The Scars Run So Deep

Keeping The Wolf From The Door

KUDOS AND THE BBC OWN ALL THINGS [SPOOKS]. I OWN THIS STORY AND ALL ORIGINAL CHARACTERS.

AN. What can I say? Like many people who watched series nine of [spooks]. I felt that the writers destroyed Lucas North' character. I will never believe the man that we met in series seven would become the man we saw that November night. So, I sat one day and decided to write a story where there was no Maya Lahan (although I did like her) and series nine never happened.

The noise was driving me mad, a constant beeping pulling me from the sleep I'd finally fall into. My hand dove out from the cover searching blindly for the cause of it, my mobile phone; everything went crashing onto the floor causing the headache I already had to intensify. I opened my eyes slowly to see it was a RED FLASH, rubbing my eyes I read it again, taking in the one name that had played on my mind for the last few years. Alexander Dimitrov. I threw the phone to one side. 

'VITAL INTEL ON A. DIMITROV. RETURN CALL. MEETING AM.' 

Harry had called a morning meeting; I glanced at the alarm clock as the time registered, 05.36, the swear words I'd been muttering intensified, I had only gone to bed about an hour before the text had come through... I had finally, been relieved at four in the morning, after spending 24 hours overseeing the installation of surveillance equipment, on one of our largest and most remote safe houses. I was hoping to have at least the morning, to try and recover before returning to the grid, the moment I got that text message, I knew that wasn't going to be the case. 

Alexander Dimitrov was being investigated for being a possible threat to the country once again. We'd been after him for the last four or five years, yet whenever we'd got close... he had disappeared off the face of the Earth. Twice I'd been told by the CO19 team that had accompanied me, we had missed him by minutes, and it had played on my mind ever since. This time, I would get him and stop this mess once and for all, the man had his fingers in too many pies, drugs and prostitution being his pocket money interests, then there his recently confirmed involvement in arms deals with enemies of the state. The man was a menace to society. 

"When do you want me in Harry? I have literally just gone to get some sleep but if it's urgent that we all be there..." 

I knew I sounded rough as anything, but what do you expect if you are made to watch and check over some safe house till four in the bloody morning. All I knew is I would get told who it was for when I came in.  

"Lucas, I know you're tired, I am sorry but we have a situation with Dimitrov the sooner you can get here, the better. I need to introduce you to someone important before the meeting with the whole team... and I need you here with the next 40 minutes." 

Wonderful, I rolled myself out of bed running my hand through my hair and ran a quick shower, whatever this was about, it had better be good. I haven't slept properly in weeks, between the flashbacks and working till God knows what time in the morning I was starting to think I'd never sleep again. 

The streets of London were still quiet on this cold December morning but very soon it would be heaving with the daily commuters, totally unaware of how the people of Thames House quietly worked to keep them safe every day. Okay, not so quietly at times... but you get the general idea. I parked, and headed into the grid. 

I was greeted with a raven haired woman talking to Harry. I contemplated waiting, but curiosity got the better of me. After all, had Harry himself told me he needed to talk to me urgently, so technically I was merely doing as I'd been told to. I gave a brief knock, before sliding open Harry's door... 

"Ah, Lucas, let me introduce you to Mrs. Elena Dimitrov, she has decided to co-operate with us in return for gaining some freedom from her husband. She has information that could be vital, no, will be vital to us detaining Alexander once and for all. Mrs. Dimitrov, this is Lucas North he has been investigating your husband for some time now."