Author's note: all usual disclaimers apply.

For Tess, whose mind runs in a parallel universe.

This story is an unusual twist on my usual ILM theme and adds a slight sci-fi element. It actually came to me in a dream. I hope it works and that it is fun to read. It seems somewhat appropriate to publish today after the loss of Stephen Hawking who could probably explain my twisting of time.

By the way, I am writing less at the moment, so the next chapter will be posted at the weekend. I had this bright idea that I should return to uni to study full time just for the fun of it.

Clara saved the video she had edited then turned off her computer. It was after midnight, and she was tired. "Come on, Marlowe. Time for beddy-byes."

Her cat opened one eye and gave her his best 'do not disturb me human' look. Undeterred, she picked him up and held his flailing claws away from her jumper. "Now, now, young man. What would people think of such a disobedient animal?"

Marlowe wriggled free. Landing on his feet, he arched his back and settled the fur back into place in a black ripple that started behind his ears and ended with a dismissive flick of his tail. He stalked off to his cat box.

As Clara cleaned her teeth and prepared for bed, she tried not to get too excited. She needed to sleep. It was always exhausting taking such a long journey. But if her plan worked, it would be her most rewarding trip yet.

Detective Inspector Tommy Lynley stood beside his car and watched his partner walk away. This case had nearly broken her, and he was at a loss to know how to help. None of his reassurances had worked. He understood. Barbara had been duped by a manipulative woman who had preyed on her deepest fears. Unusually, his feisty sergeant had let her defences down, despite, or perhaps in spite, of his warnings. Tommy understood the emptiness of realising that you had been used, and knew too well what it felt like to crave affection and not have it returned.

"Damn it." Tommy feared that this could go badly. "Havers, wait."

Barbara hesitated. If she had continued to walk she could have pretended she had not heard him. That thought did not come fast enough. Instead, she had paused before walking faster. Heavy footsteps pounded behind her. "Barbara, please."

She stopped then exhaled a long breath through her nose. She inhaled slowly then turned. "Yes, Sir?"

"Don't walk away. Let's go somewhere. The pub? Fancy a pint? Or my place?" He ignored the way her eyebrows arched. "If you need to talk."

"I don't. We said it all. I was played. I made a fool of myself, and I've lost my edge. Maybe even my interest. I don't need your pity, Sir."

"It's not pity. I prefer to think of it as friendship."

Barbara shrugged. Her defences felt shredded. She was barely holding any of this together. "Sir, I'm tired. I just want to sleep. Call me tomorrow if you like, but please, not tonight."

Tommy nodded. She knew he was not convinced. "If you're sure."

"I am."

"Will you at least let me drive you home?"

Barbara sighed. It would be much faster than the bus, but Tommy's presence was dangerous. She shook her head. "No, I... need time."

Tommy ran his hand slowly through his hair. "Please, for my peace of mind. I'm... worried."

"Don't be. I won't do anything foolish if that's your concern."

"But I might."

Barbara knew this week had taken a toll on him too. "What?"

"No, no that. No. But if I don't know you're okay, I might follow the bus and then sleep in my car all night outside your flat just in case."

Barbara tried to stay calm. "In case of what?" she snapped.

"In case you need a friend."

He looked awkward, yet so sincere and sweet. She smiled and shook her head. "All right. Thank you."

Tommy was relieved that she had agreed. He took it as a positive sign. It would ensure she made it home safely and did not stop off somewhere to drown her sorrows. He shuddered at the thought of her falling into the arms of some drunken lout just to feel connected. Mind you, going to the pub and picking someone up was something he was more likely to do. Lynley was glad to have a reason not to do that tonight.

As they approached his car, he noticed a woman near his Bristol. "Who's that?"

Barbara shrugged. "No idea."

Loose cut jeans and a sloppy grey jumper did not disguise the woman's middle-age which was spread copiously over his bonnet. She was dangling her legs and kicking to rhythm known only to her. On her back, she had a lime green backpack with speaker cable that ran up to oversized red headphones.

"Get off my car."

The woman jumped down, pushed her headphones onto her neck, and smoothed her clothing. "Hello. It's wonderful to meet you both. I'm a huge fan."

Tommy was not listening. He crouched down and looked across the line of his bonnet checking for dents. His car seemed to have withstood the weight. "Who are you?"

"Clara Ross." The woman extended her hand. Her jacket meowed loudly.

Tommy stared at her and pointed to his vehicle. "This is a..."

The woman raised her hand. "Yes, yes, I know. It's a Bristol 410, a classic."

Barbara tried to hide a chuckle behind a sudden cough. Tommy glared at her, then the woman. "Then why did you sit on it?"

"To get your attention mainly."

"What do you want?"

"It's a long story." The woman removed her backpack and plonked it on his bonnet. The head of black cat appeared in the odd perspex bubble that was on the rear of the bag. It looked at him disdainfully and gave an angry snarl.

Tommy was aghast. "Is that a cat? It will suffocate."

"Nah, these things are designed for them. See these big holes on the sides and top. I can't travel without Marlowe."

Barbara walked closer. "Marlowe is cute."

"Don't encourage her, Havers." Tommy was becoming more and more annoyed. They had serious problems to discuss, and a mad cat woman was an unnecessary distraction. He turned Clara. "If you will excuse us, we have to be somewhere else."

"I hope you're going to Belgravia to have a good talk. There are so many things you two need to sort out. I'm here to help you."

Tommy moved towards the woman. He felt Barbara's hand on his arm. She was right. He should not let his anger overwhelm him, but he still shook her hand off. "Please take your imprisoned cat and go away."

The woman stood firm. "No. I've brought you a video to watch."

"If you wish to report a crime, then the desk sergeant will assist you. Now if you'll excuse us."

Clara stood firm. "I said no, Tommy."

