Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, I’m just borrowing things for a while and I promise I’ll put everything back exactly how I found it when I’ve finished. Well, almost exactly how I found it. ;)

Rating: K+ (PG). Friendship, subtext, romance.Content: Lynley/ Havers.Spoilers: Up to and including Season 2, Episode 1, ‘Playing For The Ashes’.

Notes: This is an alternate ending to the episode above, starting just after Lynley asks Havers if she’d like to get a drink. I can’t help it; up until Season 5, I never liked Helen, so this is what I would’ve liked to see happen instead!

ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM

Havers stopped outside in the corridor, the birthday gift gripped tightly in one hand. While she wanted nothing more than to go out with Lynley, she had promised to go to Hadiyyah’s birthday party. Havers then hit her head against the wall. She was so stupid sometimes; the answer was simple! It was so simple and it was staring her in the face. She turned and walked back into the incident room, hoping to catch Lynley before he disappeared for the night.

“Sir!” Havers called as she saw him heading towards his office.

He turned and the smile he gave her made her heart flutter. “Havers. Changed your mind?”

“Not exactly, sir,” she replied, smiling back.

His face fell a little. “Forgotten something?”

“Well, it’s about that drink you just offered me.”

Hope flared in Lynley’s chest. Helen was nice enough, and everything he thought he wanted, but Havers was…he didn’t know how to describe it. There was just something about her that captivated him.

“What about it?” Lynley said.

Havers rolled her eyes. He never made things easy for her. “I promised I’d go to this birthday party, sir, but I want to have a drink with you. So why don’t you come with me.”

“No, I wouldn’t want to intrude. Thank you, though.”

“You wouldn’t be intruding, you’d be my guest,” Havers replied, before smiling and adding, “She already thinks you’re my boyfriend.”

Lynley’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

Havers blushed and shook her head. “Don’t worry, sir, I told her you weren’t.”

Many replies and retorts ran through Lynley’s head, but he chose not to utter any of them. Instead, he just smiled and said, “Well, thank you for the offer, Havers. I might just take you up on it. Let me get my coat.”

Havers looked taken aback at her boss’s sudden change of heart. “Oh, right, sir.”

Lynley stopped and looked over his shoulder. “That’s if the offer still stands?”

“Of course, sir.”

“Good.” He reappeared a few moments later, pulling his coat on. “Shall we?”

Havers smiled and left the room, Lynley close behind her, his hand hovering over her lower back. Neither of them noticed Helen stood further down the corridor, but she saw them. She saw the way Lynley leant in to say something to Havers, and Havers laughed and hit his arm lightly. Helen thought their barely concealed flirting should have hurt more, but it didn’t. To her, it just confirmed what she already knew; she and Lynley were not right for each other.

ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM

“Let’s use my car, Havers.”

Havers looked at Lynley and frowned. “Sir?”

“Well I promised you a drink, and you can’t drink and drive.”

Havers rolled her eyes and smiled. “In case you’ve forgotten, sir, I won’t be driving anywhere after I’ve got home. I only live downstairs.”

Lynley just blinked. “In which case you can take your car and I’ll follow. How’s that?”

“Great idea, sir. Why didn’t I think of that?” Havers muttered sarcastically while she opened her car door and got in. Then a thought hit her and she stuck her head out of the window. “If you drive, sir, you can’t drink, unless you want to crash on my sofa!”

Havers was about to set off when the passenger door opened and Lynley got in. “Good point, Sergeant. Shall we go, then?”

“It’s not a very comfy sofa.”

“I don’t mind. Unless you don’t want me to stay,” Lynley said to her.

Havers decided saying the first thing that came into her head wasn’t a good idea. “I wouldn’t have offered if I minded, sir,” she replied. “I was just saying.”

Lynley smiled. “Do we need to stop somewhere so I can buy a present?” he asked as the car started moving.

“No, sir, we can just say that mine is off both of us.”

“Wouldn’t that strengthen…what’s the young lady’s name?”

“Hadiyyah,” Havers replied.

“Right. Wouldn’t that just strengthen Hadiyyah’s thought that we are, in fact, dating?” Lynley asked.

