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 only own the ideas of my stories.


Author's note and summary: Please leave a comment if you like what you read. Thank you in advance.

Another Part of ES2. Before the two Detectives will marry, there's still her birthday. Let's see what they'll do on this special day. Maybe she'll give a garden party? Maybe he has something else on his mind? Whatever it is, while we're waiting for Cats' next story, enjoy...


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Another Happy Birthday

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"No!" she cried out. "No, Thomas, that's daft. I don't want to have a garden party. Not for my birthday, not now. Especially not now."

Exhausted she slumped down on the sofa. Today, even though it was Saturday, they had dug deeper into that case of abduction. After a long insightful interview with Madison and his solicitor, who obviously had been able to talk some sense into the man eventually, they had called Hillier and a task force was formed. Lynley's team, well, both of them together, was the leading team of course but they worked close with the other squads. Although Madison did not tell them a lot, he told them enough to get some ideas and hints and were able to combine it with other findings of an intense research.

They still had a private life though and were able to leave work related conversations at New Scotland Yard. Or at least they kept it out of daylight hours.

After a late dinner today, which almost was eaten in silence again, Tommy suddenly had mentioned that Barbara could celebrate her birthday with a small garden party. It could easily be organised within the fortnight that was left until then, despite the trouble with the growing case.

The suggestion did not meet her approval at all.

"There are other things to be done, to be thought about, to be organised. The cases... the wedding... I have no time for..." She groaned full of annoyance and waved her hands through the air. "We have no time for such nonsense."

"Okay." His simple answer made her hesitate. Barbara looked at Tommy with a quizzical frown but he only smiled.


Detailed preparations for their wedding and a new case of murder additionally to the abduction they were investigating kept them horribly busy for the next two weeks. They chose their vows, the ring inscriptions were agreed on, they had another appointment with the registrar and with Rory. Barbara drove to Pan-Yong for two days, Tommy attended to some family business at Howenstow at that weekend, and Daze finally had started to annoy them with suggestions for their honeymoon - which would not happen if the cases kept on coming in like this.

Time flew by and Barbara even had no real chance to think about the unbelievable story Ardery had put up to intervene in her promotion. Now was not the time to brood. Barbara was not in the mood to have a confrontation with the Chief Superintendent to top all the stress there was with the cases. She was, more or less, unofficially acting DI anyway at the moment. After their wedding or after their honeymoon there would be enough time to sort that out.

And their wedding was not very far away now.

Oh, and blimey, there also was her birthday.


Barbara's birthday was on a Friday and it was on the first day of a long weekend off from work.

Much to their surprise the request for it had been answered positive although, after more than two weeks, they still were in the middle of that case of abduction where Madison obviously was just a poor mediocrity. But there also were distinct signs of human trafficking and the Met was far from a solution in the other case either. But Ardery had murmured something like "Yes, yes, go and blow your minds free of this horrid case."

DCI Lynley had not been sure about the exact words from the Superintendent but he had not asked further. He also had not objected when she clumsily had ushered him out of her office that day. It probably had been one of her worse days, but this time he would keep it to himself. Just this time he only wanted to have a few nice days with Barbara and without any obligations of a hard to solve case. The previous weekends had been hard enough and he knew that he could not keep her next strange day, as Barbara had named Isabelle's lapses, to himself.


"Good morning, my sweet love." The low voice of the man she loved tickled her ear in the morning. Sleepily Barbara opened her eyes, smiled and asked why he woke her up at this hour of day when they would not have to go to work. The smell of coffee filled her nostrils. The beloved voice close to her ear started to sing softly to her. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Barbara, happy birthday to- mmmmh!"

Barbara had decided that she had waited long enough for her birthday kiss so she had pulled his face down and closed Tommy's lips with hers.

Quite a bit later he had to prepare a fresh coffee. She preferred it hot.


They had a shower, went down for breakfast, and after Barbara had read two birthday cards Tommy asked her to put on her shoes. "And maybe you should take a light jacket with you, in case the wind freshens up."

"Are we going somewhere?" Barbara wondered but he did not answer. He only grinned conspiratorially.

In the entrance hall Denton handed her a picnic hamper. "Have a nice day, Ms Havers." he smiled. He obviously knew about Thomas' plans for the day.

Talking about their case, which Tommy thought to be handed over to some higher institutions, or at least these should get involved soon, they drove for a bit more than an hour until they reached a boat hire station somewhere almost in Oxford and finally Barbara guessed the right thing. On the drive there, she had suggested a few possible activities including a picnic for today but a boat trip was not what she had expected. Tommy loaded the hamper into a rowing boat, held out a hand to her and she graciously followed him. At least she tried to do it as graciously as one could enter a cockleshell.

The sun was shining brightly, birds tweeted, water gurgled at the bow. Barbara sipped at a plastic cup with slightly flavoured and iced water from the thermos flask and watched him for a while. Then she laid back into the cushions of the backrest of her luxurious passenger bench and watched the rare clouds fly by. Eventually Tommy stopped rowing and fidgeted with the rope before he came to sit next to her. The boat did not move far from the point where it was tied to the remnants of a pole near the banks of the river that once probably had been holding a boat landing stage.

For a while they only shared a lot of caresses and even more kisses.


"Barbara, I think we should stop." he suddenly said with a slightly annoyed groan and rolled away from her. They had slid down onto the rug-covered planks while they had kissed. Together they just laid there and looked into the sky for a few moments. "Or I'm going to make love to you here and now."

"I would... appreciate that." she answered shyly smiling towards the rare clouds.

Tommy sat up. He looked at her and wondered if she had meant it seriously. Her seductive smile indicated that she had. "Nah..." he sighed. "Not with all the other boats."

There were a few boats with other couples slowly drifting by in respectful distance.

"Ah, they don't look at us." Barbara looped her arms around his neck and gently pulled him down again.

"But probably their passengers."

Barbara laughed out loud. "Oh, Thomas." she snickered and pressed herself against his side to whisper into his ear. "I'm pretty sure these passengers are as busy as we've just been. I don't think they would care."

"No, my love." he objected, but he already was on the verge of giving in. "We're not-" A loud rumble of her stomach cut him short and he had to grin. "You see? I think it's time for our picnic."

"I have a lot of needs."

"I'm going to fulfil them one by one." Tommy winked. "One: lunch."


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A/N: By the way, of course I do have a few nice presents but I'm still open for any suggestions for small gifts. Maybe you have THE idea? Just send me a PM and maybe I'll weave it in ;-)