Title: In The Restaurant
Fandom: Spooks (MI5)
Rating: G
Length: 353
Summary:  All Jo Portman wanted to do was enjoy her meal in peace.

Jo Portman looked briefly at the couple a few tables away from her, who seemed to be having an argument.  Then she resolutely looked away.  She had taken advantage of a gap in her schedule to have lunch in a restaurant and no warring couple were going to ruin her enjoyment of her meal.

Suddenly, there was a crash and a scream, and the woman jumped up, yelling at her partner.  From what Jo could see the man had knocked over a glass of wine which had gone all across the woman’s clearly expensive dress. 

Jo watched them for half a minute, enthralled in the domestic drama, before ducking her head down to hide her embarrassment at having been so openly staring.  And attaching a tracking device to the jacket of the man on the next table.

The woman stormed out of the restaurant, the man apologised, left some notes from his wallet on the table to settle the bill, and then hurried out after his partner.

Jo returned to her blueberry and lemon meringue tart, savouring every mouthful, before she, too, paid her bill, bought some eclairs from the patisserie, and returned to her office.

Once back at the Grid, she met up with the couple she had been watching.

“Were you successful?” Ros asked.

“It worked like a dream,” Jo said.  “Although I was afraid I was going to laugh when you yelled ‘You did that deliberately!’”

“Well, he did!  He only needed to cause a distraction, not pour wine all over me.  That dress was dry clean only.”

“That’s all right,” Lucas said, “Harry can afford the cleaning bill.  More to the point, we left before I had a chance for dessert.”

Jo laughed and handed over the bag from the patisserie.  “I thought of that.  Have some eclairs.  There are three of them, so make sure you give Ros one.”

Ros held out her hand.  “You can give me mine now, just in case you accidentally eat it.”

Lucas opened the bag for Ros to take her eclair, and then departed, clutching his precious paper bag to his chest.