The Blake Adventures: All the Live-Long Day

January 1960

"Lucien, stop it!" Jean hissed, trying desperately not to laugh.

He'd grown familiar with that tone of her voice by now. She didn't really want him to stop. Well, she did, but only because she knew it wasn't proper for her to enjoy things so much.

"This honeymoon isn't over until we decide it is," he growled in response.

A cross between a shriek and a giggle escaped her lips as he grabbed her knee in the back of the cab. The driver glanced in his mirror to the couple in his backseat and smiled; Mrs. Beazley—now Mrs. Blake—was a friend of his wife's from church, and it was nice to see her so happy after so long as a widow.

Jean buried her face in Lucien's shoulder, embarrassed at the noise she'd made, and trying desperately to rebuild a façade of propriety now that they'd returned to Ballarat. But, she reminded herself, they were married now. So long as they didn't make an inappropriate scene, as Lucien was wont to do, nothing mattered anymore. The most anyone in town could say was that they were like teenagers in love. And they were. This was just like the week they'd had in Adelaide, holding hands and kissing as they pleased. But now, they'd spent a week in a hotel in Melbourne doing quite a lot more than just holding hands and kissing. It made Jean blush to even think about it.

Lucien silently begged the cab to drive slower. He didn't want to get home. Not just yet. He didn't want to go back to everyday life so soon. He wanted more time in their happy newlywed bubble. But he knew that this, like all good things, must come to an end at some point. And it would be nice to really explore their new married life together. Lucien had imagined what it would be like to be married to Jean, letting the comforting thought sing him to sleep in the nights leading up to the wedding. He'd never have to sleep in that bed alone ever again. Lucien sighed happily and pressed a kiss to his wife's temple.

Eventually the cab did park in front of the Blake house. "Home sweet home," Lucien murmured. Jean nodded and smiled in agreement. He paid the driver and carried their cases to the front door.

Jean paused before going inside. She looked at Lucien. "It's strange…I feel as though I'm walking into this house for the first time all over again. As though it hasn't been my home for years."

"Well, it is still your home, and it always will be. But I'm afraid you'll have to share a bed from now on. I hope that won't be a problem," he teased.

She laughed, "I think we'll manage."

"Oh we'll do better than manage," he replied suggestively. She blushed again, which made him laugh.

Jean opened the front door and found Mattie in the hallway on the telephone. She smiled brightly and waved. "They just walked in the door…Yes, he's right here. I'll put him on." Mattie held out the receiver. "Welcome home, all. Lucien, you're needed on the phone. It's Charlie."

Lucien took the phone from Mattie but gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before answering. "Hello, Charlie?"

Jean and Mattie hugged happily. It had only been a week, but Lucien knew Jean had missed Mattie. They both had. He smiled, watching them. His two favorite girls.

"Doc?"

The voice in his ear startled him a bit. "Sorry, yes, I'm here." Lucien turned away so he could pay attention to what Charlie was telling him.

"We've had a death at the train station. One of the railway workers. I wasn't sure when you'd be returning but I guess you're home. Do you think you could come down? I know Dr. Harvey is covering for you while you're gone, but I've got a feeling you'll want to handle this one," Charlie explained.

"And why is that?"

"The man was hit by a train, and it looks like there's a good chance he was pushed."

Lucien's eyes went wide. At least he could prepare for the carnage he was sure to be examining. "I'll be right down."

"Alright, but it might take you a bit. It's a mob down here. I'm surprised you didn't come find us when your train came in from Melbourne. Didn't you notice the traffic and the police cars?"

"Erm…no, no we didn't," Lucien replied awkwardly. He wasn't about to tell Sergeant Davis that he'd been too busy kissing his wife breathless in the last moments of their train trip to notice anything else. Their compartment could have been on fire, and he wouldn't have noticed. "But I'm on my way now."

When Lucien hung up the phone, Jean was standing nearby, watching him. "Back to work?"

"Ah, yes, actually. There's been a death at the train station. Jean would you like to come with me?" he asked. The thought flew into his head unexpectedly. She'd joined him on investigations before and had always been extremely helpful. And, truth be told, he didn't really want to leave her.

"Come with you to see to a body? No, thank you."

"You wouldn't be examining the body with me. You could just…come along for the drive."

"I have some unpacking to do, and I'd like to move as many of my things as I can out of my old room. Besides, I can't imagine what state the house is in after an entire week of Mattie and Charlie on their own," she added, looking pointedly to the young woman beside her.

Mattie just mumbled, "We did our best."

