Author's note: all usual disclaimers apply. In honour of everyone who's ever plotted behind their friend's back to do something nice!

"It's getting worse," Detective Constable Nkata complained to the pathologist as Stuart cut into the chest of the young victim.

"What is Winston?"

"The tension. They're like two fluffy pussycats circling each other."

"I don't think Lord Asherton would like to be thought of as a fluffy pussycat and I can't even imagine a scenario where that would apply to Barbara. Lioness perhaps, panther, even tiger but never something fluffy."

"Cougar?"

Stuart laughed so hard he had to stop the autopsy until his hand stopped shaking. "No, Barbara would never consider it."

"Yeah, the sarge is alright. She only has eyes for him anyway. Her growl is worse than her bite. The Inspector can bite though, lord or not." The two men laughed.

"Definitely a fatal blow to the heart."

Winston nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I know. It's both of them. They want each other so badly and yet neither acts."

"I meant the victim here. He was stabbed straight through the left ventricle."

"Oh sorry. Anyway I've had an idea."

Stuart Lafferty looked up dubiously at Winston. "I'm not going to like it am I?"

"I think so. Inspector Mee is selling tickets for some charity or other. The prize is a weekend at a spa in Wales. Somewhere up in the hills, really isolated. So I've convinced everyone buying tickets to put them in Barbara's name. All the office agreed because they're as tired of walking on eggshells with the two of them as I am."

"Why Barbara? Why not Lynley?"

"Well it's for two and she's got no one to invite. He might ask someone else if he won."

"What are the chances?"

"Only two hundreds tickets. I've already sold fifty in her name. I reckon I can get over one hundred. Better than even."

"And if she tries to give them away?"

"I'll say they're not transferable. But that's why I need your help."

"By buying tickets?"

"That too but by making sure she invites Lynley."

Stuart laughed but agreed. "Poor Tommy!"

A week later Winston persuaded Inspector Mee to make the draw in the common area on the floor. All the detectives from various squads gathered around sipping coffee or tea. Barbara stood near the back door ready to make a quick escape. It made no sense but she felt as if everyone was watching her. Lynley came up behind her and stood almost too close to be polite. She moved back slightly so their clothes were touching. She heard him stop breathing and smiled with satisfaction.

The last few months had been a strain. They had been busy at work with an unusual peak in homicides and kidnappings broken only by a major extortion case. They were working long hours each day and were barely apart. It had been far too easy for her to let her guard down a fraction more than was sensible and now they had developed a mutual need for each other's company. They ate most meals together and spent most evenings together. About the only thing they were not doing was sleeping together. Even though she was enjoying his attention Barbara knew this was unfair on her boss. Tommy was lonely but he needed to mix more with his own people if he was to find love again. No matter how much she would enjoy crossing that invisible bridge, losing Tommy as her best friend was too high a price to pay for sex.

"Did you buy many tickets?" he crooned into her ear sending a pleasurable shiver though her.

"Five quids worth. Enough to be polite. You?"

"A few more. It's a good cause." He had in fact bought almost one hundred tickets and put them all in her name hoping that if she won she would invite him. She would never have accepted his invitation if he had won.

Mee looked directly at Lynley and winked. There were only twelve tickets bought that were not in Havers name and he had carefully placed them at the bottom of the barrel. "Thank you everyone for your generosity with these tickets. As you know finding a cure for brain cancer has been a cause close to my heart since my wife and I lost our little boy Sammy a few years ago," Mee announced. "This year we raised over seven hundred pounds, much of it from this raffle alone."

The Inspector plunged his hand into the box of tickets and pulled one out. "The winner of the spa weekend for two is...Sergeant Havers."

Everyone clapped and cheered and turned to stare at her but all Barbara could feel was the hand on her shoulder squeezing gently but burning through to her core. Her faced reddened and she wanted to run. The sea of people parted as Mee approached. "So, who's the lucky man you'll take with you?"

"Er...oh...I..."

"I'll go with you Barb," Stuart called out.

"No you won't." Tommy's simple statement echoed the thoughts of everyone watching. Lynley was staring angrily at the pathologist. Stuart grinned at the fierce possessiveness of Tommy's response. The whole room hushed momentarily wondering what might happen.

"Well that's settled then Barbara," Stuart said throwing his hands up in mock defeat. "It looks like the galant knight is going with you." Stuart bowed towards Tommy. "I concede your Lordship."

Everyone cheered and laughed, even Tommy but Barbara wished the ground would open up and swallow her. She had heard the rumours circulating for years speculating about their partnership. Now Lynley had virtually confirmed them. Barbara would not care if it were true but her boss had never approached her with more than a hug of friendship. She turned and pushed past him. "Idiot!"

Tommy was wise enough to wait until they were alone before mentioning what had happened that afternoon. "You don't have to invite me along. It's just that I didn't want people thinking you'd go with Stuart."

"Doesn't matter. I'm not going. I'll ring them and ask them to cancel the prize and give the equivalent cash value to the cause."

"No, don't do that. All afternoon everyone's been saying how they wanted you to win. You deserve a little pampering. Go. I don't have to come along."

