Author's note: all usual disclaimers apply.

As a detective, Constable Winston Nkata was suspicious of his colleague's new boyfriend. Barbara Havers, his sergeant, had never had a man in her life before despite some disastrous attempts at dating. David Cantree seemed to dote on Barbara. Everything he did seemed to shout real love, but Winston believed none of it. The man's eyes were cold. Despite his whispered endearments underneath it, he was calculating every move. The man was smart. He never let Barbara see his true feelings, but Winston had watched him carefully. Cantree was bad news.

Winston did not want Barbara swindled out of her money. She had taken great pride in paying off the mortgage on her flat and Winston could not bare to think of her losing it. Should he tell someone about his suspicions or let life take its course? Barbara was his friend. He knew he had to disclose his suspicions. Nkata would rather lose her friendship than have her penniless and the victim of Cantree. He decided to talk to their boss. He would know what to do.

Winston had always assumed Barbara carried an eternal flame for Detective Chief Inspector, Tommy Lynley. Although he was not sure why the gruff sergeant and debonair Lynley had formed a bond that Winston had always thought would withstand a nuclear attack. Their boss was an enigma to Winston. He was an aristocrat - Lord Asherton, some sort of earl. Despite his education at Eton and Oxford, Lynley never behaved as if he was better than Barbara or Winston who both came from the opposite end of the social spectrum. Lynley was humble and flawed, and Winston was sure that he was in love with Barbara. He had watched them interacting for years, both being too afraid of rejection even to hint at their real feelings. For two people who seemed ideal for each other, they had danced around the issue, never getting closer than inseparable friends. Well, they had been inseparable until Cantree came along. Barbara's new boyfriend changed all that. Now they seemed awkward together and overly polite as if neither of them could discuss Cantree with the other.

Their boss had become morose and moody. The slightest issue sent him into an irrational rage, and Winston suspected he was drinking too much. Sometimes he wanted to put Barbara and Lynley in a cell and not turn them free until they sorted themselves out. Now, he risked breaking their friendship forever. Winston took a deep breath and knocked on Lynley's door.

"Yes."

"Excuse me, Sir. Could I have a word?"

Lynley was sitting behind his desk reading a report. He did not look up. "What is it, Winston? Trouble with the Southwark witness?"

Winston shut the door. He ran his hands down the sides of his trousers. "I don't know how to say this Sir."

"I don't have the patience for games Winston."

The nervous constable looked down. "It's about Barbara's new boyfriend."

Winston saw the dark cloud settle on Lynley's face. "Hardly my problem. I suggest you speak to her. Now I have work to do."

"He's a conman. He's using her."

Winston saw the expression on Lynley's face and knew their bass felt the same dilemma he had been wrestling with for days. "Supposition, or do you have proof?"

"I have some evidence, but I need permission to seek out more."

"What do you know?"

"His name has come up in several complaints by women. It seems he targets vulnerable women and then tries to con them out of money. He uses different techniques. I have only been able to look at complaints. I didn't dare risk using the system to look up his history."

Lynley stood and walked to the small window in his office. Winston waited as his boss debated their next move. He was confident Lynley would act. This was centred around Barbara, and his boss would do anything to protect her, even if it was not quite within the rules. Lynley took a series of heavy breaths and ran his hand slowly through his hair. "Find out the registration number of his car. Then run a search for a partial match. We will say it was a witness who provided information for the Southwark murder. Of course, it will be a dead end there, but we will have his file."

"Good thinking, Sir."

"But make sure Barbara doesn't find out. Let me know what you find. We can take it from there."

"Thanks, Sir. I know it is difficult, but I couldn't let anything happen to her."

Lynley nodded. He looked troubled. "I know. We can't, but she will hate us for it."

"Maybe she'll come around after she thinks about it."

His boss shook his head. His expression was one Winston had never seen Lynley show the world, but one he understood. "No, Winston, she will never forgive us."

Winston felt so sorry for Lynley. The man had a terrible record with love, and now he was going to hurt the person he loved more than anything to save her from a worse fate, knowing that it would ruin whatever it was that they shared. He had always thought his boss was slightly selfish, but Lynley was about to prove him wrong. Winston wished he could tell Barbara how much Lynley loved her.

Even Winston was shocked by what he found. There were seventeen cases of fraud against Cantree or his aliases. He had served several years for embezzlement, deception and assault. There was even an accusation rape by one of his victims, but it had failed in court. Winston paced the room. He had to tell Lynley.

