A/N: They day at the zoo is over but the evening is not. Pizza anyone?

.

Pirates and the Sleeping Cutie

.

On the way home Paula almost fell asleep. Only the babbling of the still fully alert boys on each side kept her awake.

"Oh, bl...ooming!" Barbara hid a curse from the young ears when the car had arrived at her flat and Tommy had taken the baby out of its seat. "I still have to go to the co-op!"

"I thought we'd call the delivery service?" Tommy asked.

"No, I need a few more things."

"Should I go? You take Paula and I go shopping with the twins?"

"That would be great, thank you so much." Barbara took the baby girl from his arms.

Their hands brushed and somehow the cord of Paula's connected gloves locked around a button on the sleeve of Tommy's coat. In order to not drop the child Barbara had to stand very close to him.

"Oops! No! Oh, shit!" she cursed ignoring the gleeful laughing twins.

"Wait!" Tommy wrapped one arm around her waist because she almost fell. The baby squealed delighted and laughed into the sky letting her head drop backwards with her hands in Barbara's scarf and Tommy's beard. She definitely had fun.

Tommy's other arm also still was around the baby and Barbara and quickly she looked what it had been that brought them into this situation. He tilted his head like she did and accidentally their foreheads bumped.

"Ouch! Oh, sorry!" Trying to untangle and get them free again without letting go of the poor child they made it even worse until Barbara's scarf was jammed at that button too. Simultaneously both started to fidget with it but immediately withdraw their hands again when they only touched each other's fingers.

"Stop, I'll try it." Tommy whispered. By Paula's little fingers pulling at them both his face suddenly was too close to Barbara's to keep focussed on their separation. In fact he also did not really want to let go of her so quickly. Perhaps, he thought, she even could hear that my heart is beating faster. But since he feared that Barbara would think he took advantage of the situation he dared not kissing her properly.

Her heart raced as fast as a shot bullet. She felt his warm breath on her cheek and if she would turn her head she easily could meet his lips with hers but she did not dare. But was this not the situation she had wanted?

Feathery mumbling lips on her skin told her that it was harder to release than it looked. "Could you please stop wriggling? You're making me nervous."

Of course Tommy had meant it as a joke but since it was the truth it sounded exactly like that.

Barbara swallowed but stood still. "Yes." she almost whimpered. "I'll try."

Finally Tommy accomplished his task and with a last gossamer-light touch of his lips across her cheek and then a soft stroke across her fingers they stood separated again.

"Thanks." Barbara only breathed. Her knees were weak. Why didn't he act? Why didn't I act?!

"What do you need?" His voice was husky.

You! Barbara thought and blushed because she felt it written on her face. The widening eyes of the man in front of her were a distinct indicator. She cleared her throat and managed a lopsided grin. "Err... two of those huge pizzas. Simply with salami. Four pints of milk, a six pack of beer-"

"Which one?"

"Oh, I don't care. Make a choice." They grinned at each other. "And a bottle of wine for you if you want?"

"No, I'll take a can of beer. Anything else?"

"A pack of kitchen towels and-" she stopped dead in her tracks and diverted her eyes away from his. "Ah, well, no, that's all."

"Okay. If there's anything else just call me. Ian! Josh! Come on, we go shopping."

"Oh, and Tommy?"

Her boss turned back towards Barbara who was smiling fondly at him. "Don't spoil them. No more sweets, no more toys, please!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Barbara snorted and rolled her eyes at him but he just winked.

While Tommy, Josh and Ian were at the small supermarket just down the street Barbara had gone inside and started to prepare the tired baby for sleep. Standing at the small cabinet in her bathroom drying up the girl she wondered not only about all those sweet moments but also about the casual normality of this day and the fact that they had not yet put the kids' car seats from Tommy's beloved vehicle. As if they would belong there. Which they did not of course. "Oh, hell, Paula, this is going to be hard work for my head to store away all those memories into a safe place from where they couldn't do more harm."

And despite all those perfect opportunities they had not even kissed once.