So Lucien grabbed his medical bag and the keys to the car, and he turned right around and drove back to the train station. On the way, the thought about what Jean had said, about needing to stay home to see to the house. She wasn't his housekeeper anymore. That wasn't her job. Lucien was suddenly concerned about what sort of household dynamic there would be now. Obviously he wouldn't be paying her each week anymore. Should they hire another housekeeper?

But his thoughts were interrupted when he turned onto the road for the train station. Charlie had been correct about the traffic and crowd. It took some maneuvering to find a feasible place to park and make his way to the police officers.

Chief Superintendent Frank Carlyle found him first. "Welcome back, Dr. Blake. Sorry we couldn't let you ease back in after your vacation," he apologized, shaking Lucien's hand.

"Quite alright, Frank. These things rarely occur at a convenient time. What have we got?"

Frank let Lucien to where the body lay. "Railway worker Randall Brix. The call came in to us about an hour ago. We're hoping you can tell us how long he's been here like this."

It was just as gruesome as Lucien had imagined. Getting hit by a train was nasty business. "Charlie said there was some evidence he may have been pushed?" Lucien asked as he made an initial examination.

"In preliminary interviews, we've learned that three people found him and didn't call it in. The one who did was the station supervisor, who came out to look for Brix when he missed his mandatory lunch break."

"I'll need to do some tests in the lab to know for sure. But it's been at least a few hours. And I don't think Mr. Brix died on impact. These injuries weren't fatal until later. He lay dying for quite a while," Lucien said gravely. He stood up from where he was kneeling beside the body. "The body can go to the morgue. Let Dr. Harvey know I'm on my way."

Lucien went straight to see Alice upon leaving the train station. She was waiting for him with a cross look on her face. "Good afternoon," he greeted warily.

"What are you doing here?" she asked accusingly.

"I thought we'd be doing the autopsy on Mr. Brix," he replied, confused at her obvious ire.

Alice crossed her arms, brow furrowed in annoyance. "I cannot believe you left your honeymoon to see to a body. I consider you a friend, Dr. Blake, and I quite like and respect you. But that new wife of yours is far too good for you, and this is how you treat her barely a week after the wedding? Shame on you!"

"Hang on, I didn't leave my honeymoon! We returned home and Charlie called the house! And I asked Jean if she wanted to come with me!" Lucien defended.

"You asked if she wanted to come with you to see to a body? My god, however did you convince her to marry you?" Alice interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Well, even if you didn't leave your honeymoon, you weren't due to be back at work until tomorrow. And even if the police won't respect that, I certainly will. I'll do the preliminary tests. Mr. Brix will be here for you in the morning. You go home and see your lovely wife."

Lucien had no intention of fighting Alice's command. He thanked her and drove right back home.

He found Jean in the kitchen, a very familiar sight. She was surprised to see him. "I didn't think you'd be home tonight. You usually go straight to the autopsy after the crime scene," she commented.

"Alice insisted I come home. I hope you don't mind."

She glanced to the doorway, which was empty, and walked over to Lucien, giving him a kiss. "I'm actually quite glad you're back. I didn't want to have to get used to you being gone just yet." She turned back to the stove. "Besides," she said over her shoulder, "I'm making something rather special for dinner, seeing as it's our first night back."

He came to join her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "Whatever it is, it smells delicious." He pressed his nose to her neck and breathed in deeply. "Mmm, heavenly."

"I think you're smelling me, not the food," she pointed out.

"Either way." Lucien commenced kissing up and down every part of her neck he could reach.

The sound of a throat clearing caused Lucien to practically leap off of Jean like a cat getting sprayed with water. Upon seeing that reaction, Mattie stifled a giggle. "I thought I heard Lucien come home, so I wanted to say hello," she explained.

"You two go catch up in the parlor. I'll let you know when dinner's ready," Jean told them.

Mattie told Lucien about the patients she'd been working with over the last week and kept him abreast of all that was happening in Ballarat. She'd missed their evening chats. Mattie always felt that she learned more just sitting and talking with Lucien than she ever had in school or in her nursing training.

Charlie came home just in time to change out of his uniform before dinner. The four of them all sat around the kitchen table, as though nothing had changed in the last week. But Lucien took Jean's hand discreetly and caressed the wedding band on her finger. When she'd finally removed her first wedding ring, he got an electric jolt every time he noticed her bare left hand. But when he'd gotten to place his mother's diamond ring on her finger, everything changed. This wedding ring was from him. It was theirs. Somehow, he still couldn't quite believe that Jean was his wife. It just seemed too good to be true.

