glaikit blethers

Title: Alias Smith and Jones (7/7)
Author: fififolle
Rating: MA (this part T, for themes)
Pairings: Tariq Masood/Dimitri Levendis
Spoilers: Spooks S9 and all of S10
Warnings: NO CHARACTER DEATH. WOOT.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I write this for fun or something, make no money, etc.
Wordcount: Part 7 - 1812
Summary: Tariq makes the right call.
Author Notes: Tariq saves the day, with a little help from his friends. Spoilers through 10x06 now. Thanks to all my lovely readers and commenters, I'm so glad you shared this journey with me. Let's call this part an alternate ending to 10x06.
Link to Part One and other parts.

~

Tariq slipped out of bed and tucked the duvet back over Dimitri. The taller man was sprawled on his front, one foot hanging over the edge of the bed. Tariq smiled. When awake, Dimitri was so perfectly poised and sleek, moving like a big cat, silent, confident and ready to pounce. But asleep, he was like a big puppy, arms and legs everywhere.

Pulling on boxers, Tariq padded through to the kitchen and opened his phone, pushing a few buttons to return the missed call as he settled on a stool.

“Hello?”

“Ruth. I didn't expect you to call so soon.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Tariq imagined her, composing herself.

“And I didn't expect to hear your voice ever again.”

“I'm sorry. I had to disappear.”

“I understand. What can I do for you?” Typical Ruth, seeing to the heart of the matter.

“I think I know who wanted me dead, Ruth. It wasn't Coaver, and it wasn't Ilya Gavrik. Everything points to Elena Gavrik, but why?”

“Elena? Are you sure?”

“She paid the CIA asset. Not Ilya. I don't understand. I thought she worked for Harry?”

On the other end of the phone, Ruth sighed. “She did. But there's something wrong about her. I can't put my finger on it. She's... almost too good to be true.”

“She's still after something. She tried to get our intel, frame Coaver. She needs Harry, but why?”

“I don't know, Tariq. But I think we need to tread very carefully. They sign the partnership tomorrow. Russia and Britain.”

“Don't trust her, Ruth. And don't trust Harry.”

“Tariq!”

“I mean it. You can trust in him, but loving him doesn't mean you have to trust his judgement.”

There was another pause. Then, “Does Dimitri know you are alive, Tariq?”

“Yes, it was him that saved me. I need him, more than anything. Look, let me know if anything happens with Elena, and I'll see you when this is all over.”

“I will. Thank you, Tariq, and be careful.”

Tariq closed his phone and stared out the window at the dawn light sliding up the lamppost outside.

“Who were you talking to?” Dimitri appeared from nowhere, wrapping his arms around him from behind.

“Ruth.”

Dimitri sighed, and hugged Tariq closer. “She can help end this. But you should have asked me. I would have spoken to her.”

Tariq leaned into his arms, closing his eyes and feeling so very tired. “I'm not thinking straight any more, Dima. I've been chasing so many leads I'm forgetting where everything belongs. Elena Gavrik had me poisoned, for what?”

“I don't have the first clue, but I know one thing. Whatever it was, it's big. Really big.”

~

Ruth stood in front of Calum's desk. “I need somewhere to get Harry and Elena together. Somewhere secure. Somewhere no one knows, not even our own people. If she really has knowledge of a terrorist plot, or if she's baiting us, either way we need to isolate her completely. I want you to drive me and Elena there, while Erin and Dimitri are getting Harry.”

Calum nodded. “I can drive, that much I can do. Somewhere to have the meet... Ruth, I... I only just flipped to this side of the tracks, sweetheart. I can do dirty woods, or install you an ECC-protected comm in your hot tub, but I don't know anywhere we can do the meet.”

Ruth glared at him. “I do not have a hot tub.”

Calum grinned, then concentrated, chewing on his lip. “I could ask...” His eyes widened and he snapped his lips shut.

“Ask who?” Ruth's eyes narrowed.

“No one,” answered Calum a little too quickly.

Ruth stood up straight, and blinked a few times. Then she slapped Calum, hard, on his left cheek.

“Ow! What did you do that for?” He clutched his face theatrically.

Ruth sniffed. “Not telling me Tariq was alive. Here's his number, get him to give you a location. And don't compromise him, or I'll kill you myself.” She wrote down the number and handed it to him, enjoying the way his mouth dropped open as he nodded.

She turned to leave. “Be ready with the car when I have Elena.”

Over her shoulder, she heard him call, “You can always hire a hot tub, you know!” and she let herself smile, just this once.

~

Tariq paid the taxi driver, gave him a generous tip, and walked the last mile along the estuary. He'd tucked the knowledge of this place away for years, after he'd accidentally stumbled across a deletion packet from the release of 'secret bunker' material in the the early 1990s.

This bunker was to remain secret after all.

The rusty gate with its yellow MoD sign hung open, and all he had to do was keep walking, his feet squashing the thick marshy grass, curlews calling from the mudflats to his left.