Havers struggled to keep a straight face. “Would it, sir?”

Lynley caught the twitch of her lips and decided to play along. “Well, if it doesn’t bother you, it doesn’t bother me.”

“Good,” Havers said, nodding.

ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM

“Barbara!” Hadiyyah exclaimed, and threw her arms around Havers.

Havers smiled. “Happy birthday,” she said, handing the girl her present.

“Thank you!”

“Erm, I hope you don’t mind, but I brought a, er, date.” Havers gestured to Lynley, who was stood to one side looking a little out of place.

Hadiyyah beamed. “I don’t mind. He’s quite handsome, isn’t he,” she stated. “Too old for me, of course, but for you….”

“Why don’t you go and open your present with your dad?” Havers said quickly, well aware that Lynley would have heard what was being said. ‘Ears like a sewer rat, that one, at times,’ Havers thought with a wry smile.

Sure enough, he appeared at her side. “Problem?”

“No, sir.”

Lynley looked at her. “Havers…Barbara, I think it would be best if you called me Tommy. After all, this is a birthday party and we’re not at work.”

Havers hesitated. “Alright, si- Tommy. I’ll try.”

“Good,” he said, smiling. “Shall we find something to drink?”

“Nothing alcoholic, I’m afraid,” Havers replied.

“That’s alright.” He looked at her again. “Is your stash well stocked?”

Havers just grinned at him.

ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM-ILM

“Well, that was…fun,” Lynley stated diplomatically as he dropped unceremoniously onto Havers’ couch.

“It was hell, sir,” Havers retorted, flopping next to him. “Especially pin the tail on the sodding donkey.”

Lynley laughed. “Okay, so it was marginally unbearable.”

Havers rolled her eyes. “Do you have to use long words all the time?”

“I don’t have to, no,” he replied, the mischievous glint in his eyes missed by Havers. “I just like to. I know how much it pisses you off.”

Havers made an indignant noise before hitting his arm. “Do you want a drink or not?”

“Well, yes, please, that would be lovely, Barbara.”

She huffed as she got up. “I swear, sir, sometimes you are totally insufferable.”

“You don’t have to go back to calling me ‘sir’ unless you want to, Barbara,” Lynley called.

“I’ve only got beer in, I’m afraid,” Havers said in reply.

Lynley smiled slightly. “That’s fine.”

“Would you like a glass?”

“Why, is that an option?”

Havers walked back in the room with two bottles. “Just for that, you can drink from that.” She handed him one. “Sir.”

But Lynley just accepted the bottle and flashed her a rare, genuine grin. “Cheers.”

Havers laughed and shook her head. “Cheers.” She took a drink. “So you want some music on or something?”

Lynley twisted on the couch to look at her. “No, I’m alright, thanks. Unless you want to,” he added.

“I asked you first.”

He grinned again. “No, thanks. I’d rather just listen to you.” ‘Damn, I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud.’

Havers just laughed again. “I’m not singing, Tommy.”

“Then talk.”

“About?”

“Whatever you like.”

Havers studied him for a moment. “Do you really want me to talk?”

Lynley sat up a little straighter. “What do you mean?”

Havers suddenly became nervous. “Well, I - I just - well - never mind, sir.”

Lynley set his drink on the table and carefully took her bottle as well. He then took one of hands in his, and brushed hair from her face with the other. “It’s okay, Barbara. It’s only me.”

She smiled somewhat ruefully. “But that’s the problem, isn’t it?”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but this is what I really wanted to do.” He leant forward and kissed her gently.

When Lynley pulled back, Havers stared at him. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I understood properly. Could you repeat that?” He stared back, then kissed her again. Havers shook her head. “I’m sorry, Tommy, I’m just not getting it. I think you need to be very specific.”

This time Lynley grinned. “Your sofa isn’t comfortable enough for that, apparently.”

Havers blushed but recovered quickly. “In that case, I’d better show you the bedroom, hadn’t I?”

Lynley smiled at her. “What an excellent idea.” He stood and extended his hand, his smile growing when she took it. ‘Sometimes things just have a habit of working out on their own,’ he thought as he was led out of the living room.

FIN