Barbara sulked as he drove her home to pack. She refused his offer of a lift to the airport arguing that if the Met wanted her to go they could damned well pay for a cab.

"It's only five days Barbara. You might even get a chance to take a photo in front of the Sydney Opera House or the Harbour Bridge."

"I'm not going there for the sights! Do you think I should pack my suit in case I have to appear in court?"

"Yes, pack it but travel in something comfortable," he replied, "you really should try to see something while you're there. It's a long way to go, you might regret not seeing the city."

"I doubt it," she said as he pulled into the kerb at the front of her flat. "Thanks for the lift. I guess I'll see you in four or five days." She got out and leant back through the door. "And thanks again for keeping me afloat. It was hard thinking I had let him down."

"My pleasure but you've never let anyone down Barbara."

She smiled at him. "I doubt Hillier would agree with you but I appreciate it." She saw the softness in his eyes and had to go before she said something completely inappropriate. "See you soon."

"I'll be waiting for you," he said.

Barbara frowned slightly then closed the door and hurried inside. It was a strange thing for him to say but she quickly rationalised ten different, innocent ways he probably meant it. It was the one other possibility that occupied her thoughts while she showered, changed and packed.

Tommy drove home cursing his awkwardness. He slammed his front door and poured himself a drink. What the hell was his comment about waiting supposed to mean? Even he did not fully understand. Of course he would be waiting for her, keen to see her again and be able to successfully close another case. What he did not want to admit was that he missed her already. The week in Cornwall without her had been agonising and now he would be separated for nearly another week. He really should tell her how he felt but he feared she might laugh.

Three nips into his bottle of whiskey he glanced at the clock. It was just before eight thirty. Barbara's flight was scheduled to leave in forty minutes. She would be waiting to board. He toyed with phoning her to wish her a safe flight. He had neglected to say that in his clumsy farewell. He picked up his mobile just as it rang. "Barbara?...oh sorry Sir...yes, yes she should be about to board...you can't be serious?...Yes I understand you would never joke about such things...me? Well yes I could...fifteen minutes should be enough time...yes. I can use my title, it tends to help in such matters. I will Sir. Thank you" Tommy hung up and tore up the stairs to his bedroom. This was going to be tight.

Barbara boarded the Qantas flight and was irritated by the laid back efficiency of the flight staff who were welcoming everyone on board as if they were genuinely pleased to see them. It was disconcerting when she was looking for an excuse to be annoyed. She fought her way down the nearest aisle past passengers struggling to force oversized parcels into the lockers above their seats. She scouted the seat numbers for 57C. The C's appeared to be aisle seats, a small blessing given she would be on the plane for nearly twenty three hours.

As she went to lift her handbag and small suitcase into the overhead bin a large Indian man shoved his bag in that spot. Barbara glared at him and he simply nodded at her and pretended not to understand. "Lemme 'elp yer love," a booming voice said over her shoulder as she felt her case being pulled from her grip.

The man reached into the locker, rearranged the bags and settled hers in comfortably. "Safe as houses."

"Thank you."

"No worries. We're in 'ere," he said pointing to her row.

Barbara stepped aside to allow the man and his girlfriend to sit down. She sat gingerly beside them and stared at the the fabric of the seat in front. It was grey with a red undertone and red highlights creating irregular diamonds. The video screen had random photos of sun-drenched beaches, shimmering deserts and verdant rainforests interspersed by famous landmarks. Uluru flashed up followed by Sydney Harbour. Barbara could stand it no longer and stabbed her finger repeatedly at the screen trying to turn it off. She groaned when it defiantly flashed up the Great Barrier Reef.

"It doesn't go off until they play the safety video."

Barbara turned to the woman sitting beside her. "Thanks," she mumbled.

The woman smiled and extended her hand. "Jenny Smithers and this is...don't Jake...this is Jake Hahn."

Barbara smiled awkwardly as she tried not to watch Jake playfully biting his girlfriend's neck. "Barbara. Barbara Havers."

"Pleased to meet you. You from London?"

"Yeah."

"We lived at Earls Court for a year but we travelled a lot too. We love London don' we Jake?"

"Yeah, great place. It'll be good to get home though."

"Are you from Sydney?" Barbara asked trying to be polite.

"Yeah, Manly, the northern beaches. Surfies but you'd never know after London."

Barbara nodded and tried to sound friendly, "hmm, not much surf on the Thames."

The couple laughed so Barbara joined them. She was saved from further conversation by the hostess offering bottles of water. The couple beside her started to cuddle and put their heads close together, talking quietly and giggling. Havers tried hard not to imagine they were talking about her. The couple seemed nice and obviously in love the way they snuggled together. She closed her eyes and imagined doing that with Tommy. Her eyes shot open quickly. He would never do that on a plane! She closed her eyes again and tried to imagine canoodling on his couch. This vision seemed vaguely possible but still unlikely. She sighed then decided to read the inflight magazine.

