Author's Note: This is my first Blake fic in a while (emotionally, if not temporally), so I wanted to do something fresh and easy and gentle. And I've found that, when in doubt: Adelaide. I actually made myself smile while writing, and that's what I was hoping for.

The First Date

"I'd like to take you to dinner tomorrow evening, if it isn't inconvenient."

"Well, I'm not sure. I'll have to see with Christopher and Ruby and the baby. Dinner might be difficult. Perhaps lunch instead?"

Lucien smiled in a way that Jean always found equally charming and patronizing. "I'm always happy to share any meal with you, Jean, but I believe dinner is more conventional for a date."

Her eyes went wide. "A date?"

He almost started to laugh, but to his credit, he kept himself composed. "Yes, Jean. I followed you to Adelaide because I…I'm quite fond of you. More than fond of you. I had hoped to court you and romance you a bit before I have to return to Ballarat."

Jean's jaw dropped. She wasn't quite sure what to say.

Lucien was suddenly very concerned he had read the situation entirely incorrectly. Never in their time together had he seen Jean Beazley rendered speechless. "Unless you don't want to. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."

"No, no!" she corrected quickly. "I…I'd like that."

He exhaled in relief and smiled softly. "Good. In that case, I shall pick you up in front of the army base at seven tomorrow evening. If there's a problem and you can't make it, just ring my hotel and we'll try for another night."

Jean nodded, still feeling strangely numb. Lucien kissed her cheek and headed back to his hotel, leaving Jean standing with Amelia's pram.

When seven rolled around the next evening, Jean put her lipstick on with a shaky hand and smoothed the curls of her hair neurotically in the mirror before she hurried out of the house. She'd informed Ruby and Christopher that she had dinner plans, but didn't say anything further about it. She'd been a nervous wreck all day and uncharacteristically quiet, so no one had bothered her about it.

Because this wasn't just dinner with Lucien. She'd had dinner with Lucien plenty of times before. Rarely just the two of them alone, but there had been times when Mattie and Charlie were both out for the evening. They'd never been out in public for dinner just the two of them before. And even if they had, this was different. This was a date. Their first date. Assuming there would be more. It was hardly conceivable that this could be reality. That after the months of dancing around each other, the forbidden longing for him, the desire for him to do something, the fear that he actually would…and now he was taking her out on a dinner date?

As she made her way to the front gate of the base to meet him, Jean had to chuckle to herself. When she'd stupidly gotten drunk over Robert possibly proposing, Mattie had told Jean that she could have anyone she wanted. Thankfully, Jean hadn't let the sherry say that she couldn't have the one man she really wanted. But it was true then as it was a few days earlier when Jean had boarded that bus to Adelaide without having said goodbye to Lucien. Now, it seemed, Mattie had been right.

Lucien greeted her with the brightest smile she'd seen on him in quite some time. "Jean, you look beautiful," he gushed, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to it.

Her heart fluttered in her chest. "Thank you," was all she managed to say.

He proudly escorted her through town on his arm. He kept her talking about the baby the whole time, which seemed to settle her nerves.

They sat down at the table at a very nice restaurant, and Jean went quiet again.

"Is this alright?" he asked, once they'd been given their menus and left to themselves.

Jean nodded, keeping her eyes on the list of appetizers and entrees in front of her.

But Lucien wasn't convinced. Something was wrong. He desperately wanted her to have a good time. "Jean, are you sure everything's alright? We can go to a different restaurant. We can get fish and chips on the beach, I don't care. I just wanted to have an evening with you."

She looked up at him, and her expression was a tempest of emotion. "The restaurant is fine. Lovely, actually. It's me that's the problem."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I haven't been on a date in a very long time," she replied in embarrassment.

"That's not true! You've gone out with a few men, I seem to recall."

She frowned. "Maybe two or so. Don't exaggerate!" she scolded.

"All I know is that I was quite jealous each time."

"Yes, I know, heaven forbid your housekeeper have any life outside your house!" she replied, rolling her eyes chastisingly.

He smiled again, that same sweet, patronizing, beautiful smile. "No, Jean. I was jealous of your attentions. I don't think I realized it at the time. I think I did convince myself I just didn't want my housekeeper running about, but it was you, my darling."

The endearment that slipped out of his lips made her heart skip a beat.

Lucien reached across the table to take her hand, gently stroking soft skin on the back of it with his thumb. "Jean, I ran down a bus and sat for hours to come to Adelaide because I couldn't let you go. I came all this way to be with you and take you out on a date. I was too cowardly to do it when we were at home, too distracted by my cases and my own problems to see that I'd missed my chance. I won't do that again."

