Author's note: After the nice reviews I received for the first chapter I decided to write a second one; here it is. As you'll see it is a transition chapter so, yes, a third chapter is on its way. Thanks a lot for your support.

'You slept with Lynley ?!'

DS Winston Nkata almost spat out his tomato soup in the face of his colleague and friend DS Barbara Havers.

'Hush!'

Havers abruptly opened the door of the landing to check that no one was in the corridor. Satisfied that no one was overhearing them she went back to the landing where Winston was standing impatiently by the coffee-machine.

'Don't speak so loud; I don't want the whole Met to know.'

'All right, not the whole Met, but me certainly.'

'I didn't know you were so nosy.'

'My favorite OTP has finally crossed the line; I want to know everything and don't forget the details.'

'You sound like a fangirl. Where has the ex-gang member gone?' I wish I didn't tell you how we ended up stranded in that hotel.'

'Barb, I've been watching you and Lynley dance around each other for several years now. Even when Helen was still there, there was something special between you, some sort of alchemy. I'm happy you…'

'Hold your horses, Winnie! There's nothing of that sort between Lynley and me. We're colleagues, only colleagues.'

'Come on, Barb, who are you kidding? You're more than colleagues.'

'Alright, we're friends. Maybe.'

'Of course, you're friends! And you could be so much more if only one of you made that damn first step!'

'It's none of your business, Winnie. And besides, who tells you I, or he, want more?'

'Don't tell me you don't love him, Barb, I won't believe you.'

'I'm not the one for him; it's as simple as that.'

'Bollocks.'

'We're not from the same world.'

'Bollocks.'

'He needs someone classier...'

'Bollocks.

'…someone who knows how to behave at garden parties…'

'Bollocks.'

'…someone with a brilliant conversation…'

'Bollocks.'

'…someone he won't be ashamed of when they meet the Royals.'

'Bollocks, bollocks, bollockey-bollockfull bollocks.'

'Don't you listen to me?!' Barbara has run out of patience.

'Not when you're talking ….'

'If you say "Bollocks" one more time, I swear I throw you down these stairs,' she warned him icily.

'…nonsense.'

Winston grinned cheekily and Barbara threw him her darkest glance.

'Seriously, Barb, you gave me the list of the reasons why Lynley cannot want you, reasons you know absolutely nothing of, by the way, and not a single reason why you don't want him. I'm sure you're in love with him, don't protest,' he added quickly as he saw Barbara ready to cut him, 'and I'm sure none of your objections has ever crossed his mind. He's an earl, all right. He's rich, well-born, well-bred, well connected, you name it, I agree. Does this matter to him? No, definitely no. And before we go back to work I'll tell you something more, Barbara. When I'm working with him, when you're not around, he keeps talking about you, about what you would say, what you would do. You're always in his thoughts and I'd wedge a month salary you're in his heart too.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile in his office DI Thomas Lynley was having a hard time filling the new form for his expense claim. Finally, after the same error message appeared on his screen for the fourth time, he requested the help of the department secretary, Dorothea Harriman.

'Honestly, Dee, they introduced this new software because the previous one was too easy to use?'

'I've been told the big cheeses hoped it would discourage people to claim expenses,' she replied with tongue in cheek.

Tommy laughed lightly.

'Can you tell me what I'm doing wrong because I don't understand why I have this error message?'

'Let me check.'

Lynley stepped a bit aside to let Dee have a better view of the computer screen. It didn't take her long to spot the problem:

'You have to indicate for each bill if you made the expense only for you or if you paid for other people too, in which case you have to put their names here.'

'For each bill?' Lynley sounded horrified. 'It'll take me the whole day!'

'You've been away less than a week, I don't think you have so many bills, Inspector.'

'I've already lost half an hour trying to understand what was required of me, I've my report to write, I've Havers' report to read, the Super wants me to brief her personally about our little travel to the Border, and I need to check with Nkata the results of his research on another case. All this before 6 because I've an appointment at the dentist's I'm not exactly looking forward to.'

