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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Author's notes: Someone forced me to post something. So I've written down this idea. Very quickly. It's a short one shot with the hint of another chapter lurking in the back of my brain *winks*

Summary: The ground floor of a hospital. Just some moments in the middle of a case. Enjoy...

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The Slow Lift

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"And then, the nurse said, he just went out of the room." she explained what she just had learned from said nurse, who was cared for in one of the treatment rooms after her statement. "And she just was able to sit there and watch him leaving."

He groaned in annoyance.

DS Barbara Havers and DI Tommy Lynley had wanted to pay a visit to the injured witness of a crime. They already had suspected that there was more to this man but they just could not name it. He had acted a tad too nervous. And now that suspect, guarded for his own safety but confined to his bed anyway by nasty wounds at his leg and hip, was able to escape. He had briefly paralysed the nurse somehow, tied her to a chair and gagged her, put on a white coat and, obviously a doctor being busy with a clipboard, went past the guard unstopped. Now the nurse was a bit dizzy and in shock but otherwise unharmed.

"Stupid officer! I'm going to take him to task later." the DI grumbled. "First we have to get Miller back into his bed."

"And tie him up this time."

They stood in a ground floor corridor of the hospital near the A&E and had to find a loose end to pick at and start finding their suspect. Looking up and down the corridor Lynley raked a hand through his hair. It made his Sergeant smile. She loved that habit of his. Her hands were stuffed into the pockets of her coat though. She did not give in to help him ruffling his hairdo.

"We should start at the beginning, Sir." Barbara said. "It has happened on the rooftop platform. Miller said he saw someone arguing with the victim. Given that he did not lie to us. Then he had watched the beautiful view of the city roofs and when he looked again they were fighting and the other man pushed the woman over the railing."

"Lafferty said that the cause of death wasn't the plunge of two metres but there was a little injection wound at her wrist. Together with some scratches. He's still checking the tox results." Lynley pursed his lips in annoyance.

"Is SOCO still up there?"

"No, they're gone."

"Did they find a syringe?"

Rumbling and fast feet were heard.

"Step aside!" someone calls out to them. "We're pregnant!"

An unusually happy emergency doctor was pushing a bed on wheels towards them. A very pregnant, very loudly groaning woman was in it, a very flustered father accompanied them and two other busy people in white.

Barbara was the first to react because she had seen them coming out of the corner of her eye. Putting her flat hand onto his chest she pushed Lynley backwards between the doorframe to a room. She quickly withdrew her hand but to give the urgent transport all the space they needed she got as close to Tommy's chest as she could without pressing him against the door. The well known scent of her boss tickled her nostrils and she was tempted to make another step forward.

"Unfortunately not." Apparently unfazed by the commotion Lynley said looking down to her. He was surprised. It was not the doctors and the woman in her bed but Barbara's quite intimate gesture came a bit out of the blue.

Their eyes were locked immediately and his deep looks gave Barbara the shivers. Still she answered as if their conversation had not been interrupted. "Then it's still there. I guess."

Tommy's face widened into a smile. He had recognised the little quiver in her voice and the brief narrowing of her eyes.

The pregnant woman in her bed had passed them quickly and suddenly the door handle behind Tommy's back went down. To get out of the way of whoever would come out there he moved forward. Barbara now had to step backwards.

"Miller might have seen it." He continued their conversation.

Barbara was surprised that Tommy still moved on across the corridor. Nonetheless she took up his mind game. "And is involved and knows what was in it." Her voice was a bit shaky and she hoped he would not get the idea that she was nervous because of his proximity. They were way out of reach of the door on the other side.

"I don't believe that SOCO would have left it for him."

"He doesn't know that we have checked the rooftop." Barbara's back hit the wall. Her mind was playing tricks on her so she covered up a moan with a brief cough.

Only now Tommy stopped moving forward. He looked down to her with his fond smile and the soft expression in his eyes. "So I guess we have to get up there to find him."

"Or the syringe."

Tommy's hand went to her elbow as if he was about to guide her to the lifts but neither of them made a move to leave. He even dared to get another bis closer. Barbara's knees went weak when he slightly bent down to her. With a conspiratorial voice he suggested to have a coffee. "There's that little refreshment stall on the platform."

"Yes." She snorted a short nervous laugh and raised her chin, half rebellious, half as if she was expecting a kiss. "And it's closed of course. Everything up there is cordoned off."

It would be the easiest thing to just close the last inches between them, Tommy realised. His eyes darted to her lips and back to her eyes again which looked greener than ever. "What a pity." he hoarsely muttered. "Will we have a cuppa after work?"

"There's a new coffee bar at the end of... what's that street?" Barbara quietly suggested. How she managed to get her hands out of the pockets of her coat was a miracle she did not even try to decipher. Now she let them hover in the air as if she was going to grab his waist. "Where The Old Maiden was." She blushed a bit. "You know, the quirky pub."

Suddenly there was silence. It was as if the hospital had switched off every life saving machine and every air condition. No beeping sounds were heard and no puffs of artificial lungs. The speakers were silent and every rustling white coat has vanished. There were no more moans or cries, no muffled conversations, no telephones ringing, no doors slamming, no wheelies squeaking, no urgent calls and no sirens.

It was a sphere of calmness around them as if they were absolutely alone in the huge building. It was just the two of them standing close to each other. Palpable warmth was radiating between them. Her back was touching against the wall and she looked up to Tommy, saw his dilating pupils which turned his brown orbs almost black. He was slightly bent forward and looked down to Barbara, saw the pleased surprise in the green sparkling depth of her eyes.

Barbara saw his chest heaving steadily. His face was so close to hers now so she could feel a hint of his breath on her skin. Her mind was running on overdrive but there were no coherent thoughts. And nothing about their crime at all. Just the man in front of her. Involuntarily she opened her lips.

Involuntarily Tommy swallowed. He still was holding her elbow but he did not know that he was gently stroking her arm. In fact he did not know what he was doing here at all and why he was not simply closing the gap between them. Something which was overdue to his liking. Something Barbara apparently was not objecting to. At least if he was reading the signs correctly. "Yes, let's go there... later."

A long second stretched with them silently looking into each other's eyes. Hers were slowly widening. His were still getting darker.

"Someone's seen 'im runnin' up the stairs!" DC Nkata's voice was heard from the end of the corridor. Barbara exhaled the breath she had been holding. "I'll take the fast lift. Get goin'!"

"Yes! We're on our way, Winston." Lynley answered loudly without looking away from Barbara's longing gaze. Addressed to Barbara his voice became quieter. "Let's take the slow lift, Barbara."

"Okay." Barbara croaked. Her voice was gone. She had seen desire burning in Tommy's eyes and it was pleasantly confusing.

She withdrew her hands to herself and together they turned towards the row of lifts. Tommy let his hand slide down from her elbow. He gently touched the small of her back when he made her lead the way. Barbara felt it burning in her back in the most wonderful way. The indecent thoughts that were still running through her mind made her blush.

She could not see that his hand was trembling slightly. For the fragment of a moment he almost had forgotten himself and now he was angry with himself that he had not given in.

"The slow one will bring us there, too." he murmured behind her.

"Mhmm." she answered quietly without turning backwards.

But Tommy clearly could see the deep rosy touch that was creeping all the way across Barbara's neck. It made him keep that certain smile on his face.

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