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.

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Author's note and summary: Part of the Emerald Series, Part 2. They have come a long way in the short time of four months or so. Still some things are quite unfamiliar for Barbara. Enjoy...


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Unnecessary insecurities

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"Sweetie, my love..." Not caring that half of the bathroom turned wet, Tommy opened the door to the shower cubicle where Barbara had been standing under the spray for quite some time, with her back turned to the door, her head facing down. He entered the shower although he only had finished several moments ago and embraced her from behind. Her body tensed, so he gave her a soothing kiss on her shoulder. "What is it?"

"Do we really have to go?" she quietly asked. Her voice was shaky.

"Well, I would like to go, and mother would be pleased..." he slowly answered. "But if you really don't want to go, we could as well stay at home. Although..."

Barbara sighed. "Yeah, I know. We've promised your mother and it's important friends and we wouldn't want to appear rude by cancelling in the nick of time. It's just..." She paused.

"Hm?" Tommy gently swayed their bodies, his arms still laid around her chest but carefully avoiding caressing her too intimately. "What?"

"I'm not feeling comfortable with that bloody evening dress."

"It's decent and it looks great. It's not an office suit but also not overly fancy, so it's perfect for dinner and perfect for theatre. And by the way, you look stunning in it. You'll blast off everyone."

"It doesn't really fit. I'm too... unshaped."

"You're more than very well shaped, Barbara, dear." He chortled with amusement and placed another kiss on her shoulder. His hands briefly caressed her sides.

"And I don't know what I could talk about with them."

"Ah, that usually comes along automatically."


"Even if so, my language will speak volumes about my roots."

"Oh, please. Nobody cares. And you exaggerate. Your accent is just, well, ...londonish. Sam Waterston is from Liverpool, born and bred from probably more than a hundred years of worker families. And he has a horribly noticeable accent, you won't believe me until you've heard him."

"But he's a Crown prosecutor!"

"So what? You're a Met police officer. You also serve in the Crown's service."

"Well, he certainly knows how to behave properly among your lot. He is one of your lot. I'm just an officer."

Tommy groaned quietly. "You're not just an officer, Barbara. You're the best Detective Sergeant Hillier could think of. And by the way, my lot behaves as normal as anybody else does, no matter what the accent is. Believe me, there are only a few among this lot who tend to forget that they're mere mortals like the rest. And tonight for dinner, there will be none of those, I promise. And I know for sure that you have very good manners."

"But I will probably use the wrong cutlery."

"Barbara..." Tommy sighed. He knew very well that Barbara knew which silverware was for what.

"Everybody will stare at us. They'll see that ring and they'll know and then wonder why on earth you had the idea of choosing me, of all women."

"Until now nobody but Lafferty has recognised that ring, although we work quite closely with our team. And tonight my mother's guests will know - even without that ring - that we are partners, because I don't intend to keep my hands from you the entire evening." Tommy laughed. "And I've chosen you because you are the woman that I am in love with. They are allowed to see that and keep it to themselves if they wonder."

"Aaargh." She groaned. "And still... Can't we just have something from the delivery service and watch some telly?"


It was three days after they had revealed their secret to Hillier and Lafferty. Three days after Tommy had given that beautiful ring to Barbara in one of the most beautiful restaurants in London. Three days after that damned waitress had interrupted and Barbara still had not made the final decision.

Today they would have dinner in an illustrious circle and later go to a late night show at the theatre. It would be some of those modern pieces of drama Barbara was generally not overly interested in. She only had agreed because of Tommy's mother. About one month ago Daze had sent them an invitation and told them of her important friends, so Barbara even had bought an evening dress which was too expensive for her liking and although it could, in its pieces, be worn differently and on other less formal occasions, she still slightly felt out of place in it. She had bought it together with Tommy and he had been very supportive, but although he had made her feel happy with it in the end, she had not had the constant girlish support like she had before the New Year's Party at Howenstow.

And this was her first real function, without that strange rosy haze of their new love like in December, so, while she had showered, she had felt the burden of her insecurities growing heavier.

Tommy squeezed her in a gentle hug. "Of course we could cancel dinner and theatre, although I'd prefer not to face mother's admonishment on that. But, really, Barbara, you don't have to fear anything. Just be you and-"

"Oh, that's exactly what I fear the most." she gasped in desperation. "Being me and scupper the evening for you."

"You won't, believe me. You're too authentic and special. And you know how to behave and act at a dinner table and in the theatre. You know how to use cutlery and you're capable of having a conversation. So please stop talking yourself into being less than you actually are. And by the way, I love you just the way you are."

"Hngg!" Barbara grunted.

"Now please come out of the shower before your skin starts to shrivel." Tommy squeezed her one last time before he stepped out of the cubicle, gently pulling at her hand to drag her with him. "And let's have a nice glass of whisky before we get dressed. It may cool your nerves."


She was not entirely convinced but a few drops of strong alcohol probably would soothe her indeed. In their bathrobes they went downstairs. Denton brought some glasses and then politely was dismissed for the rest of the evening. He bowed and left them alone.

Barbara and Tommy raised their glasses to toast a smooth evening before she sat down on the armchair. She placed her naked feet onto the coffee table. Having no chance to snuggle into her side Tommy chose to sit on the piano bench.

For a while they talked about what they expected from the modern play they would see and Tommy subtly convinced her of being strong enough to attend the dinner appointment before it. Eventually, they still were talking, he turned towards the piano and opened the lid. He began to strike a few keys with just the hint of different melodies and some hummed tunes, just as if he had to recollect the correct notes, before he started to play properly. At first it was still mixed with other melody parts while their conversation slowly ebbed, but then it turned into a well known song from the seventies from a well known American piano player.


"Don't go changing, to try and please me, you never let me down before..." He quietly sang the lyrics and she looked up from the liquid in her tumbler. "...I would not leave you in times of trouble, we never could have come this far... Ooohohohoooh..." Tommy's voice grew stronger with every note. Barbara was moved. "...I don't want clever conversation..." Barbara snorted a laugh. "...I just want someone that I can talk to, I want you just the way you are."

He played some variations of the melody to fill the gap that was played by saxophone in the original version before he sang the next lines and strummed another bit until he came to the final words.

"I said I love you..." His voice turned softer. Barbara wiped her eyes. "...and that's forever..." She got up from her armchair and came to stand behind him, her hands placed softly on his shoulders. "...And this I promise from the heart... Mmmmhmhmmm..."

She bent down, whispered a gentle "I love you." into his hair and snuggled into his back in a way that made him slightly miss the beat and a couple of notes, and he was not able to end the song properly.

Tommy placed his arms above hers which had come around his chest. "...I could not love you any better..." he quietly sang without music. Then his voice was almost only a humming whisper. "...I love you just the way you are."

With his help Barbara slid around his chest until she sat in Tommy's lap. She had to laugh out loud and nervously shy when she almost fell onto his thighs, and only his arms prevented her from falling further backwards. Her elbow hit random keys which gave a dissonant sound. They ignored it.

He captured her lips with his. They deeply kissed and the song was repeated silently between her tongue and his.


Eventually Tommy lifted her up and moved Barbara from his lap and, with another ungraciously unmelodious combination of sounds, he placed her onto the keyboard while he stood. Their lips never completely parted although with those off-key notes under her bottom they both had to grin. But soon that grin died in an even deeper kiss than before.

Since Barbara and Tommy were naked under the terrycloth of their bathrobes, it soon got out of hands in the most pleasurable way.

It was no wonder that they arrived a bit late for dinner. Their kiss had ended with them making love on the piano bench. And on the piano.


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Author's hint: I won't change the rating of this story ;-)