Tommy and Barbara looked at each other and frowned. "Do I know you?"

"No, but I know both of you. That's why I can help."

"You're making no sense." He pushed past Clara and unlocked his car. "Barbara, get in."

Clara looked over at Barbara and shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder how you put up with such a ponce."

Tommy saw Barbara suppressing a grin by tightening her lips together. "Ignore her, Havers. Get in."

Barbara opened the door, but before she could get in the car, Clara pushed past her and settled herself into the passenger seat. "I've always wanted to sit here."

Barbara shrugged. "Look, Sir, I'll just catch the bus."

"No!" Clara and Tommy said in unison.

Tommy stared at Clara. "The mad cat lady is just leaving before I arrest her."

"If you arrest me, you will have to listen to my evidence."

"No, we will just have to testify in court about your harassment."

"I wouldn't do that, Tommy. It might be embarrassing."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know everything about you. Thomas Lynley, Eighth Earl of Asherton. Sent to Eton at 13. Studied Classics and History at Exeter College, Oxford. Your father died when you were only 17, not long after you caught your mother having an affair with his doctor."

Tommy saw Barbara's face. He had never told her about any of that. "Enough!"

Clara ignored him. "You didn't talk to your mother for years, and your brother Peter blames your abandonment of the family for his addiction issues. You joined the force to spite your mother and avoid being an earl. After a rocky start in Yorkshire, you rapidly rose through the ranks until you were partnered with Barbara here. Then nothing else mattered."

Tommy's eyebrows shot up when he heard her last sentence. "Look, I do not know who you are, or why you walk around with a cranky black cat strapped to your back, but I am giving you one final chance to get out of my car. Otherwise, I will arrest you for stalking."

Clara laughed. "I really wouldn't do that, love. I know too much."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No. I just want to help."

"Then leave."

Barbara stepped over to the car and stood above Clara. "The Inspector is right. You should move on, ma'am."

"Oh, Barbara. It's so sweet the way you try to protect him from himself, but in this case, no. You both need to hear what I have to tell you."

Tommy took a deep breath. "Then say it and go."

"Not here. Back in Belgravia would be best. I want to see your townhouse. I hope you moved out of that flat after Julia Oborne died so tragically."

"Right. That's it. Clara Ross, I am arresting you for stalking. You do not have to say anything but..."

"You can't arrest me."

"I can, and I have. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence..."

"Oh for heaven's sake, Tommy. I'm here to help you."

"If you do not mention..."

"You're not real."

Tommy grunted and shook his head. "If you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court."

"Yes, yes. We all know the Police Caution. I am not a stalker. I can prove it."

"How?" Barbara asked.

Tommy gave Barbara a savage look. "Don't encourage her."

"You are characters on a BBC television programme, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Your first case together was A Great Deliverance in Yorkshire where William Tey was decapitated in his barn."

Tommy and Barbara looked at each other. "That's on the record. Anyone with a contact inside the Met, or researching court records, could know about that case."

"Would they also know Barbara lied about sleeping with you because she thought you had slept with a suspect?"

"I did not..."

"We know that. We knew that before Barbara did."

"This proves nothing."

"What about the way you moped around, pathetically pining after Deborah?"

Barbara cleared her throat. "Sir?"

Tommy grabbed Clara's wrist. "Havers, get some help from inside."

Clara seemed unperturbed. "Or what about the night you arrived on Barbara's doorstep because you could not bear to be alone? What was the phrase, Barbara? That's it - 'I've never been married. I've never had anything you could call a relationship... You find something else that gives you the reason to get up in the morning. And I have that, don't I?' And what was your response, Tommy? 'We both do.'"

Tommy's hand began to shake. The conversation was just as he remembered it. He looked at Barbara. Her face was red, and her eyes were wide. "How?"

"I've watched that scene a hundred times."

The detectives looked at each other. A silent argument about what she had said ensued, but neither felt convinced. "We can't be characters," Barbara said slowly, "or we'd know it. I've been around a lot longer than just being partnered with the DI."

"Yes and no, love. When they create characters in a book, or a film, or television, they create a backstory for the characters. Once you are created, you live that in a different time dimension. It seems real. well, for you, it is real."

Barbara put her hand on the door frame of the car. "So what happens to us?"

"They cancelled your show. Lots of fans protested to the BBC, but it didn't change anything."

"So..." Barbara paused and frowned. "When the series ends we just vanish?"

"No, you continue to live in your parallel world. The actors move on. Fans won't know what happens to you, but you will live life as if it were real."

"But it is real," Tommy protested. "I. Am. Real."

Clara shook her head. "Ever wonder why nothing ever went right for you? Why you have such angst in your lives? Why you can never say the things you need to no matter how much you want to? It was the writer's playing for dramatic effect. There are times we could have choked them."

Barbara slumped against the car. "I feel ill. When were we cancelled?"

"A few years ago but in your world, the last scene was Tommy looking at you walking away a few minutes ago."

Tommy leapt out of his car and rushed around to Barbara. He put his arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her towards him. "It's okay. We're okay."

Barbara looked up. "Do you believe her?"

"One more test?"

Barbara nodded then turned to Clara. "Give us another example of a something only we would know."

Clara sighed. "After Helen's funeral, you saw Tommy's car parked at the foot of Primrose Hill. He was on the right end of the bench. You sat on the left. He asked what you were doing there, and you said, 'I dunno. Just… letting you know, when you're ready, that there is a world out there.' And he said..."

Barbara put up her hand. "I remember." She looked up at Tommy. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "No need."

"I believe her."

Tommy looked at Clara who was smiling sentimentally. "You have something you want us to see?"

Clara nodded. "A DVD I have put together. I think it will help you move forward."

Tommy nodded. "You can sit in the back. That seat belongs to my sergeant."