Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters nor the original Inspector Lynley Mysteries – they belong to Elizabeth George and the BBC. I have borrowed the characters from the TV-Show and only own the ideas of my stories.

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A/N and Summary: Well, here we are, the day has come. A day well planned and eagerly awaited. There is no need to keep you in suspense about that because we all know where this story was headed to. Well, not initially when I've written "Merry Christmas", my second story ever... But now Barbara and Tommy finally tie the knot. This is the last episode of the Emerald Series, Part2. Enjoy...

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Emerald Bond

Wedding Day

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Nicky had made it in time to be there when Barbara arrived. It was a great hello with her old friend but of course it did not last long because at least the bride was going to have a full schedule the other day.

And what a day it was. It already started with the forecast sunshine and the most convenient temperatures for a wedding day: not too hot and not too cold.

Their full schedule did not start until 9 am but that did not keep the separated couple from getting up early. After a short phone call with each other they both went to have a quick breakfast; Tommy in his house in Belgravia and Barbara downstairs in the breakfast room of her hotel. Afterwards Tommy went to get his suit from the tailor because several changes had only been finished in the very last minute.

And Barbara had the nerves to put on her running shoes and go running in the nearby park.

Eventually her mobile buzzed. It was Letty, quite exasperated. She told the bride to come back right now or the cavalry would be sent to get her. "Or I'll set half of the uniformed police officers of London in gear to get your ass back to the hotel. The hair-dresser is here in half an hour. You lunatic!""

"Don't shout at me, Letty, I'm already here." Barbara stepped up next to her friend with a grin. "I'm just having a shower and-"

"Oh, bloody hell, I can't stand this for more than one day." Letty rolled her eyes. "You're as cool as a cucumber, Babba."

"Quite the opposite, Letty, really. I'm almost dying. My nerves are burning and just to prevent me from thinking too much I simply have to keep myself busy."

"Then hush, keep yourself busy with more serious things!"

With that Letty ushered Barbara upstairs where, in her room, the dress was laid out on her bed. Pan-Yong had arrived with it yesterday. Barbara swallowed down a nervous lump in her throat. Today was the day. It finally and actually was going to happen. DS Barbara Havers was going to marry DCI Lynley. She was going to become his countess today. This was weird. Barbara furrowed her forehead in disbelief.

"Under the shower! Now!" Letty ordered, thus preventing her from thinking too much about it.

While she showered Yazza and her husband checked in with their baby Trevor and while the hair-dresser cared for Barbara's hairdo Judith and Liam arrived. The hotel already had started to buzz with activity a few hours ago and now it slowly filled with the first guests who would stay here.

In the house in Belgravia it definitely was quieter. Tommy was only accompanied by Simon St James, his best friend, best man and witness for the wedding. Simon made sure that the nervous wreck Tommy was would have everything done in time. He was there to escort the groom to Westminster City Hall.

Simon snickered. "I can't remember you being so nervous last time."

For a brief moment Tommy stopped fidgeting with his cufflinks. He looked pensively at his friend for another moment before he returned his eyes to his own reflection in the mirror. Then he simply stated. "Last time it wasn't Barbara."

Simon understood.

There was only one man standing at the big side entrance to Westminster City Hall on this Thursday afternoon and it was clear that this man was going to marry today. He wore bluish grey trousers with elegant darker stripes, a white shirt covered by a blue waistcoat, accentuated by a dark blue tie, all wrapped under a dark grey frock-coat. At its lapel there was a flower corsage made of a small thistle and a white rose, surrounded by some green leaves and held together with a blue ribbon. As he already had announced during their plannings he did not wear a hat.

That man there looked quite nervous. Oh, and Tommy really was nervous.

"Let's get inside, Tommy." Simon was in similarly fine garments but with a smaller flower corsage. "You'll greet your guests in front of the wedding room. And you have to see the registrar first, to confirm the details."

One by one the guests arrived. At first Cedric Dorincourt came. He was one of Tommy's two best friends from his time in Eton and served today as one of his groomsmen. He waited with Tommy and Simon outside of the wedding room after Tommy had had the first meeting with the registrar. Then his mother came.

