Author's usual notes and disclaimer: 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.

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Author's notes: When I was cleaning up (LOL, yes, I've had the same idea!) I found those notes again and put them into some sort of order, then worked them out, though some stayed the small scenes they had been when they first had popped into my head so some of the chapters are a bit short.

Emerald had started in December 2013 with my story Merry Christmas*, the following were Siblings or You Owe Me A Story - Dessert* - Green Gem - A Trip Around Cornwall - Refuge* - St Ives, Strolling About - Bathtub* - St Ives, Shopping Tour - The Pillow (Intermezzo In M-Dur)* - The Lizard And The Ladybird* - Trip To Howenstow - Butterflies*, and it ended with the long Emerald Fireworks. The latter in particular is a story you might want to read before going on here. * Stories marked with this are M-rated.

Some of you may be irritated but in these stories I'm talking about Thomas (mostly) and not Tommy and Barbara is addressing him that way. First it was just a try (actually it is his name) but of course I had to stick with it when I've continued the story. There's also an explanation in one of the stories ("Maybe it's because I don't want to call him like Helen did. she thought. "Maybe because Tommy is a little boy, and Thomas is a grown man." she lopsidedly grinned.") so I keep it here.

The first chapter here is nothing but a little summary if you don't want to read all of the previous stories first, some of them are... *Mmmm... 'hidden' anyway ;-) Before I had continued this I actually have read them again and, well, if I may say so - I think it was worth it. At least for me, seeing how I have written when I started on FF and how that had changed...

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What happened so far

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It had been December. DI Tommy Lynley and his Sergeant Barbara Havers had been in the middle of an exhaustingly frustrating case and after a few dead end roads and zig zag ways they had found themselves picking up an argument that had started the previous evening. Loudly they had continued in his personal office until he had stopped and out of the blue declared that he loved her. They finally had kissed but unfortunately a week frustratingly full of work had followed and nothing but a few hot kisses had happened before he had invited her to Howenstow for Christmas.

There, avoiding the mistletoes and pretending to still be nothing but the DI and his DS the entire first evening with the family, they more or less had revealed their secret quite unceremoniously. They had been too distracted and passionately involved to close the door to his bedroom before they had made love for the first time. They had had witnesses.

Later his mother with her open agreeableness and his siblings with their gentle teasing and friendly bickering had made her feel totally at ease with her newly discovered love for the Earl of Asherton and with his family. The Earl himself had made clear that she was something special to him when he had given her a necklet with a small but meaningful green gem before they joined the others at an opulent dinner with close family and dear friends.

The next day, because she had not wanted to attend Daze's Boxing Day party, Barbara and Tommy had driven the scenic route to St Ives where they had spent a few days alone, frequently making love inside of their refuge, enjoying each other and working out things, talking about their love, their past, their present and their future. They had spent some happy days only briefly interrupted by his sister bringing some paperwork for Tommy and dragging Barbara away on a shopping tour. The two women had went through the full program with dresses, shoes, lingerie and other little things and they also had payed a visit to a stylist. To her own surprise and due to Judith's enthusiasm Barbara really had enjoyed it and it had made her look forward to the New Year's Eve party at Howenstow when she would wear her new dress and surprise Tommy.

After reluctantly returning at his manor they had attended another wonderful evening with the family during which Tommy had played piano and later the two had indulged in a wonderful butterfly-accompanied night before the party. The last day then they had passed the time with their own exercises and distraction - Tommy on his horse, Barbara on a little run - and after equally separated preparations they had met again in full evening dress for the following dreamlike ball. It had been a gorgeous event with some less easy scenes but mostly in a blurring happy mood and finally Barbara had managed to say the three words Tommy so desperately had wanted to hear from her while the world outside the house was illuminated in emerald fireworks.

The new year had begun. A new story had started.

They shared a long lasting slow and seducingly tender kiss.

When they tried to regain some breath Thomas pulled her body even closer and lifted her off her feet grinning broadly.

"It won't be easy but the next year will be absolutely fantastic, Barbara. You're with me, I'm with you..."

Twirled around in the air Barbara let herself joyfully be kissed.

"Yah! 'n' don' think you'll get rid o'me soon." she smiled under his lips. "A brand new year, a brand new chapter... Mmmmmh, Tommmm!"

"No - a brand new story this will be."

"I am so looking forward to it."

"So am I."

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Author's note: The story continues in the next chapter.