Disclaimer: Not mine... most belong to Elizabeth George, and some belong to P D James...

Note: Barbara being demoted while Emily Barlow practically walked off with no punishment at all has always IRKED me. So I decided to write a little fic to correct that hehe.

That whatsoever a man soweth that shall they also reap

Barbara and Hadiyyah had been having a ball all day long.

Hadiyyah's school had organised a two day long "introduction to sports" day, and Haddiyah had done ballet dancing and fencing with her friend Janet and Janet's mum the previous day, and today Barbara had taken the girls swimming in the morning and then, of all things, playing rugby in the afternoon. The swimming had been Barbara's idea, she'd wanted Hadiyyah to have some positive notions about the element in question. After much discussion, Barbara had agreed to get into the pool with her, because Hadiyyyah still didn't feel very secure, not even with Barbara running along the lenght of the pool with her.

The idea was that the children could try out different sports, and then maybe get more active. Hadiyyah was actually doing tap dancing already, and Janet was a little long distance runner, and both girls had had the best of times trying out other stuff.

Barbara had an off day, and Azhar had been extremely relieved when Hadiyyah had volonteered Barbara to come with them.

After the rugby match, Barbara gathered had the girls up in her car, and had first dropped Janet off at home, before heading to the Met to get a file she needed to work on and get ready for the next day. She'd forgotten it in the office, and Hadiyyah had been enthusiastic at meeting Winston and Lynley again. Winston had dropped things off at Barbara's a couple of times, and he and Hadiyyah had hit it off immediately. She especcially appreciated him always calling her " princess".

Arriving in the office, she sat Hadiyyah down at Winston's desk, playing a computer game, and headed off to look for the file. She found the file ready for her on her desk, grabbed it, and went to have a quick cup of coffee before heading home. She wondered where Winston and Lynley were, when the former suddenly came steaming around the corner.

Seeing Barbara, Winston grabber her arm nudging her onwards:

" The gov's office, NOW!"

"Hadiyyah!" Barbara called, and the little girl came running at once.

They ducked into Lynley's office half a second before Hillier came around the corner with Lynley, trying to keep a neutral look on his face, and a slim woman with her thick light brown hair in a pretty braid. Barbara looked out the window in the door and wondered what was going on.

Hillier said:

"DS Havers is apparently off today, but if need be, I can call her in, Inspector Miskin! I do hope Havers has not been misbeaving again, has she?"

He tried to charm her with a smile, but no such luck. He could also see Lynley stiffening with anger, and Miskin noted that as well. Lynley had a fleeting thought of commenting that Barbara's conduct had been exemplary lately, but then decided to hold his peace. At least for now.

Hillier was eager to seem like he was cooperating fully in this messy investigation. When Inspector Miskin had first asked for an appointment with him and Lynley, he'd never anticpipated an internal investigation of these proportions. He knew Miskin was a very competent, experienced invetigator, currently on the Special Murder Squad. He'd also heard that Dalgliesh and Miskin were looking into some cases of possible misconduct high in the ranks, having been chosen since both of them had impeccable records.

He could have killed to be a fly on the wall during Inspector Miskin's interrogation with Havers.

"That's not neccesary, Sir, but thank you. I can speak to DS Havers tomorrow at her convenience. Please just let her know to treat the matter discreetly. Inspector Lynley, could you please send Havers to my office first thing in the morning?"

"Of course, Inspector, I'll do that." Although they were both at Inspector rank, Miskin outranked him by seniority, and he was frantically trying to come up with ideas on how to protect Barbara from whatever was awaiting her. If she was demoted again, or if she lost her job, that would kill her, he thought.

He gave Kate Miskin his most charming smile. She still wouldn't be charmed and slightly and said:

"Then, Inspector Lynley, if I could speak with you privately for a moment?"

Hillier nodded dismissal at Lynley before heading back to his office, and Lynley accompanied the Inspector to his office, only to find Winston, Barbara and Hadiyyah hiding inside.

He swore silently. Now he wouldn't have time to talk to Barbara before Miskin got to her.

"AH, Barbara, " he said, trying to sound relaxed and calm, " you're here?"

The rumor ill was already going into overdrive, and Winston had told Barbara he'd heard there was a huge misconduct investigation going up, and that people from the Special Squad were looking for her.

Needless to say, Barbara was really scared by now. She'd gone pale. She could see a dismissal headed her way in the near future. Silently she prayed this would not be so.

She plucked up all the courage she could find in the bottom of her sould and tried a shy, frightened smile:

"Yes Sir, I came in for the Lawrence file, Sir." She suddenly lost courage and dropped her gaze to the floor. She'd heard about Kate Miskin, one of the best young investigators in all the Met, and handpicked by Commissioner Dalgliesh. Barbara felt very much intimidated. What did they want with her? She hadn't done anything wrong, at least not lately...

Hadiyyah was hiding behind Barbara, holding on to her jeans pocket on one side, and to her shirt on the other. Hadiyyah thought Barbara had dressed very nicely today, with a pair of low cut bluejeans and a white figure hugging shirt over a blue top. How lucky, she thought, that Barbara looks nice, it this lady is going to talk to her. She had no idea what was going on, but since Barbara was scared, it must be very scary.

Kate realised she would not obtain the information she wanted in a climate of fear, and smiled reassuringly at Havers, wondering if the child hiding behind her was the child who'd nearly drowned. She'd read all their personel files before coming down here, and had found Havers to be a very good investigator, contientious and honest, if maybe a bit of a loose canon sometimes. Since there was no mention of a child, Kate assumed the child must be of a current partner.

Lynley moved in between Barbara and Inspector Miskin.

"Winston, please bring us some coffee, and then maybe you could show Hadiyyah your new computergame?"

Winston nodded and went for coffee. So much for keeping his games a secret... Thank goodness he always used his own private laptop...

Barbara turned to Hadiyyah, hunching down before her, pulling her t-shirt in order and stroking her back:

"Hey kiddo?" she said quietly, "I'm going to talk to Inspector Miskin for a while before we go home, ok?"

At first Hadiyyah looked a bit like she was going to tear up, but then she saw Lynley smiling at her from behind Barbara, and calmed down.