Author's notes: I don't own any of the original characters nor the original Inspector Lynley Mysteries – they belong to Elizabeth George and the BBC.
I have borrowed the characters from the TV-Show and solely own the ideas of my stories and the developments I've let them go through.
Please let me know if I did something terribly wrong (rating, grammar, spelling...). Thanks!
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Author's notes: As the title might indicate this is a Yuletide story. I needed to get it out of my head before I continue with the Cinderella story. It's just a short one, quickly written.
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It was late December and the Met was celebrating its annual Christmas ball. Unusually for Tommy he was not yet in Cornwall but attended the party much to Barbara's dislike. She could have made it through the festivity without him tenderly smiling at her. She could definitely have done without him constantly asking her to dance. She really felt not sure on the dancefloor - though his guiding arms were a great help and she had to admit that it felt entirely good to be held in his arms. There she was at another annoying fact why she would have preferred her DI far away: her emotions were in an uproaring turmoil. She had suspected it for a while and finally had come to the knowledge at All Hallows' Day that she unfortunately had fallen in love with the eighth Earl of Asherton. She knew he never would answer those feelings in the same way so she had suppressed them from then on. She strictly had avoided physical contact and had tried to keep their private meetings after work at the lowest possible level. Unfortunately this also meant, or so she thought, that their friendship would disappear. If it hadn't already...
"You're not in the room, are you? A penny for your thoughts."
Her DI's soft voice put her out of her reverie. Unconsciously she had placed her head on his shoulder while they danced to a dangerously slow song. Now her head jerked up.
"Huh?" She blushed.
"You've been daydreaming, Barbara." His low voice gave her a shiver running down her spine although it could have been the caressing fingertips in her back that caused this feeling. "I was just asking if you would spend the holidays at Howenstow with me."
The awkward feeling of being caught at something strictly forbidden made Barbara snap. Her self-defensive behaviour always came up in the wrong moments. She answered something sharp and then one word led to another until they finally stood on the dancefloor and hissed angry words at each other.
At some point Barbara stopped the conversation with her raised hand. "You're such a stubborn man, Tommy!" she said and stormed out of the ballroom. She turned into the direction of the cloakroom to get her coat and fled down the corridor.
If she had not called him by his first name Tommy would have let her leave. But as she had done it something had clicked into its place and so he followed her outside. He did not want to let this otherwise lovely evening end that way. He had enjoyed her presence, had savoured every moment he could openly hold her in his arms while they were dancing. She never would suspect that he did it only to embrace her. He was not really fond of dancing but this was the only way to hold his spiky sergeant in his arms. Some days ago when he had realised that she was retreating from him he also had found out that he was starting to miss the pints after work, miss the rare times they spent together in private, miss her. He had found out that he had fallen in love with Barbara and he suspected that he had behaved a bit too strange for the last few months which probably was why she had backed out. Tommy was sure that he had destroyed their friendship with his selfish mood to fall in love with her. She never would answer his feelings in the same way, of that he was sure, and now he additionally had asked her to come to the deserted manor of Howenstow to spend Christmas with him. What an idiot I am!
"Barbara, wait!"
"Get lost!"
"I am!"
"What?" Now Barbara finally stopped and waited for him.
"I am lost. I don't want to spend Christmas alone."
"You don't need to. You don't need to drive down to Howenstow. There's no point in being there when nobody else is."
"That's why I want you to come with me." Once more he did not get the hint that she was indicating he could join her where she would be. At Christmas' Eve she always went to her favourite pub with her friends and many acquaintances. That was their tradition to celebrate Christmas. Sitting around, have a beer or two (or three) and at midnight and every full hour after twelve the landlady would play traditional Christmas songs everybody in the pub would sing along. For all the money in the world she would not give up on this nor would she ever trade it with a week in Cornwall.
"I am not going to stop the traditions I have, Sir. In my private life I can do whatever I want. And I don't want to accompany you at Christmas at the deserted Howenstow manor."
This had hurt him. Sure, she could do whatever she wants in her private life, but she did not need to remind him once more of the fact that he obviously will never take part in it the way he would want. But he also did not dare to ask and invite himself to her traditions.
"Thank you very much, Havers. And I've come to think that we were friends. Friends who would probably do something as extraordinary as spending time together."
Unnoticed by the two quarreling detectives one of the pathologists on his way to the smoking area had entered the corridor. A loud whistle interrupted their argument, both turned their heads into the direction of the noise and simultaneously they asked "What?!"
Stuart Lafferty was smugly grinning. "Look up!" he said.
Barbara and Tommy turned their heads to the ceiling. They stood under a huge mistletoe. Oh, well, that figures! Barbara immediately blushed and Tommy whispered "Oh!" and felt a pleasant sting in his stomach.
Tommy had watched Barbara turning pink and diverting her eyes to her shoes. His heart bursted when he realised she had not stepped away. He read it as a good sign. Maybe it was not too late to save their friendship. Maybe it was time to test new grounds. Maybe...
"You know, I'm just insisting on keeping to an old tradition, Sir." Lafferty interrupted Lynley's thoughts. He probably had heard more of their argument than both would have liked. "Maybe you might not know it, but you have to kiss her."
Sharply Tommy's head returned to the annoying pathologist.
"Fuck off, Lafferty!" he barked. Still Barbara had not moved away from the spot she was standing. Maybe she even slightly had bent forward. Tommy could not know it but her heart suddenly was pounding like mad.
Lafferty had made his chuckling exit but neither of them recognised.
Tommy raised his hand and gently cupped her cheek, letting his thumb caress her cheekbone. Their eyes were locked when he slowly bent down to her face. His breath was warm on her skin and she involuntarily raised her hand to his waist.
Barbara closed her eyes in the second his mouth touched hers. For some moments they stopped in that position. His lips were softer than she had imagined and when he slightly increased the warm pressure she started to kiss him back. Her other hand went to his waist while his arm encircled her. His hand wandered from her cheek into the back of her neck. If happiness were a small bell one would hear them jingle.
None of the two saw Lafferty coming back from having a cigarette, both did not hear his appreciative whistle and probably they would not have cared. Quite unusual for him the pathologist did not comment more on the kissing couple. Totally breathless and still in each others arms they let their lips part only after a very long time.
"Have I told you that I attach great importance on old traditions?" Tommy whispered against Barbara's lips.
"Such as?" she whispered back and wound her arms around his body when he continued to kiss her.
All fears, all restraints, all objections left her and finally she opened her lips and invited him in. First he nibbled at her lower lip before his tongue entered her mouth. Her belly cringed. Barbara enjoyed the long missed feeling of being kissed, savoured the new found feeling of being kissed by Tommy. Their heartbeats were the pounding rhythm for the sweet melody of their happiness. Despite the cold neon light the corridor was bathed in, the innocent kiss under a mistletoe had turned into a romantic, tender intimacy none of their colleagues should witness.
As if he had read those thoughts of Barbara Tommy whispered between kisses that he wanted to get caught.
"Mmmmh." she answered still enchanted. "Why that?"
"Because... mmmmh." He gave her another gentle kiss. " 'cause it would be broadcasted quicker among the staff and definitely less embarrassing than stand in front of the colleagues after a short period of hiding it in the shadows and make an official announcement that the Inspector loves his Sergeant."
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