Title: Unwanted Advice
Fandom: Spooks (MI5)
Rating: G
Length:508 words
Summary:Advice isn't always welcome

Lucas' explosion, when it came, was impressive.  One minute he had been sitting quietly at his desk, the next he was standing in the middle of the Grid, shouting.

“I’ve had enough of you and all your advice!  Why don’t you keep all your helpful suggestions to yourselves and leave me be?  You haven’t the first idea of what would be best for me, so just shut up and let me make my own decisions.”

With that he had stormed out.

The noise had brought Harry out of his office.  “What’s going on?” he demanded.

“Nothing to worry about,” Ros replied.  “Just Lucas relieving a little tension.”

“Good.  Tell him I’d like a word when he gets back.”

“I will,” Ros replied, and Harry returned to his office.  “Not that that’s likely to be for some while,” she added quietly.

Jo sniffed.  “I feel awful,” she said.  “I only wanted to help.”

“We all did,” Malcolm said and then added, “Adam, are you okay?”

Adam looked up.  He seemed even more shocked at Lucas’ outburst than the others.  “We went out for a drink together last night.  Lucas seemed happy to talk and now it’s clear I totally misjudged him.”

“There’s nothing we can do for the moment,” Ros said.  “Lucas needs time to sort himself out.  And no, before any of you say anything, I’m not going to tell him that.  What I suggest we do is go for a drink after work.  I’ll send him a text to let him know where we’re going and leave it up to him to decide whether he wants to join us.”

***

Having stormed off the Grid, Lucas kept walking until he found himself in the middle of St James Park.  He realised it was raining, but for once it didn’t concern him, for it was at least cooling his temper.

He still felt justified in what he’d said.  How could they give him so much advice when he, himself, didn’t know what he wanted?  They couldn’t understand what he’d been through, and how hard it was to re-adjust.

He suspected he might have made Jo cry, which he did feel a little sorry about.  She had been very kind in giving him meals he could simply heat up.  And Ros had been right when she said he should rest; she just didn’t experience his nightmares.  Malcolm had been very patient, listening to him when he had wanted to talk.  And Adam, well, perhaps he had over-reacted again.

His phone pinged and he looked at it, to see it was a message from Ros.  Probably something along the lines of ‘Come back to the Grid and let’s talk about it.’  Didn’t they understand a word he’d said?

He read the message. ‘We’re going to the Red Lion, bar at the back.’

Maybe they did understand him, just a little.  And it wouldn’t hurt to meet them.  He could buy Jo a drink.  Well, and Adam.  And …

He took out his phone.  ‘I’ll see you there.  First round’s on me.’