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Summary: Winter. One room, one sofa, one telescope. A suspect and two detectives. The title to this story can be a bit confusing though. Enjoy...

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Cool Observations

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They sat on that nice old-fashioned settee for the third night in a row. It was winter, it was cold, it was dark, it was incredibly remote. For the third night in a row she was asking herself why they were not simply giving these tasks of nightly observations to lower members of the police service but then again it was just good to do something like that from time to time. He had agreed to it when she had voiced it for the first time.

The DCs who were doing the daily shifts had left early in the evening. Both had errands to run at home but would be back the next morning. The DCs were here in the open, pretending to have a stag party here and go ice-fishing, but in the nights, like at the moment, DI Thomas Lynley and DS Barbara Havers were on duty. He had slept earlier but after a midnight snack they shared their job of watching for a while.

The small hut they had chosen for their observation stood in a loose row of four houses. All others were abandoned in this time of the year - no holiday guests, no locals. It was on one side of a lake which had its narrowest part right here. It made it easy for them to see the lonely cottage on the other side where the suspect was residing. He openly inhabited the cottage and through their excellent telescope they even could see the common things he did inside.

The land was white since it had snowed a lot recently and now that it had stopped the temperature had become even colder. It was so cold that the lake between the two houses was slightly frozen. Not enough though to step on it but a thin cover of ice was able to carry some inches of snow. In order not to be suspicious the only source of heat in their nightly watchpost was an electric radiator in the main room downstairs. No crackling fire or a smoking chimney revealed that the hut was inhabited in the nights. No lights were on.

Their conversation had died down half an hour ago and with earphones both listened to the voice of a famous actor reading a novel by a famous writer. In a bit Barbara would take a nap but first she wanted to finish hearing this chapter while they stared out of the window and, from time to time, through the telescope.

"Well, I didn't expect you two to be here." The voice in their backs made Lynley and Havers startle. Jumping up they saw their suspect who was supposed to be sleeping on the other side of the lake because they had not seen him coming out after the lights in the upstairs room went out. They had not even heard him coming in here although the door was locked. He must have read their minds. "You know, there's always a key under the mat." His ironic laugh was hard and cold.

He was pointing the barrel of a machine gun at them.

"What do you want, Carter?" Lynley asked moving slightly so his shoulder was shielding Barbara. She was petrified and could not say a single word.

"I want you to tie her up to this chair." Carter tossed him a rope.

"What if I won't?"

As a reply Carter grinned and cocked his gun. "And don't try to cheat."

"I'm sorry." When Tommy had strapped the rope around her wrists Barbara had flinched in pain.

"Yes, he's sooo sorry." Carter mocked. "Now get out of here. I have planned something special for you. I'll get back to your Sergeant later." His words were accompanied by a nasty laugh.

In the moment Lynley and Carter had left the hut through the back door Barbara had begun to try to wriggle free.

The path that led down to the lake was covered with a layer of slippery snow. The DCs had trampled it down when they had gone ice fishing the previous days so now it was not exactly easy to walk on. All the more since there was not a lot of light now. Around one bush Lynley suddenly turned and with a swift motion slapped the machine gun out of Carter's hands. It landed somewhere in the snow but the criminal reacted fast. His fist smashed down on Lynley's chin. It made him stumble backwards onto his bottom. A severe kick hit the Detective's side before he was pulled up halfway to his feet and another punch landed on his chin. They fought for a while but the Inspector was disadvantaged from the beginning. In the end Carter pushed him into the lake. The thin ice broke immediately and cold water soaked Lynley's jumper. Kicking and punching Carter forced him into deeper water. Panic rose in Lynley's chest. He fought for his life until the cold won over him.

Almost completely covered with cold water Lynley finally lost his consciousness. Heavily breathing Carter waited for a few moments but the Detective stayed motionless and so he went back to the house.

Barbara had heard their fight but only caught glimpses of what had happened at the lake. She had managed to loosen up the rope around her ankles but she was all but free. When Carter returned she still sat on her chair full of horror.

"And now for you, little birdy."

Seeing his lewd grin Barbara swallowed.

A wonder happened. Suddenly Carter cursed and pulled out his vibrating mobile phone. He barked an angry "Yes?!" into it and then a furious "Idiot!" and then his voice became almost purring.

"Oh, you're a lucky little birdy!" he addressed Barbara. "I'm afraid I have to run an important errand and can only take care of you later. Don't forget me!"

She received a hard slap in the face and decided to pretend it had knocked her out. Her cheek burned with pain but she did not yelp.