"I'd feel silly," she said, "going by myself. You may as well come. If you want to. It'd do us both good." She had not meant to give in but although she could not quite read the expression in his eyes, with his hair hanging over his face he looked like an adorable puppy.

"Thank you Barbara." Tommy tried hard not to grin like a schoolboy. "I'd like that very much."

She felt herself blush again. "Three weekends time. We should drive up on the Friday night."

"It's a date!" he said enthusiastically. He saw the horror on her face and hastily added, "well not a date as such, just an appointment." He wished Barbara would just give him a slight hint about how she felt. Sometimes he thought she would welcome his affection but at others he thought she would slap him, or worse, if he dared kiss her. He hoped this weekend might relax them both enough to discuss it.

The weeks crept too slowly for Tommy. He had packed and re-packed three times to find the right mix of comfortable clothes that he felt made him look his best. He had been exercising more in recent months and took the risk of packing tee-shirts that were a fraction too tight in the hope it showed off his new physique. He had purchased a packet of condoms and he flipped them over and over in his fingers trying to decide whether or not to pack them. It was presumptuous and he doubted he would need them but he also did not want to need them and not have them. He agonised for ten minutes, fretting that Barbara would assume he had planned to seduce her. He left them beside his bed but when he was about to leave he raced back and retrieved them. She would never know they were in his bag unless they needed them.

By contrast Barbara had avoided thinking about the weekend until the night before. She even wondered if they could ease the growing tension between them if she proposed a 'what happens in Wales, stays in Wales weekend'. She never would of course, that would be excruciatingly embarrassing for both of them, especially if he did not feel attracted to her but was merely being friendly. Despite her doubts she made sure she packed her best underwear just in case Tommy might finally act on his gentle touches and heart-melting smiles. She thought about the possibilities as she sat on the bus heading into the Met. Just once she would like to feel his lips on hers. Her mind quickly leapt to other desires. She was thinking about it as she alighted from the bus, directly in front of a Boots. Maybe it's a sign! She boldly entered the store as if she did this everyday. She surveyed the array of condoms on display with growing alarm but settled for the thinnest standard shape she could see. 'Extra sensitive for both parties' it read. She could barely believe she was about to buy them but she did and slipped them into a zippered pocket deep inside her bag.

The day was routine and they left earlier than planned. It seemed as if everyone was banding together to finish everything so they could escape on time. Winston had escorted them to his car and Barbara had thought he intended to chaperone them. Instead he checked her seatbelt and wished them a relaxing and fulfilling weekend. He emphasised fulfilling far too strongly and even Tommy could not hide his embarrassment.

"Should take about three hours, maybe three and a half in this traffic, unless we decide to stop for dinner. We can stop for dinner if you'd like. Probably out of London. Maybe Swindon? Although I know a pub with great chips in Bristol." After that little speech Tommy decided silence might be better than prattling.

Barbara looked out of the window to avoid smiling too much. He was clearly concerned about the weekend. Logically they had nothing to worry about. It was two nights accommodation with a steam bath and seaweed rub tomorrow followed by some bizarre water treatment and a massage with a relaxation class in the evening. Sunday was meditation and yoga and a big lunch. "Sounds good. Swindon's a couple of hours so we'll be there by seven. That'll be fine Sir."

The journey was tense. Normally their silences were companionable but this time neither could relax. They stopped at an original medieval pub in Swindon that had low doors where Tommy had to continually duck. Surrounded by heavy, rough hewn wooden beams that had flat patches worn shiny from centuries of human touch, small tables were tucked into the spaces beneath uneven chequer-pane windows. They chatted banally over dinner about his family and issues on the estate. "We should go down soon," he said as they returned to the car.

"We?"

"Yes, Mother would love to see you again and a weekend away from London is always relaxing." Tommy smiled awkwardly.

"We'll see."

They arrived shortly before ten o'clock. The building looked smaller than Barbara imagined but in the dark it was hard to tell. Tommy hauled their bags from the boot then tossed his keys to the valet. He smiled at her and they walked up the steps to the foyer. Barbara counted twelve, one short of the scaffold that it seemed she had been approaching.

Tommy had checked out the spa and the accommodation on the internet. The foyer reflected the feel of the establishment - refined Scandinavian minimalism. The old grandeur of the Georgian mansion had been updated with the clean lines of pale wood furniture and an abundance of white paint. A faint smell of jasmine added to the ambience.

"Can we have a second room? We'd pay for it of course," Barbara asked hopefully after being informed by the smiling receptionist that they were expected to share.

"No, I'm sorry ma'am but the weekends are very busy," the woman explained patiently, obviously curious as to why people booked for the Intimate Luxury package would want separate rooms. "We are fully booked."

Barbara smiled tightly and accepted two keys for Room 201. "Thank you."

The relieved receptionist smiled corporately. "You're welcome. On behalf of The Halfmoon Spa I hope you both have a very relaxing and reinvigorating stay with us."

Barbara nodded then turned to see Tommy trying not to smirk. "You knew."

"I surmised; it was a package for two people. Generally they assume couples or close friends."

"Not that close," she muttered. Even though she hoped something might happen to be thrust together was very confronting.

"I thought if we can share a caravan, we can share a room."