Author's note: sorry for the delay, I was waylaid by real life.

Initially, Barbara had been too ill to talk. For the first three days, Tommy had sat by her bed, holding her hand while she mostly slept. Then when she was stronger they had endured hours of interviews about their ordeal. Every minute of their experience had been prodded and reviewed by Hillier, MI5 or the psychologists. No detail of their nightmare was ignored. Everything had been reviewed so many times that their heads had spun.

Barbara had been stoic but Tommy had reacted aggressively when the psychologist had questioned them. The woman delighted in hounding them about the discovery of three used condoms in the bucket in the cage. She had made it sound as if their night together had been nothing more than 'a desperate need to feel alive and safe' and not as acts of love but she had not been there. Tommy remembered everything and it had not been just sex. They had made love to each other's minds and souls. Tommy smiled as he remembered Barbara's calm reaction to being questioned. She had taken his hand and simply said, "put whatever you need to in your report to make yourself sound important. Only the two of us will ever know what it meant to us." If he had had any doubts they had vanished in that moment.

Since then though Barbara had acted more like just his friend than his lover. Whenever they had a few moments alone she never instigated contact and whenever he tried to kiss her, she gently pushed him away saying it was not the time or place. Worryingly, Barbara had not spoken to him or anyone about shooting the guard. After his previous experiences with psychologists wanting him to draw his grief, he had sympathy for her. He too had simply gone through the motions of discussing the man he had run down. Claiming memory loss had saved him from too much interrogation but he wondered if their choices might come back to haunt them. Now, as he watched her standing on the timber balcony of the Swiss chalet he had rented, he knew that at some stage they needed to talk to each other about it.

"It's so different to England."

Tommy took her hand. "Yes, do you like it?"

She turned and gave him a warm and generous smile. "The valley, the village, the chalet, it's all beautiful. Thank you."

"We deserve it," he replied, "it's been a long month. Do you want me to get your crutches?"

"Stop fussing or you'll drive me mad."

Tommy looked awkward. "Sorry, I just want to ensure you have everything you need."

"I have this." She patted the timber railing. Barbara's leg was still in a lightweight cast below the knee. A pin had been inserted to stabilize her shattered ankle but at least surgeons had been able to save her foot. It would be several weeks before she could walk unaided.

Tommy smiled tightly. It was not what he meant at all. He began to wonder if the psychologist had been right and that Barbara was not really in love with him, only the idea of him, and that they were really just friends.

Barbara looked out over a dramatic drop where jagged, grey rocks angled down sharply to the rolling green of the valley floor. The tops of the mountains were capped with white ice that reflected the sun. Trails of snow filled crevices and gullies amongst the tall fir trees. At the base, little brown houses were dotted on the lime green grass of the rolling hills that formed the valley floor. Smaller dots moved around. Barbara almost expected to hear Julie Andrews singing.

She squeezed his hand. "I wonder if those cows have bells?"

"Only the ones that are allowed to roam beyond the paddocks. It's so the farmer can find them."

She glanced over at her crutches. "If I didn't have those we could look around."

"We can when you're a little stronger."

"Yeah, I know, we're here to recuperate. I must admit after that hospital I just want somewhere where I can sleep in a soft bed without someone waking me up every ten minutes to take my blood pressure or check something."

He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the spot behind her ear that made her sigh. "A soft bed for two...but there are some things I might want to check out in the middle of the night."

Barbara sighed then gave him a gentle shove. "You heard the doctor. No vigorous exercise or over-excitement."

"He also said to take care of your every need. You do still want that, don't you?"

"You spoil me, Tommy." Barbara smiled lovingly at him. He was being attentive and considerate but was clearly worried that their relationship had slipped back to being partners and friends. Barbara had not been in the mood for much more nor had they had any opportunities in the hospital, but she had also been holding back, giving him the opportunity to leave if, as everyone kept telling her, that it was only circumstances that had led them to become lovers. Now as she watched the familiar curve of his lips and the way he held his head, nose slightly up as if it would protect him from the world, her resolve melted away. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. His intense brown eyes lit up in anticipation. She gave him a fiery kiss that she hoped assuaged his fears. She doubted it was possible to love him more than she did.

"Oh, Barbara!" Tommy was relieved that finally she was permitting more than a friendly kiss. His arms pulled her hard against him and his lips demanded surrender. When she let the kiss deepen he growled his approval.

He only stopped kissing her when the man he had hired to drive them from Lausanne Airport coughed for a second time. "Excuse me, Sir. I've put the bags in the room. Is there anything more?"

"No, thank you." Both of them had to concentrate on not breaking out in fits of laughter. It was good to feel light-hearted and in love.

Tommy walked the man out and gave him a generous tip. It had been worth hiring a driver so he could hold her hand as they sat in the back of the car. He had watched the anticipation on her face as she stared in awe across Lake Geneva at the French Alps and smiled at the picture-postcard golden vineyards that lined the Swiss shore. As the car had turned inland and traced the valley floor Barbara had twisted her head to look up at the snowcapped peaks. He was pleased he could give her that gift of wonderment and excitement.

"Switzerland is breathtaking," she said as he returned. She was still looking out over the valley. Her wide eyes and gentle smile set his heart racing anew.

"Like you."

"Hardly. In this rotten great cast and still covered in bruises."

"I can kiss them all better," he said as he stood behind her and began to kiss her neck. "We've barely been alone in the last three weeks."

"I know." She twisted in his arms. "I...I wanted you to be sure."

Tommy frowned and took a deep breath. "Me? What about you? Are you certain?"