The old brick octagonal tower stood on rusting legs, belying the network of tunnels beneath his feet. Tariq balanced on a chunk of broken concrete and pushed at the open door. Green paint peeled under his fingers and it swung open reluctantly.

He'd told Calum the place was abandoned, but he hadn't expected this much dilapidation.

A quick scout around the musty interior revealed intact communication nets and plenty of space to hide Russian spies. He nodded in appreciation at his mobile phone signal. The bunker was acting like a giant mast.

Returning to the surface, he watched as Calum drew up in a Mercedes. He hadn't expected to see Sasha Gavrik get out of the passenger door, however. Ruth looked calm, though, as she came out of the back door, Elena Gavrik on the other side of the car.

Walking down the steps, he went to meet Calum, who pulled him into a tight hug.

“Good to see you, mate. The Admiral would have been unbearable if we'd lost you,” Calum said quietly into his ear.

Tariq grinned and accepted a hug from Ruth too, ignoring the stares from the two Russians.

“Nice place you got here,” Calum stared up at the tower. “Does it have a hot tub?”

Ruth rolled her eyes and clambered up the concrete slabs. “This way, everyone. And shut up, Calum.”

“Yes, ma'am,” he said brightly, and guided Elena and Sasha in front him and into the bunker, Tariq following on his heels.

~

Elena Gavrik was lying. There was no terrorist plot to crash a plane in central London. There was only a plot to make Harry think there was and get him to shoot down an innocent passenger flight with 312 people on board. With Tariq's proof, Ruth had persuaded Harry that she was lying to him, lying to them all.

Her husband, Ilya Gavrik, had arrived, fresh from signing the partnership between the old empires. Turned out he'd known about Elena's involvement with the deniable cell in the KGB all along. He'd known she was recruiting Harry, and letting him think he was recruiting her.

What he hadn't known was that Elena had let Harry believe that Sasha was his son.

Perhaps that was why he killed her.

Tariq felt sorry for Sasha, watching his own father kill his mother, and knowing that she had used him all his life. He watched the Russian pick up the piece of glass and walk away.

He couldn't let the man kill himself. Nothing was worth that price. He followed Sasha out of the bunker.

Down by the mudflats, Tariq could see Harry and Ruth were talking, the breeze blowing Ruth's hair this way and that, making Sasha's hair part as he walked away from the bunker.

“Sasha.” Tariq called out, “Wait.”

The young Russian paused, turning to face him. Tariq could see the fragment of glass in his hand, cutting into the flesh and causing dark blood to drip from between his clenched fingers.

“What do you want?” The thick accent was full of hate, rage.

Tariq raised his hands placatingly. “I want to help, mate, that's all. This is no way to end things. I've seen you at work, you're a good agent. Don't throw it all away. Your life is worth more than that.”

A slow smile spread across Sasha's face, and he threw his head back and laughed, then fixing Tariq with a maniacal grin. “You think I am going to kill myself? No. I am going to kill Harry Pearce.”

Tariq's blood ran a little cold. “My god.”

Sasha raised the shard of glass to show him. “He was the cause of all this. I will have my revenge.”

Tariq gulped, shook his head. “You can't blame Harry. He's as much of a victim as you. Yeah, he wanted to recruit your mum, but that was his job. She did her job, too.”

Sasha blinked, his hand falling back to his side. He glanced behind Tariq, and Tariq could hear Dimitri, Calum and Erin approaching them. He lifted a hand to keep them back.

“And you? Are you doing your job?”

Tariq shook his head. “Your mum had me killed. I don't really have a job now. Come on, give me that glass, yeah?” He held out his hand, and opened it, palm up.

Sasha's face became even more pale and he stared at the bunker for a moment, before calmly placing the glass fragment in Tariq's palm.

Tariq stared at the bloody glass, his hand trembling.

Calum and Erin tackled Sasha to the ground, shouting and waving cable ties around, and Tariq felt numb as Dimitri took the piece of glass from him and held him tight with the other.

“You bloody fool,” Dimitri murmured, face pressed to Tariq's neck.

Ruth and Harry hurried over and watched Calum wrestle Sasha to his feet, his hands tied behind his back.

“Easy, mate,” Calum panted. “What did you expect? A pat on the back?”

Sasha scowled at him, and turned to Harry.

“I still hate you, Harry.”

Harry pursed his lips, and looked resigned. “I know. I'm sorry.”

Calum tugged Sasha around and pulled him towards the path, Erin a few paces behind, her gun at the ready.

Harry took Ruth's hand and led her after them.

Dimitri tossed the shard of glass onto a rock and got both his arms around Tariq. “I guess it's over now, Mr Smith.”

Tariq smiled. “Looks like it. Think Harry will give me my job back? Or is wonderboy filling my shoes?”

Dimitri laughed, his dimple showing. “The grid isn't the same without you, Tariq. Wonderboy can clean the toilets for all I care. Come on, let's go home.” He kissed Tariq softly, ignoring the wolf whistle carried to them on the wind.

“Home? The new flat?”

Dimitri kissed him again. “Yeah. I like it. Sentimental reasons.”

Tariq grinned. “You big softy.”

FIN