Tommy had packed quickly and despite his advice to Barbara dressed immaculately in a light grey suit, crisp white shirt and royal blue tie with a classical but abstract pattern woven through in slightly darker thread. Everything fitted neatly into his suit-pack. He quickly double checked - three pairs of underwear, three pairs of socks, two white shirts, one navy suit, one casual shirt, one pair of jeans, toothbrush, two disposable razors. No gels or liquids to slow him about at the airport gate. He could use the toothpaste from the plane and buy shave gel and deodorant in Sydney. He glanced at his watch. Twelve minutes since Hillier had rung him to say the boy's father had been killed and Rufus had gone missing. He had two minutes to lock the windows, pull on his shoes and wait for the cab to Heathrow.

The public announcements about safety interrupted her reverie. She was vaguely amused by the video with its laid back, almost jovial but insistent emphasis on safety. The hostesses moved quickly about the cabin. They were all neat and surprisingly trendy in their navy, almost black A-line dresses with short sleeves and bold red and fuchsia slashes covering the top left quadrant and short sleeve finished off with a fuchsia scarf knotted at the neck. The scarf reminded Barbara of a dog collar. She would hate to have to wear something so restricting around her neck. The male steward in her cabin was tall and dark and cut a nice figure in his navy suit. He looked a little like Tommy and she cursed Hillier again for sending her half way across the world without him.

"You married Barb?" Jenny asked.

Barb? That's a bit forward! "No single," she answered politely but in a way that did not encourage conversation.

"Neither'r we. Can't see the point in a piece of paper really. Boyfriend then or girlfriend?"

Barbara looked up shocked that they might think she had a girlfriend. Oh hell, what's it matter? I'll never see them after this flight. "Boyfriend. His name's Tommy."

"So is he in Australia?"

More damned questions! "No, London, I'm going out for work."

"Shame...to go so far without your man. Whaddya do?"

"I'm a..." Barbara thought quickly to avoid admitting she was a policewoman. "I'm a social worker. A boy was taken illegally and I'm going over to bring him back."

"Oh, how fascinating. What's yer man do?"

"Property investment. He has quite a large portfolio." Barbara cringed inwardly. It was not untrue but it was hardly a fair way to describe his estate and Asherton businesses.

"So where did yer meet?"

"Work." Damn, that doesn't make sense. "At a fund raising event for work," she added.

"What's he like?"

"Tall, dark, handsome, rich. You know the classic man."

Jenny looked at her skeptically. "Yeah, right. I was only tryin' to be friendly."

Barbara had not meant to offend. She was actually growing to like the couple even if the boyfriend said nothing and continued to kiss Jenny's shoulder. "No, really. He's about six two with dark wavy hair with just a speck of grey. When it's too long it tends to hang down over his left eye. It's quite erotic the way he sweeps it up off his face. He has gorgeous deep brown eyes that just draw you in and when he smiles I just melt."

"Does he have a brother?"

Barbara frowned. "Yes, why?"

"Just in case I trade Jake in!"

Barbara laughed. "I don't think you'll be doing that anytime soon."

"Me either," she said stopping to give Jake a passionate kiss. Barbara looked away.

A few minutes later Jenny resumed the conversation. "So this Tommy of yours, have you been together long?"

"About ten years."

"Any kids?"

"No. It never worked out for us," Barbara lied feeling she needed an explanation.

"Oh well, it doesn't stop yer practicing! Whoa, I hate this part."

Barbara felt the plane start to accelerate. Talking to Jenny she had not even noticed the plane taxiing out. As it left the ground Barbara suddenly missed Tommy a lot more than she would admit to anyone. It was a bit ridiculous but she looked in the direction of Belgravia and whispered a soft farewell.

Tommy was not in Belgravia. He was in fact at Heathrow looking out the window of the Emirates Lounge watching her plane take off. Frantic phone calls on the way to the airport had secured him a seat on a flight to Dubai leaving in forty minutes. He then had only thirty minutes to clear the gate and board Barbara's flight after its stopover in Dubai. He wondered what she would think as he boarded. He was looking forward to seeing the shock on her face.

In the darkened cabin, lit only by the thin ethereal blue line of emergency lights, Jenny and Jake cuddled and kissed passionately for what seemed like hours. After a tasty but mass produced meal of chicken and pasta that she had struggled to eat with her plastic cutlery, Barbara watched an action film then tried to sleep but even the hum of the engines and the background noise of the cabin did not block out the sounds of giggling and cavorting coming from the lovers. Her seat was becoming hard and seemed to narrow every time she moved. Her tail was numb and her shoulders ached. Everyone had reclined their seats the few inches allowed but it still felt as if she had been strapped into a wooden kitchen chair. This was going to be a long flight!

