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.

Please write a Private Message if I did something terribly wrong so I can fix it. Thanks!

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Author's note and summary: God moves in mysterious ways and sometimes those ways lead you straight into a church. Barbara and Tommy are trying to escape from the bullets of three criminals.

This is a silly little story. Thanks for the inspiration. Enjoy...

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Church Boy

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Quickly they ran down the lane.

- THUCK -

The red dust of a brick bursting very close in the wall two feet behind them puffed through the air. They crossed the street without looking. They did not care about the screeching tyres of the car that almost had hit the two Detectives. They just ran on without looking back. There was not much time to look back at all but for a moment they were sheltered by the line of parking cars they passed.

- THINCK -

They moved from the kerb to the fence.

- THOCK -

The shelter from the cars was gone. Two bullets shot from a gun with sound absorber had hit the metal right next to them.

- SKRISH -

A door mirror fell to the ground in millions of splinters.

"Thank god!" DI Tommy Lynley exclaimed and pulled the light frame of his Sergeant into the entrance of a small church yard.

- THOOMPP -

This bullet had met the wood of the sign claiming [St Oswald Church - SILENCE PLEASE! SERVICE!].

"Whoa!" DS Barbara Havers almost fell on the way up the few steps but he kept his grip on her arm and rescued her from the line of fire. They noisily rushed through the first door and being safe inside almost got killed instantly by the looks a porter gave them.

„Sorry, Sir." Barbara apologised. Without the porter's notice the DI quickly turned away from his Sergeant to close the heavy door of the church behind them. He secretly manipulated its lock with his expensive pencil.

"The Met will pay that back." he hissed and wanted to run straight into the next room.

"Wait!" Havers hissed pulling at Lynley's sleeve.

"No! We have to-"

"Shut up!" Havers pulled at the lapels of his jacket and he almost thought she would kiss him. He knew some people needed that sort of physicality after such a life threatening experience but then she just put his collar and his tie in order and with big eyes even combed her fingers through his unruly hair. "Service has already started and you look as if you've ran down the blocks!"

They both nervously chuckled.

She was shocked about her own courage but the decency of her mind had simply made her do it. Her mother once had taught her to respect every one's beliefs and liturgies and a part of that was to not go unkempt to a service, no matter of what sort it was and least of all bolt in on it like he had been about to do.

Her boss stupidly grinned at her and for a second Barbara thought he was going to kiss her when he only tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

The porter rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the papers he was reading.

Then they quickly but quietly entered the nave. They sat down in the last row and first regained some breath. This had been close. Very close in fact and they still did not know how long they were safe before the backup team would arrive at the warehouse and hopefully find them in the church three blocks away before the three criminals would get in here.

"Is your mobile still intact?" he whispered. Barbara audibly played with the plastic pieces in her pocket and shook her head with a grim expression. It had been crushed like his when they had fallen down the small step of the loading ramp. "Shite!"

"We only can wait, Sir." she murmured and looked around. "Is this a Catholic church or what?"

"There are no stoups. I think it's Anglican."

"Good. I'm not familiar with those ups and downs." Barbara managed a crooked smile.

„Are you a church-goer?" Lynley took one of the song books, watched it and put it to the side.

„Not anymore. It's been a while."

„Believe in god?"

Barbara only shrugged. "Are you a church boy?" she quietly asked.

Her boss only gave a short toneless laugh. "Not lately."

For a while they followed what the Reverend was talking about in front of the altar they were loooking at on the other end of the hall.

"Remind me of going to that course." the DI continued their whispered conversation. "I'm sick of how criminals act nowadays. I don't want to get into something like this again without a weapon."

"You shouldn't have pushed that stack of boxes, Sir." Barbara whispered and earned a deadly glare.

"And you shouldn't have snuggled into my side, Sergeant." he sharply replied. "You've freaked me out."

"It was only me. I was standing in your back the entire time."

"Still you've..." He stopped breathing, then exhaled. "Ah..." Lynley shook his head and returned his eyes to the front. "It was too close."

"I have to admit I was a bit afraid. Suddenly." Barbara mumbled.

