Chapter 10

On Monday morning Tommy was in the office quite early. He had slept well and now he talked with Winston about the arrest and questioning and was also convincing Winston that Barbara was okay. Taking the report to check it Tommy went to his office telling Winston that he should send Barbara to him when she came in.

Barbara was also quite relaxed when she entered the office. She went to her desk and getting a coffee she talked to Winston who could see now that she was okay.

He sighed: "I´m so glad that you are okay, Barbara! Hope the DI took good care of you."

Barbara smiled: "He did! Friday was really bad I felt sick from the medication but then it got better. Only have to go for a check-up on Friday and then it should all be fine again."

"Good to know. Oh, nearly forgot, the DI wants to see you in his office. Guess he also wants check that you are okay," Winston answered totally clueless.

"Okay, better be off right away then," with that Barbara went over to Tommy´s office pleased with herself that she had been so normal with Winston when she felt the whole time the butterflies in her stomach on the prospect of seeing Tommy soon.

"Good morning, Sir!" she went in and closed the door.

As soon as the door was closed Tommy got up and came around his desk taking her in his arms and gave her a light kiss: "Good morning, Barbara! Hope you had a good night."

Returning hug and kiss Barbara smiled up at him: "Thanks I did. Hope you too. I got woken up with this wonderful piece of music. Thanks again for sending it yesterday."

Tommy gave her his special smile happy that she enjoyed his piano playing so much.

After a few more moments of just enjoying each other´s embrace they parted knowing that the office wasn´t the best place….

They made it through the day without given the change in their relationship away to anyone. Hillier and Winston didn´t noticed anything when they were all together talking about the now closed case.

So after an uneventful day with getting the finishing touches of the paperwork done Tommy invited Winston, Barbara and Lafferty for a drink to celebrate the arrest. They went to a nearby pub and enjoyed a pint or two together.

As it wasn´t unusual that Tommy and Barbara would sit on and talk for a bit longer than the others Winston and Lafferty left together after an hour.

Winston had promised his mother to go grocery shopping with her and Lafferty wanted to drive home to Cordia when he noticed that he had left his helmet in the pub.

He went back to the coat rack of the pub fetching his helmet. He just wanted to go out again when he looked in the direction where Barbara and Tommy were still sitting. Had it been a trick of his eye or had Tommy taken Barbara´s hand in his hand and caressed it with his thumb? He looked again but couldn´t see their hands now and they were just talking as they always did. Perhaps he had just imagined it. So he went out to drive home thinking that he would call Sam and see if he knew more.

In the pub Tommy and Barbara hadn´t noticed Stuarts return. Tommy took Barbara´s hand in his stroking it carefully with his thumb and then guided their joined hands under the table as it was always possible that other police officers would be in the pub as it was quite near the station.

"How about a change of location?" Tommy asked. "Too much chance of being seen here!" He smiled at Barbara and got her special smile back: "Good idea, we did so well not giving it away during the day. So your place or mine, to coin a phrase."

Tommy took the last sip of his drink and got up. Smiling at Barbara he said: "Mine seeing that you left your stuff already there."

Barbara also got up and leaving the pub they went down the street to Tommy´s car. It was really good that it wasn´t unusual that they would leave work together or also arrive there together as they did that most of the times during cases.

"How about some take-a-way for dinner?" Tommy asked once in the car. They agreed on Indian and getting it on the way they made themselves comfortable in the living room enjoying to watch a bit of TV while eating it.

It was fascinating how fast they fell in a rhythm together. It felt so normal to snuggle up in Tommy´s arms after eating it frightened Barbara a bit. Feeling her tense Tommy put his arms around her shoulder and gave her a light kiss on the head: "What is it, Kara? Something´s wrong?"

Barbara sighed being surprised how fast he had sensed her change in her feelings: "No, not really. It´s just that it all feels so good and easy and totally normal and somehow that frightens me a bit. I know it´s not making any sense at all but that´s how I feel."

Tommy thought about his answer knowing he needed to say the right words now: "I don´t think it is frightening, I think it shows that it is right, that it is how it should be. We both deserve to be happy as any other people."

He took her on his lap and cuddled her nearer to him feeling her relaxing against his chest. Barbara sighed slightly and hoping he was right she closed her eyes enjoying being so near to him.

They woke up an hour later deciding it would be better to go to bed now. Tommy got up taking Barbara up with him in his arms. "Hey, what are you doing, set me down, I can walk on my own," Barbara put in half-hearted and sleepily.

Tommy smiled down to her: "No. This is something I wanted to do forever and never had the opportunity: To carry my love to my bed." With that he kissed her before he went up the stairs with her…

The next day at work went on without any new cases and they got on with their stacks of waiting paperwork. In the afternoon Tommy was ordered to Hillier and as it looked like it would be a longer talk Barbara went already home, she already thought of Tommy´s place as home she noticed quite amazed.

First she went to her place to collect a few more things, then she did some grocery shopping and stopped at Sam´s shop for a tea and a talk. She wanted to tell him which song she had in mind for Tommy so that he could see if he could already play it or if he needed the notes.

Then she went to Tommy´s place happy that he was still not there as she wanted to surprise him with dinner. She wasn´t the best cook but despite all talk she was able to cook.

So when Tommy got home at half past eight he smelled something nice from the kitchen. He went in seeing Barbara preparing a salad and something was cooking in the oven.

"You cook!?" was all he could say looking totally stunned at her. Smiling Barbara answered: "Only because I normally don´t do it means that I cannot do it. It´s just that I normally don´t take the effort to cook for me alone, no sense in it and too time consuming."

Still shaking his head in disbelieve Tommy went to the wine rack: "If you let me know what it is I can choose the wine?"

"It´s lasagne and a fresh salad, was the answer as Barbara started setting the table.

Tommy fetched a nice red wine to go with the dinner and sat down while Barbara got the lasagne out of the oven.

It looked really nice and tasted delicious. "You are really full of surprises, Barbara," Tommy said enjoying the little blushing on her face. "Yeah, as said, I don´t like to do it for only me alone and also your kitchen has the advantage of a dishwasher," she said happy that he liked it.

Again they shared a wonderful relaxing evening together. Tommy told Barbara about his talk with Hillier. He had to attend a seminar the next two days. It was about new technics in securing evidence. Hillier wanted to know if it would be worth to send more colleagues there but the colleague who should have been his first guinea pig called in ill today. Tommy was his second choice.

"I am not very happy about it, not seeing you during the day but luckily it is at least in London and not God knows where. So I am home in the evenings," he said when they settled down in the living room with their wine.

"I guess we have to get used to it, if this works out, it will be normal I guess," Barbara answered not really convinced she liked it either.

The next two days went on as the Tuesday had only that Tommy wasn´t in the office. Barbara and Winston got a lot of the hated paperwork done which pleased Hillier enormously.

It was late Thursday afternoon already when Tommy reported to Hillier about the seminar which had been surprisingly interesting and knowing that Barbara was already gone he went home.

Coming near the house he noticed that there wasn´t any lights on. It had been so normal the last few days that Barbara had always been there that he now was confused and felt a bit of fear coming up. He opened the door and went in. On the kitchen table he found a note from her:

Hi Tommy,

It´s Thursday and as usual I meet up with Sam and some other friends in the evening. You wanted to know what we are doing. As you are a good detective you will find out where we are and then you will see.

Love and hugs,

Barbara

A/N: Sorry for the long delay but with being on holiday and also having a little struggle with how to go on it just took the time it took. Thanks for all the reassuring comments and patience with me so far.