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 note and summary: Yes, I know, I should go on with other things... Well, here's what could happen when you share a bed in a cold night. Actually in this story you can enjoy three...

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Cold Nights

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"It's cold. The bloody engineer should hurry up with his work." she said as she crawled closer into his back and put her arm around his waist. He covered her hand above his chest with his.

"Mhmmm... this is an old building, darling, he simply needs his time." When she started to play with his nipples - hardened just from the cold, of course - he chuckled.

"What?" Barbara demanded and pinched him.

"Ouch!"

"I'm getting romantic and you chuckle?"

"I've just remembered the first time you held me like this." Tommy smiled.

The woman in his back wriggled a bit to get into a comfortable position against his back. "Mmmmh, you mean when you've whisked me away to that tiny wooden house in the mountains and you've forgotten the instructions book down in that overprized Suiss hotel and have convinced me to sleep naked despite the cold because the Innuit do it alike? I still think that was pretextual, Sir."

"Don't say it hadn't worked. You've given birth to the most beautiful little boy, Havers."

"Yah, I may concede." Barbara said with her lips on his shoulder blades. "Disloyal little bloke. When I've called your mother today he had said he doesn't miss us. Can you believe that?"

"What do you expect? He's two and spoiled rotten by his Granny."

For a while they lay in warm closeness, minds wandering to their son who was spending a few days with his grandmother in the modern - and warm - flat in London to give his parents a bit of a quality time. Which they had. That is until the heating system of Howenstow broke down. In January.

"Well, no, I mean a certain night in the Scottish Highlands when we were surprised by that snow storm." Tommy mumbled while he tightened the duvet around his wife's and his naked bodies.

Barbara grinned and gently bit his nape. "You were surprised, Sir. I've told you so the entire day."

... a few years ago ...

"I've told you so." DS Barbara Havers grumbled looking out of the front window of his car, watching the wiper blades surrendering to the snow flakes falling down in a thick curtain. "Sir."

"That's not very helpful, Havers." The driver who happened to be her boss, DI Tommy Lynley, drove - or better slid - into a parking lot next to a lonely house on the roadside diffusely displaying a pub sign. The only visible lights were the windows and the dim lamp above that said sign. "They will have accomodation, I'm sure."

He did not sound very sure but anyway, they could not drive on through the snow storm that was in the weather forecast the entire day.

Barbara had gone straight to the fireplace to heat up her freezing cold fingers and let her boss try to find some place for the night. She knew when her grumpy face would be of no use. Apart from that he could play whatever card he wanted. And pay for the room - if they had one. As chance would have it the landlord could offer them the last room he had.

"It's our 'suite'." he grinned suggestively with a nod in Barbara's direction. "It's in the attic, it's the one and only room with an ensuite bathroom - and a huge one at that - and it has a king size fourposter-"

"You have no room with two beds?" Lynley interrupted the Scot. "Or a folding bed to stand separately?"

"Oi, you really would miss the chance sleeping with that beautiful girl, man?" the big man laughed. "We offer extra service with that room: we carry your luggage upstairs and two Babychams are waiting for you."

"Listen." Tommy came closer across the bar. His eyes narrowed and his voice became sharp. "We are working partners, do you understand? We don't share a bed." As much as he would have loved that. He glanced over to Barbara who was warming her back now and glared back at him with a withering look.

"Well, you have to, Sir, or one of you stay down here in the serving room. I can offer a second blanket and you make yourself comfortable on one of those wooden benches. Sir." He almost sounded like Barbara when she was sarcastically Sir-ing her boss.

In the end they had agreed that the two detectives would be given a second smaller duvet.

"Can you believe that?" they heard the landlord saying to his wife after he had carried the luggage upstairs and she had brought the cold Babycham and two glasses. "A handsome man and a beautiful young woman, and they don't do it. At least that's what he said."

His wife answered "What a shame. Have you seen the looks they are exchanging? They must be blind as moles..."

Lynley and Havers settled in and then went downstairs to have dinner. They tried to prolong the evening as much as possible but eventually the bar called for last orders. No way of escaping the night in a shared bed now.

Both - separately of course - took a hot shower before getting into their pyjamas. Fortunately they had been up here in Scotland for a few days on a case so they had their overnight things with them.

Awkwardly they discussed who will sleep on which side and who will take which duvet.

"Of course you will take the king size duvet, Barbara." Tommy generously offered and fluffed up the smaller bedspread for himself.

"Of course not, Sir." Barbara objected. "You are distinctively taller so this small thing is too small for you. It's okay for me."

Blushing she took the bedspread from him and vanished under it in a second. Sighing Tommy agreed and settled down next to her.

"Fortunately this is a king size bed." he mumbled. "Have a good night Barbara. And... sorry I didn't listen to you."

She snorted in reply. Fortunately? Is it that bad to be so close to me? she thought.

"Mh. 't's okay. At least we have a room for the night." she answered. "Sleep well... Sir."

He sighed. You could call me Tommy. We are sharing a bed. he thought.

The Babychams had stayed untouched.

In the middle of the night Tommy woke up with an urgent necessity. A long evening of drinking took its toll. When he moved to leave the bed he felt an arm around his waist, a hand on his chest and a body pressing into his back. In an instant he was wide awake and tried to recall the previous evening. His hand went down to his leg.

Oh, good gracious, we are still decently dressed.

Obviously nothing had happened he might have forgotten. A nose between his shoulder blades breathed warmly through the cloth of his pyjama and another hands was buried in his hair. If only his bladder was not calling. He moved again, very cautiously, trying to not wake Barbara up. He started to grin when her grip became firm. The situation was not that bad after all. Her steady breathing told him that she was still not awake and probably not aware what she was doing.

"I need to go, Barbara." Tommy whispered as quiet as he could.

Her grip turned even more firm and she pressed herself into his back. She was waking up and she had heard him. Her hand started to gently stroke his chest. Tommy felt an absolutely inappropriate desire but still tried to wriggle free from Barbara's arm.

"You're not goin' anywhere, Tommy." a sleepy voice, an almost sleeping voice hummed into his back and a knee behind him bent and nudged between his legs. " 't's so cold without you."

Tommy knew that Barbara was still asleep but he could not help but smile that she was unconsciously calling him by his given name. She should be awake. he thought. And I shouldn't have that urgent task.

"Bloody!" he cursed aloud and with a jolt Barbara finally was awake. She almost jumped away from him and stuttered incoherent words of excuse while she crawled back under her own small duvet.

When he came back from the loo she was curled up on her side, presenting her back (he was tempted to return the favour of spooning her but dismissed the thought as quickly as it had turned up) and pretending to be already sleeping again.

They never had mentioned that incident later.

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