"Ah, you'll feel better when I return, birdy." Carter muttered.

The lights went out and the door fell in its latch.

Not a second later Barbara ignored the pain in her face and continued her struggle to get free. She knew Lynley was out there in the icy cold water of the lake. It took her two endless minutes to get rid of her manacles. She skidded across the narrow path for about thirty long seconds more.

"I'm coming!" she muttered and knew he would not hear her even if she was shouting but it was very self-convincing.

Lynley was still unconscious. His body floated not far away from the waterside and with relief Barbara recognised that his front was facing upwards.

"Oh, Tommy, don't you dare leaving me!" she grunted. Unexpected supernatural power gave her the strength to lift him up and pull him out of the cold water. Earlier rescue courses came in handy now and so she was able to drag his limp body through the snow and back to the house by using the Rautek hold.

Inside she manoevered his body into lateral recumbent position on the floor. Then she hurried to double lock all doors and shutters. Barbara turned the electric heater onto maximum before she returned to Lynley. She had to undress him. Not caring about decency or false embarrassment she freed him from his wet clothes and placed his cold body on the sofa in front of the fireplace where she wrapped him into one of the blankets. Only then she called for rescue.

They promised to ignore the bad conditions on the roads and be there in half an hour. Heartily she cursed the remoteness out here once more. She knew they would not make it in less than an hour. It was her responsibility to get him warm.

The other prospect was to see him dying.

Barbara lit a fire. Carter already knew they were here so why should she care for smoke from the chimney? She rubbed his feet. She rubbed his legs. She rubbed his arms and his chest. She hurried to the kitchen to put the kettle on. He would need something hot inside when he wakes up. She rubbed his chest again until her fingers ached.

Eventually she realised that his boxers still were wet and her rubbing hands only helped a little. Three more logs on the fire turned the fire safety situation to danger but the heat it provided was much needed. And there was only one way to warm Lynley up.

Not for one single second Barbara realised that she was making her boss completely naked. His boxers landed on the stone floor with the sloshing sound a wet rag would do. Barbara undressed herself down to her knickers. She discarded her clothes away from the fire but that was the only safety she cared for. Pulling the blanket over herself she climbed onto his still body. Like a lover she wrapped herself around him. His skin was cool and it gave her goosepimples at the first touch but when she laid her ear onto his chest she was able to hear his heart beating.

"Come back to me!" she whispered desperately. "Please come back to me, Tommy! I don't know what I should do without you!"

Tommy was still alive but as cold as a corpse. Barbara had to give him all the heat from her own body to wake him up.

And so he did. After what felt like hours he finally coughed and moaned.

"I'm cold." he mumbled with clattering teeth. His arms went around her chest. They were not really warm yet. He pulled her harder onto him. He clung to her for dear life. "Don't leave me!"

"I'm here, Tommy!" Finally Barbara realised how cool her own front had become by now. It was no reason to get up from him because there still was more heat to be exchanged. "We just have to get you warm again."

With her whole body she rubbed him.

"You feel so good!" Tommy moaned eventually.

Only then Barbara became aware that his breathing had turned steadier and the panicky hold of his weak arms had turned into a firm embrace. It would be safe now to light up the fire.

"I should put another log-" she started but Tommy cut her short.

"You should stay right here!" Obviously he was already more alive than she had thought.

"What?"

"Kiss me!"

"What?!"

She stared at Tommy with wide eyes for a second. Then, spending no third thought at it, Barbara let her lips crush down on his. All her previous fears, all her relief that she had kept him alive, all the love she had pent up over the years broke free and poured into her kiss. Tommy responded likewise.

Almost naked she laid on top of his completely naked body. They kissed. They cuddled. They wriggled their bodies at each other. Not because of the fire but because of the outbreak of emotions it suddenly turned hotter. There actually was very hot interaction between them. Barbara felt Tommy's desire between her legs and did not refrain from showing Tommy how much she desired him. She wriggled herself harder into his body.

"Oh, Barbara!" he whispered into her ear. It sounded slightly amused.

"Yes, Tommy!" she sighed.

Barbara felt Tommy kissing the top of her hair and woke up with a start. She found herself snuggled into his side on a stylish sofa, her legs tucked under herself, half covered by a thin blanket, a fire was crackling behind them, a telescope looked out of the window behind plastic window blinds. Tommy's arm laid around her shoulders and he was gently stroking her side.

Inside she was in a pleasant turmoil from her disturbing dream. Slowly reality came back to her. When she tried to sit up he didn't let her.