Her smile calmed his fears. "I never doubted it."

He kissed her again. The thought of making love to her here, out in the open, had appeal. The traditional brown chalet was isolated and out of site of the village. He had chosen it for its privacy and the big, stone-lined fireplace that had a fire already lit. "Should we move inside?" he whispered.

"Mmm."

Tommy fetched her crutches and she limped through the door. Everything was timber. The interior was mostly beech, its soft blonde colouring giving the walls a modern timeless feel against the heavier, redder timber of the floor. Heavy beams of spruce dominated the ceiling, interwoven at odd angles to ensure the roof withstood the tonnes of snow that fell during winter.

The chalet was only small, its earlier rooms having been converted into one large, open-plan area. To the rear was a modern kitchen filled with stainless steel and black glass. A square dining room table separated it from the lounge room which was dominated by a contemporary white leather lounge. Barbara watched the small fire that crackled happily in the fireplace. A large, white rug of loose-sewn sheepskins sat in front of it. "You thought of everything."

"I had exacting specifications to meet," he said seductively as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"A soft bed?"

"Very," he said as he steered her towards the door.

The bedroom, next to the lounge room, was equally spectacular. The walls, floor, and ceilings were all wooden but the subtle colour differences meant it was not claustrophobic. A huge bed stood in front of high white leather panels. A thick, soft white duvet with six large, square fluffy pillows looked inviting. On one side, a small, half-height wall divided off a bathroom, replete with large spa bath and a separate rainforest shower in the corner framed by two floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

"People will see us showering!" she said in alarm.

Tommy liked the idea of 'us showering'. He would enjoy making love to her as they pressed up against the glass with the valley below them. He swallowed and tried to focus. "No, it's very private, no one will see us in there."

Barbara heard his emphasis and her face flushed. Yes, she would like to make love to him under the gentle, warm caress of the shower. She turned to explore further. The room had the same timber cross-paned glass doors but these opened onto a separate verandah that overlooked a small waterfall. Tommy had been right; the chalet was very private.

Tommy's arms encircled her again. This time, they gently pulled her shirt from her jeans and began to unbutton it. She put her hands over his to stop him. Desire and fear raged inside her. "Tommy, I'm scared."

"Of me?"

She turned to face him. "No! Of it not being the same. What if it's not...as intense?"

"It might be even better."

"It could never be better."

"Is that a challenge?" Tommy kissed her passionately. He understood her fears. They would take this very, very slowly.

Tommy had a huge grin on his face. Barbara was curled into his chest, exhausted. He pulled the duvet over them and held her. "Well?"

"You were right. You're very good at this."

"It wasn't just me if you remember! I think we are good at this."

"Always better together than apart."

It seems an odd way to describe it but Tommy kissed her hair and nuzzled into it to reassure her. She traced patterns on his chest. He could tell something was on her mind. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"What?"

"Whatever's bothering you Barbara."

"Do you think they'd have done it?"

"Sorry?"

"The terrorists. Do you think we stopped them?"

He hugged her tightly. "Yes. They would have attacked London and Manchester. You heard MI5; they were trying to make Britain stay in the EU."

"Yeah, but can we believe them? All that stuff about being afraid of the US because it is politically unstable and needing to stand united with Europe. That's scary stuff."

"It's becoming a scary world Barbara but we stopped them. We are safe. You are safe."

Barbara pulled from his arms. "No, I'm not. I killed someone Tommy. I don't deserve to suddenly have all this. I don't deserve to have you."

"Barbara, you saved thousands of innocent lives. It was self-defence. If you hadn't shot him, he would have found and shot you. It's simple. I know it's natural to feel guilty but try to put it in context. Don't let misplaced guilt eat away at you, at us."

"But…you'd already let the authorities know. It wouldn't have mattered if I had been killed."

Tommy sat up beside her. He lifted her chin so she was looking at him. "Of course, it would. It would have mattered to me! I'd die to protect you, Barbara. I killed someone to protect you and I'd do it again without hesitation. Your life matters more to me than anything. Don't you understand how much I love you?"

"It's scary Tommy."

"What? Being loved?"

"Feeling happy. I'm not used to it and it scares me because it can't last."

Tommy held her and stroked her head. "Why not? That's up to us, no one else. If we want it to last, it can; it will."

"Life intervenes. We'll argue. I'll frustrate you. You'll anger me. Eventually, those things will chip away until we don't even like each other anymore."

"We can never not like each other. We will fight, I'm sure but then there's always the good bit." He tried to kiss her.

"I'm serious Tommy."

"So am I. Barbara, I intend to marry you and spend my life with you. All of you; the annoying bits as well as your virtues. No marriage is perfect but we can make one perfect for us."

"Hillier told me you intended to propose."

"Hillier? What did he say?"

"That as well as saving London it seemed the mine had finally made us see what had been in front of our faces for years. He seemed happy for us."

"I told him that first night at the hospital. He sat with me while you were in the operating theatre. He gave me some good advice. He said never to try to change you and never try to change for you."

"He offered to give me away."

"Did he really? So will you accept?"

"Was that it? Was that your proposal?"

"No. Call it a statement of intent. I have a vision of a fire, a sheepskin rug, a game of Solitaire…"

"Solitaire?"

He kissed her lightly on her shoulder and traced kisses up to her neck. Her hand gripped his thigh as he nibbled on her earlobe as they fell back on the bed. "Oh, not one with cards…"

A/N: As they recover in Switzerland, I will take a little break to wander through the wilds of Tasmania.