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All three sat down at the small coffee table to have a proper cup of tea – which meant of course coffee for Barbara.

That was some kind of a very special relationship between Thomas and Barbara for such a long time now and finally they had recognized it for themselves that it was deeper than they thought. Judith waited eagerly for Barbara to start telling how it began. Thomas shook his head disbelievingly.

"You're such a nosy girl, Judith!"

"Oh, come on, Tommy – allow me that pleasure."

Thomas started to say something but was interrupted by Barbara putting her hand on his arm.

"It's ok, Thomas." she smiled. "You can leave us girls alone and walk the dog, if you want." Judith and Barbara giggled.

Though it would be a pleasure for him to take a walk with Dolly, he preferred staying with Barbara.

Barbara began her story at that evening nine days ago when Thomas and Barbara went for a pint. Both talked about and discussed the current case and meanwhile had a pint too much. They weren't drunk but not sober either and they started quarreling. Barbara was very much of the opinion that Suspect A this and that while Thomas was so sure that Suspect B that and the other - for not annoying one with details about that case, details Barbara weren't allowed to speak about anyway, she ended with what was the result of that argue: they separated in anger. Later in the night she however received a textmessage from Thomas saying NEVER part angry! sleep well + cu tom that made her so wide awake she in fact couldn't sleep well. The "tom" went round in her mind. Did he mean "see you tomorrow" or "see you – Tommy"? Barbara finds it very nice anyway that Thomas texted though normally he didn't sign his texts and particularly not with his first name. In the end she decided it had to be "tomorrow" and forced herself to sleep.

"In fact I was thinking about that too when I'd sent it. With that beer in my head I was very proud of that pun." Thomas tossed in.

"You're a clever one, Tommy!" Judith praised him ironically.

"Well, with a headache the next morning I woke up." Barbara continued.

She came too late for the daily briefing and could tell from the black look Thomas' face showed that he was not amused at all. Great start today! she thought. Thomas asked her to go through the CCTV-tapes once more and she spent the morning with that. Needless to say she didn't find anything new. She went to lunch with Nkata.

When they came back she was awaited by Thomas. "Havers!" is what he said. "Didn't we agree that we wanted to take that suspect B in at about one pm and then question him?" With that the argue from the previous evening started again. Both were suppressing loud and harsh words until Thomas hissed "In my office, Sergeant!"

"I can picture him. His Lordship in a rage." Judith rolled her eyes. Thomas threw the sugar cube that he just was about to be putting in his tea at his sister. He missed which made her laugh.

"I was steamingly angry, I tell you!" Barbara said. "So I myself hissed sharply 'Yes, Sir!' and went after him."

Nkata looked sympathetic and whispered "Good luck!" to Barbara. Thomas stomped into his office and left the door open which then was closed with a nasty bang by Barbara following him hot on his heels. Inside the conclave of his office both didn't restrain themselves from shouting at each other. Everybody in the open office outside must have heard them.

Judith choked on her tea. "That's what you…"

"Keep it!" Thomas cut her words with a grim expression.

Barbara blushed once more but said laughing "Oh, couldn't you stop belabouring that point?"

"Sorry. Go on!"

Barbara took a sip of her coffee before she went on.

In his office Thomas entrenched behind his desk but didn't sit down. Neither was Barbara. She threw three or four files loudly on his desk. They bawled at each other. It still was about suspect A and B. The argument culminated when he cursed her to be the silliest, blindest and most stubborn Sergeant he had ever the pleasure to work with and that she now will shut up and obey his orders or she can go on the beat again right now. That's when she shouted back "So, Detective Inspector," she nearly spat that out. "you demote me again just because you are too proud to admit and accept that one of your little subordinates has found the correct solution in this case, you bloody ar…istocrat!"

With narrow eyes they stood in front of each other, the desk between them, heavily breathing in anger and suddenly dead silent. Barbara felt fear creeping up her spine. The last word was sharply scratching at insulting her superior and the expression on his face slowly changed. She expected the worst. Go and demote me, your Lordship! she thought sulkily. But she wasn't able to make use of that soft face he then showed. Neither of what he said.

"I love you." His voice was croaky.

"What?" Barbara couldn't believe what she just heard.

"I love you, Barbara." Thomas looked earnest and soft and without a sign of mocking her. But Barbara wiped that impression away and turned to the door.

"Oh, bullshit, Sir, you'll never make it stick that way." How dared he?! Playing with her emotions by saying that just to achieve his aim and convince her of his view on the topic? "Idiot!" she whispered deeply hurt and felt tears coming up.

"Wait!" In a rush he came around his desk and pulled at her elbow. Without turning Barbara stopped. She cursed again. She accused him to bring personal feelings in a professional discussion.

