For the next three hours Tommy tried to teach Barbara different card games but through stubbornness, ineptitude or disinterest she displayed a distinct lack of skill. "Really Barbara, it's quite easy to learn."

"Easy for you. Look Sir, I'm never going to mix with people who play bridge or canasta, and I'm not sure I want to."

Tommy sighed then glanced at his watch before returning the cards to their box. "It's nearly seven o'clock. Time for our dinner. If we are making it last four days we get six squares of chocolate each."

"Seven and five. You need more than me."

"Why?"

"Because you're much bigger than me."

"But you're injured and need your strength. We'll have six each tonight and tomorrow then if they haven't come back for us we can reassess."

"Yes Sir," she replied with a hint of bitterness that stung Tommy. He was trying his best to be cheerful and considerate.

"Don't Barbara, please. I was only thinking of you."

Now Barbara sighed. Her boss was being a gentleman and it was not his fault they were trapped or that her ankle throbbed. She blushed as she remembered his protective arms around her and the panic in his voice when she had been hurt. Now in the flickering yellow light of the candle he looked worried. The last thing he needed was her being petulant. "Sorry Sir. My foot hurts and I guess for the first time it struck me that we're actually trapped four hundred feet underground. I'm angry and apprehensive and, I don't know...frustrated."

Tommy sat next to her on her bunk and put his arm around her shoulder. "I know. Try not to think about that too much. We have each other. There's no one I'd rather spend a few days in a coal mine with than you. See, you're smiling now. That's better."

"No offense Sir but there's a lot of other places I'd rather be trapped with you."

"There are? Where?" There was a cheekiness in his voice that made Barbara smile.

"I dunno...in a Swiss chalet that's been snowed in. Somewhere where we have sweeping views down a valley and plenty of food and wood for an open fire."

Tommy grinned. His instant image was of them naked, cuddled up on a thick rug in front of that fire. He coughed to cover the shock of his thought. He wrote if off as a consequence of their predicament. He should not think of his partner and friend that way. "What about on a houseboat on a lake where the engine has died and we're just drifting?"

"Or marooned on a desert island."

"Or in a cave on the top of a Welsh mountain during a thunderstorm."

"Hmm, no caves. What about being accidentally locked in the British Museum overnight?"

"Or the British Library."

"Nah, you'd find all sorts of interesting books and never want to leave."

"True. What about in a capsule of The Eye?"

"Not if it swings about too much. I was caught near the top once when a ferris wheel broke down. It made me queasy. Too much swaying."

"I don't think they sway. I've never been."

"Me either."

"Right, then it's a date. We will go this weekend Barbara."

She smiled up at him. "Okay Sir."

The way she looked at him made Tommy feel as if all his problems had vanished. She had a way of calming him just with a smile. He leant his head gently on hers. "Have you ever been to Switzerland?"

"No," she laughed, "of course not."

"Then we should go there too. It's much nicer without the blizzard though. Maybe next month while it's still Spring. We could lock ourselves away at night and pretend we're trapped."

"Tell me about Switzerland." Barbara had closed her eyes and listened. Goosebumps raised on her legs as he talked about them together in a chalet and exploring the mountains that would still have a covering of snow above meadows of wildflowers. She smiled as she imagined them kissing on a hillside overlooking the steep valleys he was describing. "Oh, yes!" she said with more gusto than required.

Tommy hugged her a little closer. In his mind they had progressed well beyond kissing. He was envisioning making love to her amongst those wildflowers. Her 'yes' had been rather timely with what he was seeing in his mind's eye. He quickly reminded himself this was Barbara, his partner and friend, he was fantasising about. But she was in his arms now. He could kiss her. He admonished himself. This had to stop. It must be the product of their situation. He could never do that, not with his best friend...or could he?

"Time for dinner," he said as he abruptly pulled away. "Do you want your chocolate one square at a time or all at once?"

"Two at a time. Entree, main and dessert."

Tommy laughed. "Yes, of course. We deserve fine dining. Unfortunately m'lady, the restaurant has needed to store away it's fine china."

She accepted the two squares on a small piece of foil. "Silver platters are just as good."

Tommy grinned at her then bit into his first square. It was rock hard. Barbara laughed at him then tried hers. "Bloody hell! It's not exactly Swiss is it? Can you stock the chalet with something more appetising?"

"Certainly m'lady. It grows on you if you just suck on it a while." Tommy pointed to his mouth.

"What does?" she replied cheekily.

Tommy nearly choked. "The chocolate! It softens when you suck on it."

Barbara suppressed a smile by clamping her lips together. Tommy was so sweet whenever he tried to cover his embarrassment about unintended innuendos. He always made them worse. She could not resist making a show of placing the chocolate in her mouth and savouring it. She caught a glimpse in his eye that said maybe her thoughts and desires were not misplaced. If only it was not being trapped that was making him think about her that way. He had never shown the slightest interest in the last decade. She was not foolish enough to think anything except the fear of imminent death had changed his mind.

