A/N Sorry this is late everyone, I try to get something out weekly, but sometimes fics just get long and I don't have them done in time. (for those interested, the fic in question is a Waterworld (as in the Kevin Costner variety) au ;)) Anywho. Here is my third attempt at writing Jean and my second at writing Blake/Jean. Still not sure how I did, but hey: Practice makes perfect, right? Enjoy, and leave a review if you liked it.

Up until 1962, Jean Blake didn't think that there was a year she could hate more then the year her husband died. Turns out she was wrong about that. The train platform is old and the walls are chipped but the lady behind the counter is chipper and the floors are clean. She'd never get used to these small towns, they weren't like the farm of Ballarat or Melbourne, they were always decrepit, but tidy as people tried to apply love to jobs only money could fix.

The year was 1966, and Jean was apprehensive at best. While she and Lucien had tried to make the best of life in Ballarat, there was no denying that the house felt empty without the boys. She sighed quietly to herself as she assisted her daughter off the train and onto the platform. Lucien went to collect the luggage as she took the child to sit.
"Ma?"
"Yes Daisy?"
"Do you think Uncle Danny remembers me?"
"I'm sure he does." She assured the girl, smoothing out her pink coat with one hand Daisy remains unconvinced. "Listen, sweetheart, when we're at the house please be on your best behavior." Daisy nodded and smiled a smile her milk teeth gleaming white.

Lucien had their bags, larger ones for him and her and a smaller one for their daughter. Daisy proudly took a hold of her bag and followed after Lucien and Jean to the taxi rank.

Danny Parks lived at 34 Cook Rd, which from Jean can take away was probably named for the Cook of the James variety. It's a normal enough road, with a few residential houses scattered along it. Thirty Four is close to the end of the cul – de – sack she finds the place rather charming. In Danny's letters he'd described the house as old but functional. He was correct. As was the standard in old houses in little towns, the outside paint was peeling, and the pathway had cracks but the grass was mowed and the flowers out the front were very well maintained, perhaps rivaling Jean's own.

As they walked up the path, Daisy had to jump over each crack as is the way of four year olds and their superstitions. Her own mother is long dead and even when she was alive was far more interested in her sherry then she was with her grandchildren. Certainly she would have frowned upon Jean having another daughter so late in her life but that was the way of it. She didn't have any regrets about Daisy. She'd always wanted a daughter of her own but had been blessed with only boys. She was a splitting image of her father. Big blue eyes, blonde hair that had grown out into curls, and already taking an interest in the dead. Which was really Lucien's fault for talking about cases in front of the baby she supposed. But she digressed. She loved her daughter dearly and couldn't think of a better father for her.

Lucien knocked twice while Jean gave one last ditch attempt to smooth Daisy's uncontrollable hair. Charlie Davis opened the door. He looks like he always did, tall, handsome, hair parted on the left and eyes of bluest blue. He's carrying a whippet under one of his arms. He regards Lucien coldly but coughs up at least half a smile for Jean. He let them all into the house and then made his way down the hallway, putting the dog down.

"Danny! Your aunt is here!" He yelled up the stairs and clicked his fingers sharply. The dog responded by giving a little woof and trotting next to him while he made his way to the living room. There were a number of casualties regarding the incident in sixty two, but Charlie's fondness for Lucien was the one Jean considered the worst. That being said if someone accused her of corruption and murder she too would be hesitant to accept the olive branch. She is well aware that she's the only person in Ballarat that Charlie was on speaking terms with. He doesn't even speak with Rose anymore, who he had been engaged too, after she published her article about the incident heavily implying he was guilty. She'd plead with him to forgive her after he was cleared, she'd been down here six times to try and mend fences but Charlie wanted nothing to do with her. When Daisy turned three, they invited the both of them to Ballarat to the party and only Danny had come. It was hard to forget the disappointment in Lucien's eyes. Daisy toddled as fast a she could to Charlie, who lifted his dog just before she could grab its tail.