"You really want…me?" she asked in a small, scared voice.

"Very much." He added very quickly, "If that's alright."

She smiled brightly and squeezed his hands. "Yes, of course. I just can't quite believe this is real. These last few days have felt like some magical fantasy. The way you stopped the bus and held me and now you're here, taking me on a date. It's like something out of one of my dreams."

His eyebrows jumped up his forehead. "You've had dreams about me?"

Jean pursed her lips, refusing to answer.

"Well," he continued, "I hope I can make every one of your dreams come true. I'm certainly going to try."

The rest of their dinner went very well. They talked about Adelaide, which was brand new to Jean. Lucien had been there many years before, but it was different than he remembered. They discussed Jean's family, how she was settling in and the trouble in getting along with Ruby and taking care of baby Amelia. Jean confessed that she didn't quite feel the sense of belonging and purpose with her own family in the way she'd expected and hoped. Lucien told her the news of Doug Ashby and expressed his conflicted feelings about finally solving his mother's death.

It was almost as if they were at home, sharing a quiet moment at the kitchen table. Jean felt as though she should stand up and get started on the dishes before it got too late, or offer Lucien a cup of tea. She told him as much, and he laughed, confessing that as glad as he was that she felt comfortable there with him, he was much happier to be able to take her on a date.

They shared a decadent crème brulée for dessert. Jean had to tell Lucien to close his mouth when he went slack-jawed watching her eat. Something about the way her tongue swirled around the spoon left him weak and practically trembling. The way he looked at her made Jean blush but sit a bit taller in her chair, appreciating the lovely feeling of pride.

At last, Lucien paid the bill so they could make their way back to the army base. This time, they walked hand in hand, talking and laughing the whole way.

Lucien stood in front of her, a little ways away from the gate, lest anyone be watching. "Jean, I had the most marvelous time with you. I hope you enjoyed yourself."

Jean took both his hands in hers. "Oh yes, very much. Thank you for dinner. And you know, I always enjoy spending time with you, Lucien. Though this was quite different, not being at home—your home—in Ballarat, or discussing your cases."

He hadn't missed the way she'd corrected herself in referring to the house as his home, rather than theirs. "I know you're here in Adelaide with your family now, but I hope you'll always consider our house in Ballarat your home."

"Your house in Ballarat."

Lucien gave a sad sort of smile. "I consider if ours. I always thought of it as my father's house. I only started calling it home again because of you. And without you there…well, I'll just have to get used to it, I suppose. And I'll have to come visit you in Adelaide as often as you'll let me."

"You do have responsibilities, Lucien," she chided.

"I'd rather go out with you. The way I see it, this was only the first of what I hope will be many dates I take you on. And speaking of which, I'd like to see you tomorrow, if I may. Perhaps for tea, since I don't want to take you away from your family too much."

"Yes, I think tea would be lovely."

"Wonderful. I'll be back here to pick you up at four o'clock. I shall count the minutes we're apart, my darling."

She laughed softly, "Silly man." Jean couldn't resist reaching up to stroke his cheek. He leaned into her touch, his eyes closing as he reveled in the feel of her hand on his face.

When she removed her hand, he opened his eyes. "Goodnight, Jean," he whispered, leaning in.

Jean gave a small, sharp inhale as his mouth came to meet hers. His lips brushed against her so gently. She tilted her head up to press her lips against his with more fervor.

And just when it began, the kiss ended. It was brief and polite, but there was nothing chaste about that kiss. Jean felt her whole body buzz from the sensation of his lips and his beard and his breath on her. She almost wanted to pull him back in for a deeper kiss, but Jean knew better. "Goodnight, Lucien. Thank you for a wonderful evening." She turned and went through the base security gate to return to Christopher's house.

Lucien stood there, dumbstruck. Half of him was celebrating the most perfect first kiss he could have ever imagined with Jean, the woman he loved. But the other half of him was cursing his stupidity for not pulling her back for more; how had he let the woman he loved just walk away after only one kiss? Lucien shook his head, returning to reality. A giddy grin spread over his face as he walked back to his hotel.

This had just been their first kiss, after their first date. There were many more of each on the way, of that he was quite sure.

When Jean came back into the house, Christopher was up waiting for her.

"Did you have a nice evening?" he asked his mother.

"Best first date I've ever had," she replied, the tone of her voice matching the dreamy expression on her face as she practically floated down the hallway to her room.