"No, it's more comfortable that way." Tommy mumbled and she looked up to see him smiling down at her. In his eyes she saw a certain fondness she never had expected to see. Returning his attention to what they were observing he added "Or do you have to get up? You've slept so nicely and snored so cutely, I didn't want to wake you up."

They had sat there for the second night in a row, observing a flat on the other side of the street. For their comfort they had pushed the sofa towards the window where the telescope stood. On two tables to the left and to the right of the sofa there were drinks and leftovers from their delivered dinner. Obviously Barbara had fallen asleep and unconsciously moved closer to her boss until she was cuddling him.

"Sorry for falling asleep." she murmured.

"Oh, nothing really happened over there." Tommy smiled. "Have you slept good?"

"Mh." It was all she could say. Never would she admit to him what she had dreamed. "Have I... did I say something?"

"Apart from finally calling me by my name? No. Why?" When Barbara did not answer but blushed deeply he asked if she had dreamed.

"Yeah. Apparently so." Barbara admitted.

"Was it a nice one?"

Her blush went even deeper and she looked through the blades of the blinds. She just shrugged. "I guess so."

In fact she still felt a bit delighted.

"Good." Since Barbara had leaned forward his arm had lost the touch of her shoulders. His hands though still could reach her. Tommy watched pensively how his hands automatically moved to her back. Softly he rubbed a knuckle up and down her spine and slowly became gentle after two strokes. So gentle that it turned into a caress eventually. "I don't want you to have bad dreams, Barbara."

There was a lump in her throat. Barbara could not answer.

"Please come back into my arm. I liked that."

Barbara cleared her throat but leaned back again. Her own courage was shocking her.

"Actually I love that you've slept so peacefully in my embrace."

"Ah." She did not know what else she could say. She smiled a little.

"Umm... and to be honest, I was delighted that you've snuggled so close to me." Apparently distracted by it he shot a quick glance through the telescope. "It felt so natural."

Although Barbara could not trust her voice she dared asking "Natural?"

"Well..."

She felt him shrugging. When he did not continue his sentence or gave any explanation Barbara turned to look at him. Tommy's expression was helpless. In an instant she realised that her fears and doubts, which went together with certainty and a deep love, were mutual. The fear of losing their friendship, doubts that they were too different to get together, conviction that it was in fact deep love and nothing else, anxiety of what would happen with their lives if they gave in to their feelings - all of this was mirrored in their eyes. And all the inhibitions quickly died when they both realised through each other's expressions that their feelings were reciprocal. Something clicked in her mind and his eyes widened.

Barbara's face turned into a disbelieving grin. This could not be true.

Tommy only shrugged apologising. He wanted to pull her close and kiss her but had to wait for her to make the next move. He still did not really trust his eyes and the conclusions his mind had come to in the last couple of moments were too good to be real.

"For once in his life Tommy Lynley, the eloquent Earl of Asherton, is speechless." Barbara chuckled. She had decided to take it lightly. Lynley certainly only was carried away by the moment and all she had seen was what her stupid mind wanted her to see, no matter that she had finally admitted to herself that she loved him. "This is one for the books!"

"I'm not speechless!" he objected with a soft smile. "I just don't know if I'm allowed to say what I want."

"You are." Barbara invited him before she had thought about it. But she feared his answer. It could be everything. She hoped for something sweet but anxiously awaited an embarrassed and embarrassing evasion. She was hoping for several seconds in which he only looked into her eyes. Then he deeply inhaled. Barbara stopped breathing.

"I'm in love with you, Barbara Havers." It was firm. It was tender. It was the truth. It was not at all what she had expected.

After seconds of an inner fight Barbara pushed away everything else. It was time to give in so she leaned back into his still open arms. She closed her eyes. Come what may. "Good." she simply said. She was not able to say anything else.

"And what will I make of this reply?" His voice was shaking with uncertainty. This was not the reply he had expected. "Good?"

"Very good, in fact." Her voice was quiet. "You know, I've dreamed of you."

His heart skipped a beat. "And... did we... kiss?" Tommy's voice cracked in the end.

"We did." Her voice was a whisper now.

"Did we... did you... enjoy it?" His low voice was full of hope. With a crooked finger under her chin he carefully made her face turn to his. When she opened her eyes he was able to see into her soul. For the first time there were no cold barriers any more.

"Very much so." she breathed. Suddenly their faces were only inches apart and he could feel her warm breath on his skin.

He moved another bit closer. "Am I allowed to repeat it?"

"We should take it slower though." She raised her chin towards his.

"Oh?" He already brushed her.

When their lips finally met they both were grinning.

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