Danny followed after Charlie, who has taken up in an arm chair with the dog on his lap (presumably to stop Daisy playing with him.) with the lady of the hour. Sitting on his left hip was his adopted daughter, Josephine. Josephine, or Jose to her friends was her first grandniece and one of the cutest children she'd ever seen. She had dark hair and eyebrows, with big green eyes that seemed to be taking them all in stride. She was dressed in a brown pinafore dress over a yellow shirt and sucking on her left hand. In her hair was the bow headband Jean had sent for her adoption gift.

"Hi Aunty Jean!" He said, "Doc!" Danny, like Charlie, had been caught up in the incident of sixty two almost identically, but he had taken steps to forgiving, unlike Charlie. "This is Jose." He said. Jean lept to her feet, wanting to see the baby. She took the child into her arms and beamed at him.
"She's so beautiful, Danny." She gushed, as Danny kissed her cheek. She carried Jose to Lucien so he could have a look as well. Like her, Lucien was besottled with the child, grinning uncontrollably.
"I couldn't agree more." Lucien agreed, and let the child take hold of his hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Danny give Charlie a meaningful look. As per usual, Charlie rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the dog, who Daisy was still trying to play with.

"Daisy! Come meet your cousin!" Daisy got to her feet and headed her mother's call.
"Aw she's cute." She said, though it was a bit of a token statement.
"So you're little Daisy." Danny said, taking her attention. "Last time I saw you, you were only this tall." He said, holding his hand a few feet off the ground. Daisy stuck her tongue out at him. He chuckled good naturedly and swept her up into his arms.
"I kept the drawing you made me, it's on the fridge." Danny said, taking her out of the room. Jean was not concerned about this. Danny, though not hers by blood, was hers in spirit and she loved to see him taking an interest in family life, though she would have probably liked him to take a wife before he took on a child.

"Remember when Daisy was this small?" She asked, with a smile.
"I do. She cried all the time." Lucien said, laughing as Jose tried shake his hand with as much force as a small child can. Which was to say not much. Jean rolled her eyes good naturedly and leant forward to receive a kiss on her cheek. "Do you want another?" He asked, offering her the child to hold. She accepted the squirming bundle into her arms and moved her so that her chubby legs were straight and her little brown booties were on Jean's thighs. She moved her hands up and down to simulate bouncing, which calmed the child right down.
"I don't know. I certainly didn't do a good job on the first two. I'd rather start with just one, see how we go."
"Third times the charm." Charlie said from his chair. Lucien looked annoyed rather then angry. She knew the situation. Charlie and Danny flatted together because the only way they could stay on the force was to agree to move to this little town and take significant pay cuts. It was all they could afford. Charlie was upset about losing everything he'd worked for and really she wasn't too mad with him. She nudged Lucien with her shoulder when he looked like he was about to bite back with something cruel. He loved her truly and would defend her honor to the death but that wasn't needed here. He'd burn out his anger eventually she figured. Even if he never forgave Lucien and the rest of Ballarat at least he had her and Danny to turn to. She ignored him.

"Who's a happy girl?" She asked, continuing to bounce Jose up and down. The child laughed excitedly and pulled one of her hands close still giggling. Lucien followed her in suit and pulled a funny face at the little girl as Danny blew back in with their daughter, setting her down on the floor. "So Danny, what made you decide to adopt?" She asked, curiously.

"Well, I was dating her mother when she passed away, she had no other family….So." Ah, that explained it then. It seemed Danny had a similar sense of dedication to her, which made her feel very proud. Lucien is also grinning, seemingly just as proud as she was. It made her so happy that Lucien was so willing to take her family in stride, regardless of how odd it may seem. For her part, Daisy was petting Charlie's dog, who he had put on the ground. Maybe they should get a dog, she pondered. She knew Lucien liked dogs, but she had little experience with household dogs. Certainly, she'd had dogs when the boys were little but they had been working dogs rather than playing with dogs like Charlie's.

Danny dropped down on the couch next to her and smiled. Jose reached out for him and Jean relinquished her grip.
"So Danny, how are you finding fatherhood?" Lucien asked cheerfully.
"It's nice, actually." Danny smiled, "She's so cheerful that she can make anyone smile." He said, grinning at his daughter, who grinned back. "Even Charlie." He said, in a hushed voice but still loud enough Charlie was clearly meant to hear it. Charlie opened up a book and makes a point of not replying. Danny rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his daughter who was cheerfully gurgling at him. Jean can't help but smile.

