept leaning over and touching the girl's face, then kissing her. After a little while they would break the kiss, and she would giggle and run her hands through his hair while he would gaze into her eyes.

Watching them made him uncomfortable. It made him wish that he was slightly less alone in the world, that Elizabeta had made a different decision during his time in Russia. He felt an unfamiliar longing to know the kind of intimacy they knew, for someone to ask him about his day as Elizabeta had done, for someone to care how he felt and to whisper their secrets to him late at night.

But he doubted whether anyone would tolerate him as he was now, with his strange disconnection to the real world, the unexplainable gaps in his understanding, and his dreams at night. No normal person would accept that. No normal person would accept him.

He looked up from his thoughts surprised to see a figure emerge from behind the bench and sit down beside him. It wasn't the one he'd been waiting for – but he was genuinely pleased anyway and smiled at her.

"Ros told me to give it another ten minutes and then I was to get you to come back," Jo said shortly.

He nodded and gestured for her to have a seat then took her hand, moving closer to her. Taking into account their age and genders, the logical façade for them to adopt for the wider world was that of lovers – the same as the couple opposite them.

"Malcolm's organised drinks at the George tonight and we wanted to know if you were coming," Jo said, after a pause.

Lucas nodded, "count me in." It had been a difficult day and he was weary. He'd spent the morning chasing a suspected bomber up several streets and had eventually managed to shoot him in the left leg, but it hadn't been the most discreet operation and he knew Harry would have some damage control to attend to as a result. He could do with a drink this evening to relax. Or three.

Beside him Jo was already lost in her thoughts. She'd seen the couple opposite them too and remembered how she and Zaf used to come here sometimes on a Sunday. After they'd ran around the park and Zaf had teased her about her all pink running outfit, ("come on Barbie, I can see Ken in the distance,") they used to collapse on to a park bench and sit together, just enjoying each other's company.

Thinking of Zaf made her remember how things had ended between them. She could still vividly recall the time Zaf had finally succeeded in catching her unawares on the balcony after Friday drinks and, with the confidence of a practicised seducer had seized the moment and kissed her again and again with such an aching sweetness she thought she might have been in danger of collapsing there and then on the spot. She had had to concentrate harder on getting her legs to hold her upright as she had sunk further into his embrace. If it wasn't for one of records room staff interrupting them as they came out onto the balcony for a cigarette who knew where things might have gone. If she closed her eyes she could still feel his kiss but the sweetness had dissolved and all that was left now was the bitter aftertaste of regret.

It being Zaf and her being used to his little games and flirtations, afterwards she'd pretended to be mildly annoyed by it all but secretly she was far from annoyed and to tell the truth he probably knew that. The next week he was gone, in a haze of bustle and hurry for Tehran.

The last thing she remembered was standing with him at the airport and passing the time by talking about everything and anything but his departure and then finally, at the last moment, finding herself picked her up off her feet as Zaf had held her and in between kisses put his head against her forehead and breathed that he was in love with her. She, being the fool she was, had only smiled and replied that she would be waiting for him to return. She should have seized her opportunity at happiness and clung on to it while it lasted because he hadn't returned. And then things had gone so very badly wrong from that point onwards that it sometimes felt as if she was free falling from a thousand feet with nothing to break her accelerating descent.

Lucas stole a glance at Jo as they sat in silence. She had a strange expression on her face and he tried to imagine what she might be thinking of. There was a softness in her expression, a vulnerability that made him curious to know what was going though her head.

Just for a moment his thoughts wandered. He wondered what her lips would feel like under his, whether they would be soft and inviting and if her skin would be smooth to his touch and what it would feel like to have her breath warm against his shoulder like Elizabeta's had been on those cold winter nights they'd lain together. For the few seconds the thoughts passed through his brain he decided he liked the idea. It would be, he thought, quite satisfying, quite comforting, quite desirable.

But then he recollected how it was with him and how it was with her and quickly put his thoughts away, certain that they would only lead somewhere he ought not go.

"Shall we go then?" Lucas asked, his words jolting Jo back to reality.

"Oh, ok yes - let's go then," she replied, collecting her thoughts.

"Everything ok Jo?" Lucas asked, after a moment.

She nodded and they lapsed into silence as they walked towards the road where the car was parked.

As they left the park gates, a little blonde girl aged about three or four ran out towards the road, her harassed looking mother following after her with a toddler in hand, telling her to stop and calling that she wasn't to go near the road.

"Hey," Lucas said, catching the giggling girl, "making a break for it are we?," he asked, laughing at her as he held her by the hand and returned her to her grateful mother.

"She certainly is," her mother said smiling. "She's quick these days, but she just doesn't realise how dangerous the streets can be. Thank you for stopping her."

"My pleasure," said Lucas, grinning. The scene had to make Jo smile.

She had to admit that Lucas could be quite charming at times. And to tell the truth she had misjudged him.

At first she'd thought that he was trying to replace Adam – but she knew now that that wasn't fair. He was just trying to find somewhere he could belong again. It was true that he wasn't familiar like Adam and that he was unpredictable but she could see that he had integrity and that he was good at what he did and that maybe he even had something that Adam didn't have. Like patience for example.

She'd even seen flashes of kindness in him. He was a bit unsettling to be around – a bit foreign but perhaps in time they might be able to find some common ground, to be friends. Who knew?

Lucas looked at her thoughtfully, "you know you must have looked like her when you were little."

"What?" Jo replied, distractedly.

"The little girl," Lucas replied. "I think you must have looked a bit like her when you were young."

"Perhaps," she responded, not really sure what his point was.

She looked over at him, surprised to see him smiling to himself at the thought. "So anyway, after we get back to the office I just need to finish up some paperwork and then Ros and Malcolm and I are going for drinks . And you too if you wanted to come with us."

"Is the George still the dodgy pick up joint for MI5 officers it always used to be?" Lucas wondered aloud.

"Hmm," Jo replied thoughtfully, considering his question. "Hard to say – I've seen it happen occasionally, but its in pretty poor taste really – don't you think?"

Lucas laughed, "yes that's true. Anyway – I'd place my bets on Malcolm bringing home the ladies tonight."

"Excellent," Jo giggled, "I completely agree - Malcolm it is."

**

Hmm want to know what happens next?? You already do because you've read it in Chapter One!!

So as we have come round to the point when this connects up to the rest of the story that is the end of this little fic which turned out not to be so little but actually quite long. Hope you have enjoyed it anyway.

Please review and let me know what you think.