"These are serious charges, Winston. Barbara needs to know, but you realise what it will do to her?"

"I know, but what do we do? We can't stand by and let him ruin her." Winston watched his boss carefully.

"I'll tell her," Lynley said slowly, "she'll need a friend. It's better if she thinks you had nothing to do with this."

"No, Sir. I should tell her. It's you she needs."

"Clearly not or we wouldn't be in this position. I thought... it doesn't matter. It should be me. I owe Barbara that much. She was always honest with me, even when I didn't want to hear the truth."

"I'm sorry. I know how you... I know what Barbara means to you."

Lynley smiled tightly. "No, I don't think anyone does. She's my entire world Winston, but I should have told her that years ago."

That afternoon Tommy called Barbara into his office. He had thought about the pub, but she was unlikely to go with him. She seemed to spend every waking hour with Cantree. Tommy shut his eyes and shivered as he thought of them in bed together. He wondered if Barbara had ever felt that way about his women. He hoped not.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?"

"Yes, come in Barbara. Shut the door." Tommy tried to relax, but the muscles that ran along his collarbone pulled tightly making his neck and back ache. He fleetingly toyed with the idea of letting Cantree defraud her and then being there to pick up the pieces. He would much rather have her sobbing in his arms than inflict the pain he was about to cause. She would never forgive him for knowing and not saying any more than she would for telling her.

She sat in the chair slowly. He could tell she knew something was wrong. "If this is about my report, I'm almost finished."

Lynley had decided to do this quickly. It would be bitter and painful for both of them. There was no point in dragging it out. "It's not about your report. Barbara, I hope one day you come to understand why I am about to tell you something you don't want to hear." Tommy took a deep breath. "I am truly sorry Barbara, but Cantree doesn't love you. He's a conman who is intending to defraud you. I have all his history and proof in here." He passed the file across the desk.

Barbara stared at him. It took about ten seconds for her eyes to narrow and turn cold. Tommy knew that it was that moment that she had gone from caring for him to hating him. He had known it would hurt him to see that look, but it was more devastating than he had imagined. If only he could take it back - turn back time. Months ago he should have told her how he felt. There was always an excuse why he said nothing, but he knew he had simply been scared. What if Barbara had rejected him? He would have had nothing. Tommy would rather have lost her that way than like this, seeing her pain turn to humiliation. He braced for her onslaught.

"You investigated him?" she murmured.

"Yes, I thought he was suspicious." Tommy was careful to make sure she believed he was entirely responsible.

"You couldn't stand to see me happy, could you? I've had one chance at a relationship, and you had to take that away. You had to show how superior you are and laugh at gullible Havers with her conman." Her tone was far too calm.

"I want you to be happy. I just can't stand by and see you lose everything you've worked so hard for," Tommy replied.

"Perfectly reasonable excuse I'm sure. Everyone will think you're the hero yet again."

"It's not heroic, and you know it."

"Yes, I do. It's the action of a lonely, spiteful man who thinks because he has money and looks and doesn't care about anyone but himself, that he can dictate the lives of everyone in his fiefdom. If I go home will the painters be there?"

"Of course not."

"Well, Sir, this time, you've gone too far."

"Barbara, this has been the most painful thing I've ever had to do. It gives me no pleasure or satisfaction to hurt you. One day I hope you'll understand."

"I understand now! I can see exactly what is going on."

Tommy was not sure whether to be scared or relieved that she was beginning to get mad. "I hope so. I really do."

"You can't maintain a relationship beyond half a dozen shags, so you don't want anyone else to be happy. Well, I'm not going to be good little Havers, always there to pick up the pieces for you anymore."

"Barbara, I don't expect..."

"You've had hundreds of women but do you know how it felt for me to have someone to hold me? Make me feel loved? Make me feel like I was a woman rather than just a policewoman or a friend?"

"But none of it was real."

"Yes, my whole bloody life is a lie. It was foolish of me to think anyone actually cared about me, but for those few weeks, it felt real."

"I care! I care more than you think."

"You think you care, but when it comes down to it, you're just like everyone else... forget it."

"Barbara, I lo..."

She raised her hand and cut him off. "I will never forgive you for this, and I'll never stop hating you." Barbara stood and hurried out the door, slamming it behind her.

"And I'll never stop loving you." Tommy ran his hand through his hair. There was nothing more he could do except go home and open a very expensive bottle of single malt.