…

Dinner was prepared by Charlie and on the table at precisely six o'clock. He served them a salad and roast lamb. For the baby, there was something green that she wasn't impressed with. Jean would be a fool if she didn't notice the deliberate choice of roast.

Dinner was a loud affair, with both Danny and Lucien talking up a storm while Charlie took his time feeding Jose and Jean cut Daisy's meat up for her and was careful to keep the gravy and meat separate. Lately she'd been refusing to eat them if they touched. But she assumed it would pass, as children's fussy-ness often did. Both her older boys had gone through similar phases. She turned to look to Lucien and Danny, who were animatedly discussing a case that Danny had worked recently, the first murder in ten years, he was explaining.

She settled in to listen as Danny explained his run in with the killer and how Charlie shot the man in the arm before he was able to deal any serious damage. If Charlie cared about his hero reputation he didn't show it, he was far more invested in ensuring that Jose ate all her spinach. She had to wonder how Danny had managed adoption of the child when he certainly didn't live in a traditional house hold. She was fairly certain that Danny would have told her if he was married but then again, one can never be sure. She was pretty sure the child was actually adopted however because she looked nothing like anyone she'd ever met in Danny's family.

As dinner came to an end, it was Charlie who insisted on washing the dishes alone leaving her to chat with her husband and nephew. It was small talk, nothing very interesting at least not to her. Danny however had a lot to say about his new bike.

"Doc I'll have to take you for a ride. It's the best fun." Danny assured him.
"Is it?"
"I'll have to get you a helmet though, Charlie's always going off at me for not wearing a helmet." He scoffed, again trying to get Charlie to in. This works because Charlie shouts from the kitchen
"Sorry for caring about your safety!" However he then proceeds not to join in so Jean had to wonder why he joined in at all. Shortly after Charlie collected his dog from Daisy who was attempting to get him to sit.

"I'm taking the dog for a walk." He stated, mostly to Danny. "See you in an hour." He vanished down the hallway. Jean pardoned herself to go to the bathroom, her bladder wasn't what it used to be after carrying three children. She passed the entryway and had to stop and eavesdrop, not that she wanted to exactly but because Charlie sounded distressed.

"I don't want them to stay here, Danny."
"You said you weren't going to make trouble."
"It's my house, isn't it?" He hissed.
"It's our house."
"How can you just forgive him, just like that, after he said you murdered someone!"
"I'm not forgiving him, Charlie." Danny bit back, "I'm still hurt, I'm still mad, but I also love my family."
"I'm your fucking family." Charlie said, gritting his teeth. Jean didn't know what he meant by that. Maybe that's just how close they were. "Doesn't that count for something?"
"Of course it does. But I want my aunt and cousin to stay here with us. She's all I have left, surely you of all people would understand that." Charlie let out a sigh and tightened his grip on the leash. "You can't spend the rest of your life hating all of Ballarat." A pause, Charlie let out his trademark scoff.
"Well okay, yes, you could. But why would you want to?" He asked, and leant over to press a kiss to Charlie's cheek. Charlie responded by leaning forward to kiss Danny on the lips. "Just think about it, alright?"
"Fuck you." Charlie responded, but not in an unkind way. He shouldered the door open and let the dog lead him away. Before Danny sees her, Jean ducked into the bathroom.

Jean feels a bit like all the air was just sucked out of her lungs and as she closed the door behind her, she can't help but to sink to the floor. Of course looking back it all made sense. They spent so much time together, suffered together, cried together back in Ballarat when the whole kerfuffle went down that of course they would be close. Even now, they lived together, Charlie wasn't just treating Jose like his child because he lived with her but because she was his child. She doesn't know what to say. She went to the bathroom and splashed her face with water turning to look into the mirror and taking a couple of deep breaths.

Lucien told her that he didn't mind homosexuals. Danny was her nephew, her responsibility. Charlie was her friend. Did it really matter if they loved one another? She can't say but for the time being she decided to put her family, her immediate family, first and spend the night here as had been arranged. She took a couple of deep breaths and returned to the table.