She was accompanied by Judith's partner Liam and Martin Thackerton who managed to keep her from fussing over her son's appearance which in fact had not one single lint on it. Winking at the groom, Martin shooed her inside. "For heaven's sake, get in there, Daze."

Right behind them Peter and Emily rushed up the stairs.

"Gosh, Peter, behave yourself." Tommy scolded him. Emily had pulled Peter close to give him a juicy kiss before she left him to wait with his brother. "Why did you take the stairs?"

Peter only grinned. "You wouldn't want to know it."

Tommy rolled his eyes and left it at that.

He knew that Barbara's bridesmaids would arrive together with his bride, and do so in the very last moment as he supposed, but three of his groomsmen were here at his side already and that was good.

Deborah also came but did not wait with her husband. Giving Simon a slightly indecent look and a wink when she walked past him, she went to join Daze and helped calm the poor mother's nerves.

Curt, Yazza's husband, almost had confused the floors and suddenly appeared from behind. "Sorry, I'm late. Had to swaddle Trevor while Yazza's getting dressed, and then-"

"It's okay. Everything's fine." Tommy told him and looked at his watch. "When will they come?"

"Yazza swore to get them all here on time. I'm sure she'll keep to her oath."

Nichelle, Winston's girlfriend arrived together with Stuart Lafferty and his wife Andrea. It was a rare occasion to have the pathologist only mutter nice words about Tommy's appearance instead of giving some cheeky sayings before he entered the ceremony room.

"I wonder where Winston is." Tommy murmured with another glance at his watch. "I just hope they haven't called him in today."

"Called him in?" Curt asked.

"At the Met." Tommy explained. "He's a colleague."

"Oh, good heavens. I hope they won't do that to him today."

When Simon looked at his watch Tommy did the same - again. It was 21 minutes after two PM. All guests for the ceremony already were in the wedding room. His groomsmen, all in similar clothes with a small flower corsage made of a tiny thistle, a small rose and some green leaves at their lapels, stood here with him in front of the double door. What was missing was the bride, together with her bridesmaids and of course Winston. But really - and that in fact was the main problem - where the heck was the bride?

"She's not backing off in the last moment, is she?" Tommy had turned horribly nervous by now.

"I'm sure she isn't." Simon patted his arm, trying to calm his friend's nerves. "Come now. You'll have to wait for her inside."

"No!" Tommy objected. "We've arranged to walk in together. I can't go in now."

"Yes, you can." Something in Simon's firm voice made Tommy turn his head in surprise. "There's nothing wrong. Believe me."

The way his best man winked confused Tommy even more. He wrinkled his forehead. "I don't like a change of plans."

"You will like this one."

"Sure?"

Simon nodded firmly. "Yes."

"Am I supposed to wait at the alt... umm, at the desk?"

Simon nodded again.

"Does Barbara know she has to-"

"Yes, she knows. Now go in there, for goodness sake!" Simon knew the schedule and they were still on time. As long as Tommy would finally get into that wedding room.

Almost in the last moment possible, before the couple had sent their final notes to the register office, Tommy and Barbara had decided to make it a bit pompous. Their new plan had been that all guests should be seated before the witnesses and bridesmaids and groomsmen and finally, with the Wedding March, the bridal couple would enter. Their wedding would not be pompous but it should be a remarkable event nonetheless.

But Barbara obviously had made slightly different plans in the ultimately last second. And in secret. With Simon being so confident, Tommy decided to look forward to it.

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A/N: Unfortunately, during more research, I realised that I have made a mistake earlier. Actually you can't have your wedding ceremony in the Westminster City Hall. Or not anymore, I don't know. There are only two venues for ceremonies only (but they're too far away) and the others are fancy hotels and such, and Barbara and I already have excluded those ;-) So I simply decided to stretch the artistic licence and kept my idea to let them have their ceremony in Westminster City Hall. It also fits to the lovely old pub nearby, the umm... *coughs* Saxon...