They ate slowly and in silence, neither knowing that the other had the same thoughts about eating chocolate in front of that Swiss fire. When they finished they washed it down with half of the day's water allocation and painkillers. Tommy's head was aching more than he admitted to his partner.

"There's a bucket in the corner if you need it Barbara. I might just walk back up the tunnel a little way."

"I'm okay at the moment." Barbara dreaded how she would manage when she needed to go.

When Tommy returned he caught Barbara stretching forward trying to massage her leg. "That should stay as still as possible," he reminded her.

"I know but it's getting more painful."

Tommy brought the candle from the table for a closer look. It was swollen and an angry purple bruise stretched around her ankle. Her sock was cutting into the flesh of her calf. "I think I should take your sock off. It might allow better blood flow."

"Rice."

"Sorry?"

"Rest, ice, compression and elevation."

"Hmm. Rest we can manage but I'm all out of ice and there's a difference between compression and cutting off the circulation. Elevation I can arrange." Tommy took Barbara's penknife and carefully cut away the sock. She smiled grimly but he could tell her was hurting her. Without twisting the shattered ankle he gently massaged her toes and the sole of her foot.

"Oh, that's good. I can feel my toes again."

Tommy continued to move up her foot until he sensed it was getting painful. "Would you like me to rub your calf?"

Barbara nodded shyly. "Yeah, if you don't mind."

"Why would I mind?" Tommy began to run his hands up her leg. He watched as she closed her eyes.

"I just thought..." His touch was purely therapeutic but just as Barbara wondered what it would be like if he was touching her for pleasure, his stroke changed. His hands became softer and gently tickled their way up to her knee. She moaned audibly as he ran his fingers around her kneecap. Even through the heavy cloth of her jeans it seemed as if his fingers were burning into her skin. "Oh, my sweet..."

Tommy immediately stopped. "Sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to..."

"It didn't hurt," she replied quickly, "it was...relaxing. It felt good."

Tommy walked across to the cupboard and looked for something soft to rest her foot on. There was not much there, but on the dirt filled bottom shelf he found another old blanket. When he pulled it out a cloud of dust wafted across the room. Behind him Barbara coughed. He took it out into the tunnel and gave it a good shake.

"Let's rest that foot on this," he said as he folded it into a neat square.

"Thank you. I'm sorry Sir."

"About what?" he asked as he gently lifted her leg and placed it under her foot then tucked the other blanket around her.

"If I wasn't hurt we'd be on our way out of here with Jones."

"It's not your fault Barbara. We'll be fine. I truly believe that and you should too." Tommy leant down and kissed her on the top of the head. "Now, let's get some sleep. I'll be just over here."

When Tommy extinguished the candle it took her eyes a few minutes to adjust to the blackness. She had never seen such total darkness and it felt heavy. It began to press in on her. Patterns of colour swirled in her vision. "Sir!"

"What Barbara?"

"I don't feel well. I'm having trouble breathing and I feel...buried alive."

She saw a flash of light as Tommy struck a match. Then the candle flame flickered blue before settling into the familiar orange flame. "You're safe," he said as he came over and sat on the edge of the bench.

"I...don't feel it."

Tommy understood how hard it was for her to appear vulnerable. "I know. I tell you what. I'll stay with you until you're asleep."

Barbara nodded then wriggled over to allow him room. Tommy pulled the bench seat up against the bed and sat down.

"You can sit up here," she suggested.

"It's too small and I might accidentally bump your leg."

"Then let's put the mattress on the floor."

Tommy smiled reassuringly. It was clear that Barbara did not want to be alone. "Alright."

He lifted her carefully onto the table while he arranged the mattress on the floor in the corner next to the bench. He helped her down onto it and adjusted her leg to be comfortable. "There you go. I'll stay close. Can I put the candle out?"

Barbara nodded. Tommy blew out the flame then crawled in the dark back towards her. "Where are you hiding Sergeant?"

Barbara laughed softly which had been his intention. "Not far."

Tommy had not anticipated being quite so close and his head bumped into hers, right on the spot that he had wounded earlier. "Ow!"

"Sorry." Barbara reached up and tenderly ran her fingers over his face and into his hair. She heard him moan softly and quickly removed them, regretting being so forward. "You okay?"

"Yes," he whispered hoarsely. Her soft touch had send shivers through him. He could not see her but he could feel her breath on his cheek. It took all his resolve not to reach out and kiss her. The strength and direction of his reaction to her gesture shocked him. Barbara was his friend, not one of his dalliances. "Sorry Barbara."

"My fault," she said, oblivious to his confusion.

"Barbara, none of this is your fault!"

"I know but..."

"No buts!" Tommy adjusted his position so that he was leaning in a half-sitting position against the wall. He was sitting on the mattress but had his legs directed away from her injury, with his heels on the floor. As he arranged the blanket around them Barbara nestled into his side and lay her head tentatively on his chest. He put his arm on her shoulder, his hand extending down her side. He hoped his gentle stroking was comforting and told her he did not mind her being so close. He felt his arm rise as she took a deep breath before emitting a long sigh. "We'll be fine Barbara. I promise you."