Upon her return, Danny was sitting on the floor colouring at the coffee table with Daisy while Lucien had his turn nursing Jose. Jose seemed to enjoy being held by her step great uncle (maybe just call him uncle that was rather a mouthful) and was feeling his beard with one of her little hands. She sat next to him and put a hand on his knee. He gave her a charming smile. She enjoyed being married to this stupid, stupid man. He was kind and warm. And there was only one fight that had ever threatened them, not like how it was with Christopher, which had many more fights then happy times she sometimes thought.

That fight of course had been connected to the death of Ned Simmons in Sixty two. When Lucien had told Frank to arrest Charlie and Danny, she'd never known that kind of anger before. Later she supposed it may have been hormones, from her being pregnant, but at the time it had felt like nothing on earth, just anger in her veins and in her heart. She was the one who championed them and forced him to look again to look harder. The only one. She'd visited every day for as long as she could. She'd had words with everyone she was friends with. She threatened the courier with legal action. She loved Danny Parks with all her heart and would have gone straight to hell before she believed that he would kill someone. Charlie was a nice boy at heart and she had always known he would never kill anyone that didn't attack him first. For her, alienating herself was easy, because she knew she would be right. Of course, it was hard when the ladies at the salon whisper behind your back and shopping becomes a hell hole but she persisted.

And she was right, wasn't she? The real perpetrator, another copper who was influenced by another who was influenced by another more crooked cop in what was later known as the biggest corruption conspiracy in the history of the Victoria police force, was sent to jail, Charlie and Danny were let go. Charlie came back for his things that night, didn't speak a single word just left. Danny came the next day to see her and explain what happened. Melbourne wanted them gone, because even if the police don't like rats, they also don't much like rat catchers and they'd both agreed to take pay cuts and come out here to keep their jobs. He told her he loved her and chased after Charlie.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Lucien asked, looking over at her. She shook her head and lay on his shoulder, looking into the empty living room hearth as if it may provide her with answers to her current predicament.

…

"Charlie is consistent if nothing else." Lucien commented as they turned back the covers.
"He's hurt, Lucien. You basically said you killed his mate."
"Four years ago."
"After knowing him for as long as you had."
"I seem to recall I was accused of murder once."
"And did he not fight for you the whole time?"
"Are you defending him?" Lucien asked, lacing his fingers on his stomach.
"Maybe. Give him more time."
"How much?"
"I don't know. I think that Danny is trying to coax him into speaking with you." She said, taking pains not to mention the kiss she saw in the hallway, which really could have been anything. Lucien scoffed slightly and rolled over to face her. She turned off the light from the switch in the wall in the middle of the bed and closed her eyes after kissing him goodnight.

…

Sleeping next to someone who suffered from chronic nightmares, Jean has become something of a lightsleeper, but oddly, it wasn't Lucien who woke her but rather the creak of the bedroom door where she, Lucien and Daisy were sleeping and the pitter patter of soft feet.

Getting out of bed she followed after and hid in the shadows, following the child into the kitchen. Charlie is sitting at the counter, looking almost directly at her, tired and sipping from a tea cup that had a chip in the rim. Daisy seems surprised to see him and stops in her tracks.

"What are you doing out of bed?" He asked, sipping his drink.
"Why are you?"
"Can't sleep." He said, sipping.
"I wanted a drink." Pause, "Can I have some of that?" Charlie, bemused, offered her the cup.
"It's lemon and honey." He said. Daisy took one sip and screwed up her face. "Yes I did use rather a lot of lemon."
"Why?"
"I like the taste. When I couldn't sleep, your daddy used to drink lemon and honey with me." He commented. She frowned.
"Can I have one?" Charlie smiled slightly and stood. He took a cup from the cupboard and then a tin full of something.
"You won't like it. But I can make you a hot chocolate."
"Okay. Can you put marshmellows in?"
"We don't have any."
"Oh, that's okay." Charlie tipped the last of the milk into her cup and then served it to her. She promptly took a long sip and then a little 'ah' she had chocolate all along her top lip and that made Jean smile.
"How come you can't sleep?"
"I'm not well."
"Well you can ask Daddy to make you up a prescription. That what he always does to his patients." Charlie sighed softly and Jean is prepared to tell him off if he speaks badly about him to the child.
"I don't think that would help. Your daddy makes up prescriptions for things that are not well with the body. It's not my body at all. My body is fine. It's my brain that's sick."
"What's it sick with?"
"In doctor terms, chronic long term insomnia. In normal person terms, it means I can't sleep for a really long time."
"Oh. I have that too." Charlie smiled into his cup.
"Do you?"
"Mm hm. I can't sleep at all."
"Guess it's just us then hm? A couple of insomniacs." Jean let out a sigh of relief. She'd been worried about Charlie being cruel.

