Title: On the High Street
Fandom: Spooks (MI5)
Rating: G
Length:586 words
Summary: Adam wonders why it took so long for the rest of the team to do some shopping.

"What took you so long?” Adam Carter asked Ros Myers when she finally joined him in the holiday cottage Section D were renting for the purposes of their current operation.  “I thought you were just going to check out the high street and buy some basic provisions.”

“To be fair it is quite a long street, with a surprising number of shops.  Although I could have made much quicker progress if I hadn’t had those two with me.”  She indicated Jo and Lucas, who were engaged in unpacking as she spoke. 

“The bakery is wonderful,” Lucas said.

“I made the mistake of going in there first and then we had to go in again on our return for some reason I haven’t yet ascertained,” Ros said.

“We decided we should have bought the apricot tart instead of the blackberry and apple one,” Jo explained.

“Surely you didn’t ask to swap it,” Adam said horrified.

“No, we thought we’d manage to eat both by the end of the weekend.”

Ros took up the tale again.  “We got halfway up the street when Lucas suddenly shot across to the other side, to avoid the shoe shop.”

“Ah, yes,” Adam said.  “He has an aversion to the back to school shoes on display.”

Lucas shuddered.  “Too many bad memories of buying new school shoes; my mother blaming me because my feet had grown, and then my father in a bad mood because I’d cost him money again.”

“Which meant,” Ros continued, “we ended up outside the stationer’s, which also had a back to school display.”

“I used to love the start of the new school year, and buying new stationery,” Jo said. 

“And apparently she still does,” Ros added.  “Lucas and I left her browsing in there and carried on, only to find two doors up there was a bookshop.”

Adam laughed.  “Did you manage to buy any food, apart that is from the two fruit tarts and what looks like a bag of doughnuts?”

“Oh yes,” Ros replied.  “Lucas stayed in the bookshop, I went to the greengrocer and the Co-op, bought what we needed, retrieved Jo and her purchases from the stationer’s, and collected Lucas and his two new books …”

“Three, actually,” Lucas corrected.

“Three new books from the bookshop, and, with the aforementioned detour via the bakery, we came back.  Which might explain why it took us so long.”

“On the plus side,” Jo said, “while I was in the stationer’s I was able to watch Estelle Rogers pull up just past the bus stop, and drop off Trafford, before departing.”

“After which,” Lucas added, “Trafford came into the bookshop and I overheard him speaking to someone confirming they were to meet tomorrow at seven.”

“Did Trafford see you?” Adam asked sharply.

“No, I was the far side of the bookshelves, in the poetry section.  His companion did give me a bit of a look when I went to pay, but then I started to talk to the guy at the till and that seemed to relieve any suspicions.”

“A worthwhile trip, then,” Adam said.  “I had been going to suggest we visit the local pub to see if we could pick up any more information, but with both Rogers and Trafford in the area there’s too much risk of being seen, so we’ll stay in, especially since Trafford’s told us their meeting time.”

“So you see,” Jo added, “Our visit to the high street might have taken some time, but it was very worthwhile.”