'You want me to take pity and help you?'

He tried his best smile.

'Please?'

Dee sighed but surrendered.

'All right. Let me use the keyboard, you'll dictate me what I have to write.'

'Thank you so much, Dee.'

Working together, it took them less than 10 minutes to arrive at the last bill.

'Hotel night: one hundred forty-two pounds for the room and two breakfasts. I paid for Havers.'

'You paid the sergeant's room and breakfast?'

'In fact, there's only one room, we had to share.' Lynley tried to make it sound as matter-of-factly as possible.

'If this is your way to reduce the expenses, I'm not sure the Super will approve it,' Dee quipped.

'We were lost in the countryside and the hotel didn't have enough bedrooms for all the passengers of the coach. We were lucky to grab that one room. I'm sure Ardery will understand.'

Dee eyed him quizzically.

'You look like you didn't have much sleep.'

'Havers made me sleep in the bath.'

'Really? I'd swear you're too tall for that.'

'I am. Hence the lack of sleep.'

'If you say so.'

Dee didn't insist. The curt reply of the inspector had told her well enough he wasn't going to discuss his night further. In a few mouse clicks she saved the expense claim, printed two copies of it and ended the session.

'That's it. You're done, Inspector.'

'Thank you, Dee. You saved me a lot of time.'

Dee left Lynley's office with a copy of the expense claim in her hand. A few seconds later she poked her head around the door.

'One last thing, Inspector: between us, if I were you, I'd say it was Sergeant Havers who slept in the bath. Much more credible.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At 6:08 pm, Lynley closed the door of his office and quickly headed towards the lift. He was a bit late on his schedule but so was generally his dentist so, with a bit of luck, he would arrive before the dentist's assistant asked for him in the waiting room. From a distance he heard the ping signaling the arrival of a lift on the landing. He shouted: "Hold the lift" and ran the remaining meters.

'Thank you,' he said as he rushed inside.

'You're welcome,' Barbara answered.

The lift was crowded and Tommy had to squeeze himself between Barbara and a tall big guy who smelled as if he hadn't had a shower in his lifetime. Tommy pressed himself against Barbara; she had her nose almost on his shirt.

'Sorry.'

She merely shrugged her shoulders and commented: 'Rush hour. It's even worse in the tube.'

Finally after several stops the lift arrived at the carpark level. Were it not for the horrible scent of the man in his back, Tommy wouldn't have minded a longer ride. Barbara looked slightly uncomfortable but she had made no attempt to put more space between them. Tommy decided it was a good omen.

Tommy and Barbara were the first ones to exit. They were parked in the same area so they walked together towards their cars, lost in their thoughts.

'Fancy a pint, Sir?' Barbara asked suddenly as she stopped by her Mini.

'I'm sorry, I can't.'

'No problem.'

She looked disappointed though and Tommy didn't want her to think he didn't want her company.

'Look, I'm going to the dentist's but, maybe after…'

'No, no, don't worry, that's fine. Besides if the ivory snatcher gives you an anesthetic jab you won't be allowed to drink alcohol.'

'We can still meet somewhere; have dinner.'

That was tempting and Barbara really was tempted but her eyes met the ones of a policewoman in uniform who was chatting with two of her friends. The woman quickly diverted her gaze but Barbara heard the women giggled and she had the terrible feeling word had spread out about her night with Lynley. She'd have to kill Winston.

'Barbara?'

Barbara started.

'Sorry?'

'Sorry to insist, Barbara, but I need to hurry. So, dinner?'

'Er, no, thanks. I've things to do tonight.' Sort the mail, do my laundry, bang my head against the wall for my stupidity…

'Another time, then.'

'Yeah.'

'Tomorrow?'

'Tomorrow's Saturday.'

'Are you on rota this weekend?'

'No, I don't work.'

'Perfect; me neither. I'll pick you at seven. I really must go now.'

And he quickly went to his car without listening to Barbara's protest.