Author's note: I don't own any of the characters nor the original Inspector Lynley Mysteries – they belong to Elizabeth George and the BBC.

Review and comment, but please keep in mind that I'm no native speaker. If I did something terribly wrong (rating, grammar, spelling...), please let me know. Thanks!

Like Thomas said before: the Ashertons are an ordinary family. So the siblings act – they chat, they argue and they tease each other. And giggly Judith wants to know everything.

This is set after my story Merry Christmas, you could read it first if you don't mind M-rating.

I've put a lovebite in it. Sorry, couldn't resist...

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"Good morning, everybody!"

Judith came down for breakfast. Her Mother and Peter were already sitting at the table. Judith took a bowl of cereals and seated herself at the head of the table where Tommy usually sits. Lady Asherton looked up with her eybrow raised questioning.

"He won't come down for breakfast, believe me." Judith assured her. She was suppressing a smug grin that her brother however showed openly.

"So you've heard them too?" he laughed.

"Did anybody not?" Judith answered bluntly, lowering her spoon. "And I've just passed his door where..."

"But we're not gossiping about that, do we." their mother advised them sharply.

Continuing their smugly grinning both her children endorsed – and continued to gossip.

"So you think they both are not hungry for ...breakfast?" Peter asked grinning.

"Not in any way." Judith grinned back.

"But they're eating, aren't they."

"I always told you, Peter, they had been up to something. It was just a question of when. And how sweet they were yesterday when they were avoiding the mistletoes."

"And they never got too close yesterday evening. It started to kind of hurt me. You shouldn't have engaged her in conversation all the time."

"Oh, but we've chatted so nice."

"I've wondered when he starts to stake his claim and barge in between but he didn't, such a coward."

"But he did! Haven't you seen the little mark at Barbara's neck?" Judith merrily pointed out.

"Oh, no, I haven't. What a shame!" Peter rejoiced.

"Yes, but what a gentleman Tommy was. Did you see the look on his face when he brought her another drink? So lovely he could be."

"I thought Barbara would melt."

"And when I left them at the fireplace the room was sizzling with electricity one could literally light up a bulb by simply holding it into the room. There was something to be coming on tonight but I didn't imagine that they would involve the entire house." Both giggled helplessly.

Now her mother had to interfere. "Judith, you chatter-box! Stop now! I don't allow you to speak that way about your brother."

"Oh, Mom! Be a sport!" Judith rolled her eyes while Peter laughed out again. But then his girlfriend entered the room and both better stopped their bitching.

When the whole family was meeting at Howenstow the Ashertons usually took their lunch at half past one in the big kitchen and Christmas Day was no exception. The dinner would be a great feast so lunch turned out being a buffet of snacks.

First Thomas and then Barbara showed up in the doorframe. Showered and combed both were looking extremely relaxed. Judith and Lady Asherton were already filling their plates, while Peter and his girlfriend had excused themselves to be out somewhere.

"Mother." Thomas gave his mother a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, Tommy. You sleep well?" Judith asked exaggeratedly innocent and giggled.

Thomas blushed. It was clear what made his sister giggling.

"I did, did you?" he tried to cover up his awkward feelings by looking grimly at her. Meanwhile Barbara wished the ground would open and swallow her up. Nevertheless Lady Asherton invited her to feel free to help herself at the buffet. This was enough for Judith and she bursted out in laughter.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she nearly cried. "Tommy you're a charmer. Tell me, since when do you both try to hide that ...thing of yours, since when are you in love with each other?"

Lady Asherton buried her face in her hands and shook her head in disbelief. Sometimes her daughter was ever so bluntly.

Thomas protectively laid his hand over Barbaras. "Oh shut up, Judith." he grumbled. But Barbara looked up and decided that since everybody must have heard them tonight when they hadn't closed the door to his room she could openly answer it anyway.

"It was quite a while for me, not so long for your brother and eight days ago to be declared." she smiled shyly. There, said it! she thought with relief. "That hiding and beating around the bush started to unnerve me. If we couldn't at the Met at least in family life we could be open." After that nice Christmas Eve with the Ashertons she really didn't feel out of place here.

Judith was kind of baffled about these clear words from Barbara. She usually said not very much so that statement about this delicate subject of their newly minted relationship was very much surprising her, but in a positive way for sure.

"You have to tell me all about it, Barbara. How come that this stupid brother of mine finally found out what he feels for you?"

Lady Asherton was outwardly rolling her eyes but inwardly smiling for the whole time. She liked Barbara and she saw that she did him so good. Barbara had a soothing influence on her son for some years now even if he frequently enough had been grumbling about her stubbornness – like he wasn't obstinate himself. But when he had been at Howenstow he so often had talked about Barbara that Lady Asherton could have sworn that they already had established a secret relationship and not only since eight days. Seeing how Barbara blushed and knowing her son she thought it better for now to interfere again.

"Judith, will you please be patient and don't probe any longer. It's not quite good manners, you might remember." Lady Asherton glared at her daughter.

Judith again rolled her eyes but from then on kept quiet about that topic. She would be going to ask Barbara again after lunch.

After that very enjoyable lunch Lady Asherton excused herself to her rooms and 'the young people' were walking into the glasshouse where the butler brought some coffee, tea and fairy cakes.

"You're driving me crazy with your non-touching." Judith nagged. "Couldn't you at least hold hands or something? Go ahead, brother, kiss her!" she demanded, standing at the table and unceremoniously putting one of the little fairy cakes in her mouth.

"I'm going to kiss you with my foot on your backside, you gadfly!" Tommy snapped but nevertheless he took Barbara's hand.

"Go ahead, Thomas, kiss me!" Barbara said softly and cheerily smiled.

Thomas was as puzzled as his sister had been at lunch. Barbara was truly getting more self-assertive, one side of her she didn't show often and he was looking forward to tickle out more of that.

He bent down and gave her a light kiss. "Didn't I hear you fearing that we snog the whole day?" he teased her.

Judith watched that scene with a loving smile for her brother. She got herself a cup of tea and chuckled. "Aye, and that was everything but snogging, Tommy."

Barbara blushed when she saw the adventurous expression in Thomas' face. Judith had challenged him.

"I'll kiss you senseless." he roared to Barbara. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. He passionately pressed his lips on hers. Barbara was so surprised that it took her some moments to react. But then Judith's presence was totally forgotten.

Barbara put one hand in the back of Thomas' neck and the other deeply buried in his hair. He held her bum firmly in one of his hands and with the other he pulled at the side of her hip. Their bodies touched so intensely that Judith rather left them alone and with sipping at her cup of tea wandered through the plants into the back of the glasshouse.

After a while when she came back to the couple she saw them still linked but not kissing anymore. Their foreheads touched and they were smilingly whispering to each other.

"Alright, you silly lovebirds. Can we have a proper cup of tea now? And by the way – you owe me a story, Barbara."

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I myself am so nosey what they might have whispered but Judith wasn't able to hear them – what a pity. Maybe someone else was sneaking around in the glasshouse (I'll ask Peter if he re-appears *wink*). But I think writing that down might probably going to be M-rated...