Anyway it had been an exhausting but very nice day out in the zoo. A glimpse at something she believed she never would have, no matter how this evening will end, and this entirely saddened her.

Before she could let the tears start falling there was a knock at the door. The boys returned. Barbara took a deep calming breath before she opened the door.

"I've just bought four small cups of a full-value yoghurt dessert." Tommy murmured walking past Barbara. He grinned. Her own grin equalised that she rolled her eyes at him. She probably would have bought something similar. Like he never had done anything else Tommy had slipped off his shoes like the boys did and then walked straight into the kitchen and unpacked the bags he had brought while Barbara shooed Josh and Ian into the bathroom.

"I already put the pizza into the oven, right?" she heard from the kitchen and answered positive. It would be a quick bath for the boys today. Meanwhile she brought Paula into her bedroom and laid her down into the mobile baby bed. It made her smile that the girl's little fingers still clenched into the fur of the cute pygmy hippo Tommy had bought at the zoo's souvenir shop.

Where he should have kissed her. Seriously, he had had so much opportunities to kiss her and this had been the perfect one. Barbara remembered each and every single moment and especially the sizzling moment when he had given her the green scarf. She wondered if he was about to kiss her anyway or if it had been all in her imagination alone. Maybe he was just waiting for her signals? Had she not been clear enough? Was she too shy again? Too afraid?

She will probably never know it.

"I simply should have pulled him down, don't you think, Paula?" Barbara mumbled. "For once in my life I should have taken the initiative..."

Like it had worked yesterday evening it should work now so Barbara sang her a sweet lullaby. It even worked better today since Paula really was tired from the day at the zoo. She probably even would have fallen asleep without Barbara's help.

"Little sleeping cutie." Barbara sighed. For a few quiet moments she watched the sleeping cutie and turning she almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Tommy leaning against the door frame watching her with a gentle smile. He even blushed a bit when Barbara asked him how long he was standing there but either he had not heard her talking to Paula or he did not want to be pulled into a kiss.

"Just a short moment." he whispered. "I didn't want to disturb you. Pizza's almost ready. What about the boys?"

"They probably have flooded my bathroom by now." Carefully closing the bedroom door behind them she chuckled. "Like yesterday. Little big rowdies."

"You do a great job, Barbara."

"You're also performing quite good with them. I'm glad I've had some help at the zoo."

"It was a great pleasure."

At the bathroom door Tommy stroked her nape but before he could become more gentle there could be heard a loud splashing riot from inside.

Barbara groaned, half in annoyance, half because she had enjoyed the brief contact very much. Prolonging the moment she leaned back into his hand for another second. She really could do with a gentle massage tonight. Ah, well, wishful thinking...

Tommy held her back at her arm before she could enter the wet room. "Do you want me to handle it? You could tend to the pizza."

"Thank you, Tommy." They were so close she easily could have kissed him if she would stand on tip toes. She almost did. But then, after a brief moment of hesitation, her courage vaporised and she did not but instead let go of the breath she had not even recognised she was holding again and finally she turned away.

I should have kissed her. This was the perfect moment. Tommy scolded himself. I'm so, so stupid. Shaking his head he entered the bathroom. "Alright boys, skipper's on bridge. Time to surface! Oh, dear..."

He disturbed a little pirate fight.

Naked both boys stood in the water-filled tub. Josh held the bath brush like a sword and the lid of Barbara's laundry bin like a shield protecting himself from the water Ian splashed at him with the shower hose. Of course they already had flooded half of the bathroom.

"Seamen?!" Tommy earnestly said and immediately Ian turned off the water. Both boys looked at him guilty but not without a touch of satisfaction. Tommy probably should not have grinned at the sight of them. He sighed. "Boys, I fear that Admiral Babba will deny us our food ration if we don't bring order into the deck first."

He threw a few towels into the pool at his feet before he approached the tub and helped the twins dry up themselves.

.

...

A/N: This shower scene is dedicated to a few certain readers who had asked for one ;-)