"And I have to admit I am sick of police work if it goes on like this." It had been the fifth time in two weeks that they were in touch with armed gangsters. And their case only turned more complicated with each day. "I think we should involve MI5 and 6 and maybe 7."

"Seven?" Barbara almost chuckled. "Since when do we-"

"You know what I mean." Lynley sighed. "This is no normal case for the police."

A man two rows in front of them turned his head but kept looking the other way when Lynley politely nodded in understanding. For another while the two police officers kept silent. Barbara looked around in the church. A quote from a famous TV series came to her mind when she realised how huge it was in fact. Nothing like this was revealed by the narrow front on the outside. This church obviously was behind the row of houses but the entrance hall with the now blocked heavy door was squeezed between them.

Meanwhile the muffled noises from that entrance door had stopped. Probably it was because the porter rather loudly told someone outside that they could not come in at the moment and sorry for the inconvenience. Fortunately there had been no other - THUD - being heard so he surely still was alive.

When the sound of screeching tyres was heard the people inside did not react. If your church is in the middle of a big city you probably get used to those noises doing the background sound for your services.

"They're picked up or nicked in. Either way, it sounds as if they're gone." Barbara breathed leaning closer to her DI.

"Whatever it was, we'll wait." Lynley looked around with no obvious aim. "We're not going out there before we've heard our backup. And if this service ends sooner we'll mingle so we are safe among all those people. As much as I hate to put them into danger."

"Maybe we can get a lift from somebody."

The silent laugh she heard from her left side made Barbara look at him secretly. „Yeah..." He looked tired and it was not from the sprint they had made before they had entered this church. His eyes looked haunted and there were harsh lines around his tight lips. He looked as if he needed to be hugged. For hours, if not days. She knew that need very well.

"Ah, anyway." he went on. "I'm sick of all this in general. And I don't want to risk your life anymore."

"Mine?" Barbara asked almost chuckling. It stuck in her throat when she saw his desperate look.

"You once said to me: 'You resign - I resign'. Ok. When this is over I'll resign so you can resign too."

"Sir!" Barbara sharply whispered. "I don't want to-"

"And I absolutely don't want you to get shot. That's it. No objections, Havers. I'm not going to discuss this." He pinned his gaze to something in the front rows.

"Umm?!" she began her objections but when the man in front of them loudly harrumphed without turning his head this time it made them stop whispering for a while.

Suddenly Barbara found her hand taken by her boss. "I'm scared for you, Barbara." he murmured, this time another bit closer to her.

"That's ridiculous." Barbara sharply said and looked him straight in the eyes but she only saw that he was serious.

"I don't want to lose you." Tommy quietly croaked. Barbara shook her head in disbelief or to tell him she would not get lost. "I love you too much."

"You what?!" she said. Her voice almost pitched.

"Sh!" the woman next to the man in front of them had turned her head and shot an angry look towards the couple in the last row.

Barbara mouthed a 'Sorry' gave her an apologising smile and fixed her eyes on the priest in the front until the woman looked away again. "You what?!" she repeated distinctively quieter now but the first notes from an organ started to fill the room. It interrupted any further discussion.

Tommy had not let go of her hand, neither did she withdraw it during the song they were singing then. Surprising for Tommy Barbara knew the lyrics by heart and sang with the choir of the parish from the beginning to the end. She had a beautiful voice but he never had heard her singing at all. He could not rip his eyes from her.

"I love you, Barbara." he breathed into the silence after the anthem.

Barbara swallowed hard but she did not reply. The only other reaction was a blush that crept across her face. Her stare was strictly to the windows above the altar. She did not even move any other muscle except for her throat when she swallowed again. After a while Tommy sighed and turned his attention to the same window. Actually it was beautiful but he wondered if Barbara really had understood what he had said to her.

She had.

"Don't you agree with me, Tommy, that this is not the right place nor the right moment at all to declare yourself?" she suddenly picked up the thread again in whispered words. He only shrugged. He even chewed on his lips. Their hands, lying on the wood of the bench between them, still were intertwined. She sighed and squeezed his. "I have for years, you idiot, but right now we-"

With a quick movement Tommy had turned Barbara's face to his and now silenced her with a kiss.