In contrast Tommy was enjoying his flight. The First class cabin was spacious and his seat was wide enough to accommodate a small hippopotamus. The soft, creamy leather contoured to his shape and the massage action in the chair back kept him relaxed. He had decided not to sleep on this leg so after a silver service meal of lobster miso soup followed by a delicious roast goose served with figs and cider gravy and a rich chocolate gateaux for dessert, he selected Thomas Hardy's Jude The Obscure from the inflight library. He smiled to note it looked unread by earlier passengers. He loosened his tie and undid his top button making him presentable but more comfortable. He had used his title to secure a seat at short notice so tolerated the fawning of the cabin staff. He had even enjoyed the foot massage that the attendant had skillfully given after dinner. Now he lay back, his tall frame fully supported by the lie-flat seat. His noise cancelling headphones gave surprising clarity to Wagner and the single malt Talisker that he sipped warmed him better than the soft cashmere blanket spread over his legs. He wondered idly how Barbara was fairing on her flight.

She glanced at her watch. They had been in the air for a little under four hours. It was still three and a half to their stopover which was only a third of the way to Sydney. She cursed and groaned then clamped her eyes shut and turned inward to her fantasy where Tommy was her partner in the true sense. She drifted into a fitful, guilty sleep imagining his arms around her.

Dubai airport was bright and shiny and unlike anything Barbara had seen before. Everyone and their cabin baggage were screened on arrival and then set free in the cavernous space. Huge curved metal walls were dominated by large wedges of hatched glass that allowed the early morning light to pour in and fall onto the gleaming brown and grey swatches of tiles that punctuated the cream and glass blandness of the waiting lounges. Rows of neat red cloth seats were rapidly filled by tired travellers and others started to lie in the spaces next to the glass walls that looked down on the level below. Barbara wandered into the four storey atrium to look at the shops. Brightly coloured neon signs in Arabic and English presented a confusing array of choices. Slowly as she strolled along she was approached by men in flowing white robes and headdresses that reminded her of the chequered tea-towels in her kitchen. Every type of electronic gadget beckoned her and shops were filled with clothing and jewels and handbags that would need a year of her salary just to purchase. She hurried back to the gate. She noticed Jake and Jenny were huddled close together by the wall but had the sense not to display affection in public. She caught Jenny's eye and smiled then settled in a seat and waited to re-board.

When boarding commenced she lined up and dutifully scanned her boarding pass. It beeped and she was drawn aside. "Ms Havers, you seat has been changed for the next leg," a hostess with fresh make up and broad smile told her.

"Why?"

"I don't know ma'am. Here's your new pass. Seat 11A, through the first door on the left. Have a pleasant flight."

Barbara felt dismissed. She took the slip of paper and proceeded to the first door which was a short glass tube leading down to the plane. Men in suits and women in smart clothes with elegantly tied casual scarfs around their necks dominated the slow-moving queue in front of her. She dutifully trotted behind them and was directed to her seat. She turned to the hostess. "There's been a mistake. I'm travelling Economy."

The hostess glanced at her boarding pass with a practised eye. "Ms Havers?"

"Yes."

"No mistake, you have been upgraded. Please enjoy your flight. Would you like a glass of champagne, orange juice or water?"

"Water please," she answered, "no wait, champagne please."

Barbara stared at her seat. It was more like a portable office. The chair was plushly upholstered in sand coloured leather and angled gently towards the windows. A large television screen sat at the end of the alcove above the footrest. The hostess whisked away her bag and allowed Barbara to store her handbag behind a door in the walnut lined console beside her seat that reminded her of the wood trim in Tommy's car. Barbara sat in her seat which had space for two people her size. She played with the array of buttons that adjusted the seat, the lighting and the various entertainment devices. She explored the nooks and crannies of the console and found pyjamas, a toiletry bag and a plethora of magazines. Her toiletries were a brand she only dreamt of using. She sparingly applied some of the silky moisturiser to her dehydrated skin on her hands and face. She knew she was grinning idiotically like a child at Christmas. Of course she was furious at Tommy for having organised this for her but it was clear she was not going to be moved back to her old seat. She would enjoy this but never give him the satisfaction of admitting it. As she sipped her champagne and allowed the massage function to remove the cattle-class knots from her back she started to work on her 'how dare you use your money to upgrade me speech'.

"Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Dave Gregson, First Officer on this flight and along with Captain Paul Howard we want to welcome you aboard QF2 to Sydney. Unfortunately there will be a short delay before take off while we wait for a passenger from a connecting flight. His plane has landed and we expect him to be boarding very shortly. We apologise for any inconvenience. In the meantime sit back and relax and enjoy the complimentary drinks being served by our cabin staff."

Barbara was not concerned by the delay. She was enjoying her experience. There were a few spare seats including the one next to her. This was going to be a comfortable flight.

Tommy was first off his plane and was escorted through security and onto a golf buggy which drove as fast as it could to his new gate. He arrived looking unruffled and calm at the door of the plane but internally he was nervous. What if Barbara makes a scene? He dreaded but also looked forward to seeing her reaction. He was handed his boarding pass, seat 11C. He took a deep breath and followed the hostess. He stored his suitpack in the closet and sat gently in his seat. Over the dividing screen he could just see her red hair glinting in the morning light coming through her window. He pushed the button to lower the screen. As she looked over he smiled and said in his smoothest, most aristocratic tone, "good morning Sergeant Havers."