"Are you uncle Danny's wife?" Charlie choked on his drink and had to take a couple of deep breaths.
"What makes you say that?"
"Well you made dinner and you cleaned up and fed Jose. Those are all things my Ma does. And she's Daddy's wife." Jean held her breath, not sure what to expect.
"No, I'm not Danny's wife."
"How come?"
"Because two men aren't allowed to be married."
"Why?"
"Because someone who makes rules decided that it was wrong."
"But you're a grown up. The rules don't apply to you."
"The rules always apply to everyone."
"Do you think that if two boys got married it would be wrong?"
"No, I don't. I like to think that some day, in the future, people will look at the past and wonder why we hated each other for something so trivial." Daisy clearly has no idea what that means so she takes a long sip of drink.

"Do you hate my daddy?"
"What makes you think that?"
"You didn't say a single thing to him all after noon. I thought you used to be friends."
"I do like your daddy. In fact I love your daddy very dearly."
"Then how come you didn't come into town for my party like uncle Danny?"
"Because…I'm upset at him."
"What did he do?"
"He said that I broke a rule, a very important rule and I almost went to jail."
"But you didn't?"
"No, I didn't."
"Did he say sorry?"
"He has, yes. Many times." Jean holds in a sigh, not sure what to make of Charlie Davis, as she often was.
"Do you forgive him?"
"One day, when it stops hurting me."
"Why not this day?" Charlie sighed softly, and swallowed the last of his drink.
"We'll see." Pause. "Are you ready for bed?" She nodded and allowed Charlie to carry her into the room and put her on the bed.

When he left the room, Jean stood in the hall where he could see her. He doesn't seem shocked.
"I suppose you heard all that."
"I did."
"I hope I wasn't overstepping."
"No, no you did a wonderful job. Jose is so lucky to have you as her daddy."
"I'm not –"
"I saw you in the hall, kissing Danny."
"If you want me to apologize, I won't."
"I wouldn't want you too. You make him happy, and he makes you happy and in life, isn't that all we want?" She asked, and opened her arms. Charlie hugged her and let her hug him. A rarity.
"You have a very beautiful little girl." He said, after releasing her. "I hope she grows up beautiful, smart and kind."
"You hope she's better then us."
"I think that's what everyone wants for children." Jean nodded in agreement and put a hand on his arm. Charlie wiped his face with his hand.
"Being awake all the time, it gives me lots of thinking time. I think that I might like to take Lucien's olive branch."
"Tell him that." She said, leaving him in the hallway and making her way back to bed.

…

Jean and Lucien awoke the next morning to the screaming laughter of a child. Donning their respective robes, they made their way to the sound: the kitchen.

Charlie is standing at the stove, spatula in hand, making pancakes. Danny is feeding Jose.
"I said triangle, Uncle Charlie, that's a blob."
"How dare you insult my triangle?" He asked, putting the cake on a plate. Daisy poked her tounge out at him. She is seated on the counter, passing him a ladle full of pancake batter. Her hands are covered in it, as is Charlie's night shirt.

"Morning Jean, Doc1" Danny said, pleasantly.
"Morning Doctor, Jean." Charlie said, less pleasantly but that might be because he's trying to make a square pancake.
"Ma! Daddy! I'm helping!" Daisy insisted. Jose babbled happily from her highchair. Jean came up behind him to look but Charlie shooed her away.
"Nope, this morning the cooking is done by myself, Chef Charlie, and my Sous Chef Daisy only."
"That means I'm the chef who prepares!" Daisy squawked, as Charlie flipped the pancake. Danny grinned at her and Lucien. She grinned back. Lucien grinned in Charlie's direction. Even though he is facing away, Charlie is smiling as well.

So maybe things weren't how they were. They were better. And that was all she could hope for.