This story is set sometime after the end of series 4. It will have several chapters, which will appear slowly, as I don't have much time for writing at the moment. At the moment the story is all a bit angsty - not sure yet how it's going to turn out!
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Matthew limped towards the threshold and pushed the bottle of whisky into Blake's hand. In recent months they had not had so many evenings doing this, and Lucien looked at his friend in surprise.
"Come in!" he said, taking the bottle and closing the door behind them. Lucien led the way into the living room, and looked for some glasses.
"Is Jean out?" Matthew asked, looking quickly into the kitchen.
"Yes. Sewing circle. She'll be back later." Blake paused, then once they were settled he asked, "It's great to see you, of course, but what brings you here this evening?"
"Ah, well, to get straight to the point - when are you going to marry her?" Lawson looked at him steadily.
Lucien swallowed most of his first glass of whisky. "I can't marry her, Matthew. I'm married to Mei Lin." He grimaced at the taste of the whisky, and perhaps also his situation.
"I know that. But are you doing anything to put that right? How long will it all take?" Matthew poured himself another drink.
"The lawyer said it will be a few months yet. But why the question, Matthew? Why now?"
"People talk, Lucien. Rumours are going around that you are taking advantage of her."
"People have always talked about us, Matthew. We've never listened to the gossip. Jean's not bothered by it, and neither am I."
Matthew looked at him grimly. "I think this time she is bothered by it. It's bound to be worse now that everyone knows you are a married man. I'm told that one of the customers insulted her in the butchers yesterday and she left in tears."
"Jean?" Lucien paid attention now. "That doesn't sound like her. What did they say to her?" He was beginning to feel angry, and it was showing in his voice.
"I think you should ask Jean that, not me. But, Lucien, you do intend to marry her, don't you?" Matthew sounded rather serious.
"Yes, of course I do. I've already asked her, twice in fact." Lucien looked annoyed that Matthew might doubt his intentions. "But she says she can't be engaged to a married man, and so we've left it for now."
With that, Lucien firmly changed the subject, and the two friends spent the next hour or two catching up on each other's news and putting the world to rights. The level in the whisky bottle sank steadily as the evening wore on.