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: This is just a short one, inspired by a TV ad. Winston turns thirty and his superiors secretly had planned something for him. Enjoy...

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A Sweet Mess

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Barbara waited outside of the house where Winston lived. It was his birthday today but he had kept it a secret at the office. Of course she knew he had turned thirty today and their boss knew it too so she and Lynley had conspired to surprise him with a homemade fancy cake and a small surprise party with a few of his best friends. Most of the cake already was finished and they only had to top it with cream and strawberries. That was why Barbara now waited for DI Lynley. She had a spare key to Winston's flat and she and Lynley had agreed to decorate the flat and finish the fancy cake in Winston's own kitchen thus avoiding the chance to destroy it on the way there.

Barbara had left the office early today and after giving his Constable a bit of paperwork to be done today so he would be busy for a while Lynley had followed. Now a taxi arrived and a slightly breathless Inspector ran up the steps to the door.

"Sorry I'm late."

Barbara only shrugged. They would have enough time until Winston would arrive here.

It was a small but extremely tidy flat they entered.

"I knew he's well ordered, but I've not expected this." Barbara looked around the living room. The kitchen was not less tidy.

Lynley chuckled. "Maybe we should check the drawers?" he asked with a wink. Barbara blushed slightly.

"Haha." Rolling her eyes she put the box with the cake onto the worktop. Her boss already had emptied the bag he had brought and now put a bottle of champagne into the fridge.

First they decorated the living room. A few balloons and a big banner saying "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" were to be hung up. Companionably chatting they pushed the furniture to the walls and fetched the chairs and table from the kitchen. Glasses, plates and forks and napkins were put on it in the living room and both put their presents onto the couch table.

Barbara had bought him a funny coffee mug referring to his age and a voucher from HMV. In Lynley's envelope she knew was a card and a blank form for two additional days off.

Both enjoyed themselves while decorating and looked forward to when the other guests and Winston would arrive.

Everything done in the living room they still had another hour to tend to the cake. They probably would not need all that time.

First they put all the ingredients on the worktop and Barbara pinned the recipe at the fridge door. It would be an easy thing to mix everything into a nice custardy cream and put it between the layers of cake and on top of it. Some strawberries would make it perfect. Barbara was glad that his Lordship had not offered to buy a professional cake but she was very happy that he had offered his help.

Now Lynley put the sugar, the cream, the milk and some of the other ingredients into the mixer. One hand was on the start button; his other hand was on top of the container putting its lid onto it.

He could not have known that it was a bitchy old thing and you needed to firmly twist the lid onto the container before you should even think of touching the start switcher. So somehow the lid disappeared to the side and when he too quickly had turned the starter into first gear the mixer roared and spilled its ingredients - only slightly mixed - upwards and right into Lynley's face. Since he had to turn the button back to stop it, and it all took its own several moments to realise and to act, more of the sweet cream and milk mixture landed on his face and chest, in his hair and on his shoulders. Not to mention the rest of the kitchen around him. Somewhere in between Barbara was sure she had heard a hissed "Fuck!" from his noble lips.

For a few more seconds Lynley only stood there and stared blankly at the old kitchen tool.

Barbara was almost unharmed and only stood there and watched him. He looked utterly sweet and probably was.

Lynley's shoulders slumped.

"Brilliant," he muttered. "This was the last thing I had needed today."

With a deep sigh and eyes still on the open mixer he went on grumbling. "First thing in the morning was the water heating system in that bloody old Belgravia ruin broke down and I had to take a cold shower. Next, while preparing breakfast, I remembered that there was no tea at home since I had come home too late for shopping yesterday evening. Then there was this accident on my way to work so I had to take a diversion and came too late for the meeting with the commissioner. The punch from the suspect you've already witnessed. And I thought the flat tyre and run down battery of my old rusty tin box called Bristol would be the top event today but no, when I was on my way here my mother called to tell me that the new estate manager already had quit. And now this-" he waved an angry hand through the air and searched for the right words. "stupid... pre-war machine... Ah, I'm so done with it all."

Without thinking Barbara wiped a bit of that cream from his ear and sucked it off her finger. She still had it between her lips when his cream-speckled face had turned towards her. She blushed when she realised how indecent this probably appeared. She really had not wanted to look like that.

She managed a smile. What the hell am I doing? she thought and still could not resist to wipe his cream topped nose with one of the strawberries she just had been cutting. She only bit half of it and clearly saw his eyes narrow.

"But you taste quite good." she said against her better judgement. "Rich and creamy."

She not only swallowed the bit of strawberry but also the lump in her throat that suddenly had built when she saw the predatory look in his eyes. The last words probably were too much for his patience. She had wanted to cheer him up with light-hearted words but she only sounded flirtatious and as juicy as the strawberry in her mouth was and Lynley's expression did not at all seem to turn happy. Barbara could not really say if he was only angry or on the verge of an explosion but besides that he looked sort of sweetly ridiculous with those white speckles all over his face and chest. Normally Barbara would have grinned or even laughed out loud but his proximity and the look he gave her turned her knees into pudding, immobilised her legs and silenced every funny thought. Their eyes were locked.

"Rich and creamy?" Lynley repeated with a hoarse voice and stepped closer. Although he was towering her Barbara did not step backwards. "I can share some with you." he croaked, grabbed her upper arms and pulled her close to his chest. It had not been his intention, he simply wanted to rub some of the mess into her blouse, but suddenly her face was so close to his so he only felt the urge to kiss her. After a couple of seconds in which both stopped breathing he pressed his lips on hers.

Immediately Barbara melted into him and her hands shot up to encircle his waist. It was a shortly lingering kiss with too much force to be called gentle. Both were breathing heavy when they ended it watching each other with wide and shocked eyes. Her hands still were on his sides and he still held her against his chest.

"I'm sorry!" Tommy whispered and hesitantly lowered his face to hers.

"I'm not!" Barbara impatiently closed the last distance and met his lips again.

This time the kiss definitely was tender. After only a second both opened their mouths simultaneously to deepen the kiss. Their tongues met and twirled, a bit in his mouth, then in hers, and they did not break apart for oxygen just went on kissing and breathing at once and finally Barbara sighed into his lungs when Tommy let his hands glide down her spine.

With still closed eyes Tommy finally whispered "You taste of strawberry." onto her lips and softly bit her. "Cream and strawberry - what a good combination."

Barbara hardly recognised it. This kiss could have gone on for hours and it did for a while.

But then suddenly Winston's voice was heard through the haze of emotions.

"Who the hell- What the- Oh, holy crap!"

The two jumped apart and after a moment of shock Tommy pulled her back close to his side and like caught teenagers both broke into a fit of nervous giggles.

"Sorry, Winston, we had wanted to surprise you. Seems we got carried away by another, umm... sweet surprise."

The Constable rolled his eyes. "Not so much of a surprise here, Sir." he told them and turned to leave the kitchen. "You're going to clean this mess on your own. Take your time. I'm waiting in the living room."

Then Winston popped his head back through the door a second later only to find them looking sheepishly at each other like lovebirds. "Oh, and congratulations, Barb."

She blushed.

When he finally was gone Tommy pulled Barbara close again and gave her another kiss. "This is not so much of a mess, if you ask me. Quite the contrary."

It took them a while to even start cleaning the kitchen.

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