First he only pressed his lips on hers but after she had overcome her first shock and her lips had softened against his he started to gently nudge her. Barbara immediately responded and when she finally opened her mouth he understood and happily followed her invitation. Their arms went around each other and his left hand cupped her cheek while hers had slid under his jacket and to his shoulder. What had started as a tentative exploration then somehow went out of hand quickly and soon they sat in the last row in a church in the middle of an older part of London passionately kissing each other with all the desire that seemed to have pent up over years.

They did not hear the silence arising in the parish.

They were oblivious to the heads of all the people turning towards the back of the church.

They did not notice the Reverend's loud harrumph.

They only entangled their limbs and dashed apart when they were directly addressed.

"Ma'am? Sir? What exactly do you think you are doing there in the back row?" the man in the white gown asked.

Barbara blushed to the root of her hair. Her lips felt swollen and her heart still raced. Her hand still was clasped by Tommy's.

He cleared his throat and got up. "I'm sorry, Reverend." Tommy said with a slight bow towards the audience. "I'm Thomas Lynley, Earl of Asherton. This might look a bit out of the blue but would you... umm..." His eyes went down to Barbara with the fondest of expressions before he went on. "...would you do us the honour of marrying us?"

"What?!" Barbara cried out. He obviously had turned mad. Then he got down on his knees.

"Barbara Havers..." he started. Barbara wanted the ground to open and swallow her up right now. He would not actually do what she thought he would, would he? "This is not the right time and not the right place and these are definitely not the romantic circumstances I always had imagined there would be when I did this. But I guess there never will come a better moment than now. Barbara, will you marry me?"

Barbara's mind stumbled. "Have you gone mad, Sir?!" was all she could answer after a short shock. Her eyes darted to their audience. She was embarrassed, shocked and confused. And partly overwhelmed by a sort of joy she never had felt before.

A wave of chuckles went through the witnessing crowd.

"Absolutely not. You've been the Queen of my heart for too long now. So, what's your answer?"

Barbara watched him. She saw nothing but seriousness in his eyes and it made her think for only a brief moment.

"Oh, good God, this is ridiculous." She rolled her eyes giving him a grin.

"Is this a yes then?" The pitching joy in Tommy's voice was obvious for everyone around them.

"Yes." Barbara firmly said and nodded in addition as if she wanted to convince herself that this was neither mad nor ridiculous.

A sigh went through the parish. Tommy laboriously got up from his knees and gave Barbara another tender kiss. Pressing her close to his chest he whispered into her ear. "I'm glad that you've finally answered, Barbara. My knees had started to hurt."

Their following deep kiss was interrupted by the Reverend's loud and clear announcement. "Dear parish!" He waited until the couple had stopped kissing and slid out of the back row. "We've come together not only to pray to God but - surprisingly so - also to suddenly witness that Thomas Lynley, Earl of Asherton, and Barbara Havers-" He cut himself short and gave Barbara a quizzical look.

"Just Havers. No Countess or anything. Just go on." She nodded prompting and made a vague dismissing gesture which was somewhat disrespectful but under these weird circumstances also understandable. She was nervous. And suddenly she realised what they were about to do so she turned her face to Tommy. Her expression showed something between joy and shock. "Good Lord, Sir! We're not-?!"

"Oh, yes, we are." With a face that beamed of happiness Tommy bent down to give her a quick reassuring kiss. "Come, my love. There's a wedding to be held at the altar."

And then they walked down the aisle. Not ceremoniously slow but not very rushed either. They had run enough for one day and after so many years of holding back their feelings it would do no harm to wait another few seconds. DS Barbara Havers and DI Tommy Lynley, working partners for more than ten years, were about to marry and they both had a broad grin on their face.

This was indeed ridiculous.

"And it will be hard to explain that to Hillier!" she murmured, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

The man at her side, who was leading her to the altar right now, laughed out so loud it echoed from the walls of the church.

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