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Barbara hesitated for a moment before she entered the kitchen because she heard Daze already handling with the dishes and Barbara once again had nothing on but a shirt and underwear. Tommy's mother already was neatly dressed. Dressed like that, in a simple but elegant travel costume, she looked like the lady she actually was, even at this early hour of the day, so Barbara felt even more shabby in her old oversized Doctor Who T-shirt.

"Good morning, Barbara!" she was politely greeted with an open smile.

"Mornin'..." Barbara shyly mumbled.

"So you've come back in the night already?"

Barbara smiled slightly blushing and nodded. "Couldn't sleep." she explained.

"Good, good." Daze tested how hot the pan was and then looked up. "Just go back up and get dressed then. I'm preparing some breakfast here. Coffee or tea?"

"Coffee." Barbara mumbled and asked herself if this was a dream she had not yet waken up from. "Thank you."

"Of course, dear. Twenty minutes." Daze mischievously winked. Yes, she enjoyed that her son for once had a normal woman around him.

Upstairs Barbara told Tommy that the wonderful fairy that was his mother already was preparing the breakfast and so they tried to hurry through the rest of their morning routines. It was impossible without touching and kissing all the time. That alone took them fifteen minutes. Then she helped him readjusting the bandage and getting into a shirt. Decently dressed they appeared downstairs thirty-five minutes later and had a nice family breakfast with Lady Asherton.

Tommy sat at the head end of the table, his mother was seated to his left, his love to his right, and he was becoming quieter and quieter during the meal. He watched Barbara and his mother talking with each other. Barbara still was a bit reluctant but Daze acted reassuring and kept the conversation running. From time to time his hand brushed Barbara's with a gentle touch and they shared a small smile. When his mother had left the room to - like she had said - pack the last few items Tommy turned so he was facing Barbara completely.

"Barbara, I know, this might be a bit misplaced, here and now, but I actually think there is no time to waste. A human life is too short and fragile, I know that too well. And in fact I love you and have loved you secretly for too long now."

Barbara swallowed when he took her hand in his and gave it a soft kiss. He was not proposing, was he? It was a bit too early for him to ask her to marry him, wasn't it?

"Will you marry me?" There - he had said it. His ears went rosy but his eyes were sincere and his face a picture of insecure happiness.

Barbara searched for words and tried to figure out what to say. "Are you... this is..." All this was far from the right time. She had not even coped with the idea of being his lover. Now he was asking her to be his wife. This was way too much. "Bloody hell, no, Tommy!"

If he was honest he had not expected a negative answer. It hurt a bit. "Why not?" he sadly asked.

Barbara shook her head. How could she put this in words? One side of her screamed she should marry her Prince Charming straight away but the other side loudly listed all her objections and reasons why this was a bad idea. "Tommy, we've had our first kiss only a few days ago. We absolutely don't know how it will work with us being a couple. Speaking of work, there's also the Met. Not to mention your title, your money and all that noble stuff that comes along with you."

"I don't give a damn! I even would-" Barbara put her finger onto his lips thus preventing him from saying something stupid.

"Don't! It's all part of who you are, Tommy." He gave her fingers a kiss. "And, well, yes... yes, of course I do love you but..."

"I don't see a but."

"But shouldn't we at least try... and see if-"

"So it's a maybe?" Tommy hoped now openly grinning and leaning over to steal a kiss but Barbara just leaned back and went on speaking.

"...and see if this relationship is working at all before we make such a life changing decision?! We've only spent one single night under the same roof."

"That's not true."

"Yes, I know but that was different! All the other times don't really count because we haven't been lovers back... then... oh... well..." A coy smile appeared on her lips when she saw him cocking his head to the side and silently asking her with his eyes to overthink what she just had said.

"Somehow we were." Tommy murmured. "There has always been that bond. I think. Even in that caravan park when I was... when Helen... When we've... Ah, mmmh... everything had been a bit muddled at that time."

"Indeed."

"So?"

"So what?" Of course Barbara knew exactly what.

"Will you maybe marry me?"

"Maybe yes." Now Tommy jumped up and pulled Barbara into his chest with his intact arm - he flinched a bit but ignored the sudden pain in his shoulder - but before he was able to finally kiss her she still had a few things to say. "I have a few conditions."

"Oh, you have?" Of course she had. It would not be Barbara if there were no conditions. Tommy did not mind. He would agree on almost everything. Embracing each other they stood next to the table. Faces were close, lips were smiling cheeky, his hand was on her back, her hands were on his shoulders. Seizing the moment his gentle kiss stopped her from telling those conditions straight away.

"Of course I have." Barbara picked up the thread after they were able to properly breathe again. "First: I'd go on working."

"Of course you will. And you'll be promoted."

"We'll see. And second: I am not going to attend every function or event from your weird lot."

"There are less weird functions than you think."

"And we will only have a small ceremony."

"That sounds good." Actually it already sounded like a yes to Tommy.

"And I will have infinite right of veto in the choice of our children's names if... you know... your heredity tries to dictate-"

"How many will we have?" he interrupted her.

"Well, at least one. Maybe two. At the max. I'm 38. That's quite old for becoming a mother. I have not much time left, so... we..." Her eyes grew wide when she recognised she obviously had manoeuvred herself into agreeing to his 'no time to waste theory' and that he had recognised it too. There obviously lingered a 'yes' in the air. Their light-hearted banter suddenly stopped and their faces turned serious. His eyes became quizzical but he did not ask again. Barbara understood him without words anyway.

And to her own surprise she nodded.

His answer was a deep kiss.

"Will you wear my name?" he breathlessly asked onto her lips.

Barbara only thought about it briefly. "Yes, I will." she firmly said.

From the corridor they heard a loud sob. Tommy and Barbara grinned at each other. They had forgotten that Daze was still there and although she blushed Barbara nodded again so with her forehead bumping on his chest he called out for the shaken lady in the entrance hall.

"Mother, you can come in. And please bring the champagne."

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...

A/N: There will be only one more chapter.