"As if it was professional to shout arguments into the opponent's face." Barbara laughed at Judith.

"Then I took a deep breath, turned and faced him – ready to fight."

She stood there at the door, hands on her hip, looking up to him and blushing deep red and going on with her accusation. "And it is bullshit! Ridiculous! At least it's absolutely not fair to play that way."

"I don't play."

"Oh, you do. You try to put me off. Oh, no, that is not real." Barbara nearly cried. "You don't love me."

"Yes I do." Thomas looked her in the eye seriously and in a way relieved having it said.

Barbara was churned up. He couldn't love her. He just couldn't love her. This wasn't a dream so why did he say something like that? Did he want to hurt her? Did he indeed try to put her off? Her mind was spinning. How could he step on her and play with her feelings?!

"I love you." Thomas stated again as if he still couldn't believe it himself.

Barbara took a deep breath and wanted to go on again accusing Thomas.

"Oh, shut up, Barbara."

He bent down to her, closed his eyes and gave her a gentle kiss. Barbara closed her eyes too. And then he gave her another gentle kiss. Barbara relaxed against the door in her back. And another kiss. He supported himself at the door. And yet another kiss and this broke the spell. Their lips stayed contacted. Thomas laid his left hand lightly on her hip and his right hand entangled with Barbara's in front of his chest. Her right hand clung to his biceps. Her mind was blank, everything was focussed on that kiss. A sudden desire for more hit her in her stomach and she opened her mouth for his tongue to enter. Their tongues met halfways and that was when he pressed his hips against hers. She buried her hand in his hair and pulled his head closer. This kiss should have lasted for ever. But eventually one had to breathe and so they broke apart. "Tom!" she moaned onto his lips. With a whispered "Yes…" he continued the kiss. But in that moment when their lips met again there was a knock at the door in her back.

"Sir?" Winston asked tentatively on the other side of the door. "Everything's alright?"

Barbara and Thomas scattered. Barbara pretended to search in that file cabinet and Thomas went back to his desk to shuffle through the files there. Both had their backs to the opening door where Winston stuck his head in. "Just fine." Thomas said but Winston didn't leave. "Is there something else, DC Nkata?" Thomas asked sharply.

"Sorry, Sir, just worrying."

"Isn't there something you have to work on?" With that Winston better had his nose back into some files.

When the door was closed again Barbara chuckled nervously into the files in the cabinet. "That was close." Thomas was soon behind her, turned her into him and embraced her lovingly.

"We will better keep this a secret, won't we." He placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"It really better had not come to that anyway, Sir." She snuggled her face into his chest.

They shared some more tender kisses and agreed that whatever it was that was developing there, it must have to be kept a secret to the Met. Scotland Yard didn't encourage personal relationships within their staff, especially not when it comes to straight chains of command.

"When we cooled down again, you won't believe it, we were continuing our argue." Barbara laughed.

"You don't!? Oh, Tommy, at that point you've already made her the Boss. There was no turning back then. You should've given in at that point."

"You see?" Barbara addressed Thomas. "Would have saved us labour and time."

"And you would have already started that paperworks and weren't allowed to interrupt it and therefore couldn't have joined me here. All hail to my stubbornness." Thomas grinningly cheered his teapot.

"So, Barbara, it was your Suspect-A-thing which turned out to be right?"

"Certainly! But at first I gave in and followed his order."

"You don't?!"

"I did!" Barbara rolled her eyes. "The next days we've found out that Thomas was wrong. I could hardly hold back my told-you-so. But it was a week stuffed with hard work." she sighed.

"And no chances, you mean?" Judith said fruitily into her tea, taxing Barbara over the rim.

"No chances. We just kissed here and there when nobody was around. That is to say in Thomas' office."

"Or in my car at the traffic lights." Thomas chuckled. Barbara's hand instinctively went to that spot in the crook of her neck where he staked his claim. The memory of that nightly incident made her blush again. They had missed two periods of green and only stopped kissing when someone knocked at the window. Although they didn't tell that Judith could imagine it on her own.

"At Thursday we went for dinner and had planned to spend a long evening together but a call interrupted us. So we've spent the night in separate cars with binoculars and coffee." Barbara sighed. The next day they were too tired for anything and both went to their own homes. And there was no further chance for another dinner, they simply were too busy and in the evenings too tired. After they finally arrested their suspect Thomas invited Barbara to Howenstow for Christmas.

"And two days later we arrived here." Barbara finished.

"So, Merry Christmas." Judith smiled and raised her teapot to toast. "And good luck. You'll have a nice amount of work with that stubborn boy."

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Thanks for reading!