Jean smiled, avoiding making eye contact with him. She knew without a doubt that if she looked at him, she wouldn't be able to remain civilized at the dinner table. After a whole week of being with him, she'd gotten used to acting on romantic impulses. It was a habit she hated to break. A familiar warm tingling began deep in her belly, and Jean shifted in her chair, hoping it would go away before anyone noticed that her cheeks were growing pink and her eyes were starting to lose the ability to focus.

But Lucien noticed. He gave her hand a small squeeze. She should have known. Lucien always noticed. He was useless at noticing some things, but this…this he certainly paid attention to.

Under the table, Lucien subtly kicked Charlie's foot. The young policeman immediately got the message. "Mattie, how about you and me clear up the dishes? Mrs. Blake went to all that trouble to make this wonderful dinner, and it's the newlyweds' first night back."

Lucien just nodded to him in quiet thanks.

Jean, still unable to even look in the direction of her husband, said, "Lucien, would you mind helping me carry the last few things out of my old room?"

"Of course," he replied, following her quickly out of the kitchen. He heard the faint sound of Mattie snickering as he left.

In the dim light of the staircase, Jean finally turned back to Lucien. Without a word, she pulled him into a hard, fiery kiss. He was eager to participate. Their methods were well-practiced now. The way his tongue would gently trace her bottom lip. The way her teeth would graze his mustache. The way they would each breathe through noses smashed against the other's cheek.

Lucien's hands immediately grazed down Jean's waist to her hips, clutching at the fabric of her skirt and jerking it up as far as he could. And before she could scold him for it, he reached under her bum and lifted her up. Jean instinctively wrapped her legs around him and continued the unbroken rhythm of the kiss.

They didn't break apart until Lucien leaned forward slightly and bumped Jean's back against the wall. The loud thud jolted Jean back to reality. "Ow," she whispered breathlessly.

"Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" he whispered back. He allowed Jean to return to her feet on the floor, where she immediately pulled her skirt back down.

She pressed her lips together in an overly-excited smile. Jean took Lucien by the hand and hurried into the bedroom they now shared.

As soon as the door closed, they were on each other again. "You are," Lucien murmured between kisses, "absolutely insatiable."

"It's your own fault," she told him, throwing his waistcoat onto the floor and trying to loosen his tie and undo the buttons on his shirt simultaneously. "You made me want you like this."

"Do you want me, Jean?" he asked.

"More than anything," she breathed.

"Show me what you want." He reclaimed her lips once again.

They stumbled backward to the bed, causing Lucien's knees to buckle on the edge. He fell into a seated position, forcing them to break apart.

Jean stood over him, a wry smile on her face. She knelt down onto her knees between his legs and unbuckled his belt with deft hands. Lucien watched her in awe, unsure of what she was about to do. Her nimble fingers freed him from his trousers, stroking his near-hardness. Before he could really prepare himself, she leaned forward and took him in her mouth. His head rolled back on his neck and he groaned loudly. She lifted her head to tell him to keep quiet and then returned to her focused task. Her lips and tongue washed over him, up and down, over and over, bringing him to the brink of ecstasy. He knew he wouldn't last long if she continued, so he summoned his strength to take her free hand from his knee and pull her up from the ground.

She stood and pushed her hair back from her face, smiling proudly at the obvious effect she'd had on him. After a week of Lucien bringing her to an unhinged state of passion, it was exciting to be able to do the same to him.

Lucien removed his half-unbuttoned shirt and kicked off his trousers and socks. He was distracted, however, by watching Jean undress in front of him. She removed her underthings expertly and let them fall on the floor. She stood before him, beautifully naked. He stared at her, his eyes taking in every inch of her body. All the lines and freckles and curves and angles. It had only been a week, but he wanted to memorize her as soon as he possibly could.

Jean moved towards him, running her hands across his shoulders and chest, dragging her fingers from his collarbone, down to his hips. Lucien pulled her to him for another kiss, turning them around so her back was to the bed. He let her fall back onto the comforter before climbing on top of her, positioning himself between her legs and propping himself up on his arms.

"I want you now," she whispered.

Eager to acquiesce, Lucien placed his hand between her legs so he could prepare her for him. He was surprised to find that she was already wet and ready. "My goodness, I seem to have had an effect on you," he said with a smirk.

"Having an effect on you has quite the effect on me," she told him.

Not needing any further invitation, Lucien entered her. Slowly. Savoring every small movement. She impatiently wiggled beneath him, but he maintained his pace. He pulled all the way out and repeated the same excruciating pace.

"Please, Lucien," she begged.

He leaned over to kiss her, this time tenderly and sweetly. "Anything for you, love," he breathed.

From there, he sped up his pace to an almost frantic level, pounding into her. Jean's breath turned to quick panting, emitting a sharp, involuntary squeak in rhythm to his thrusts. Her hands grabbed at the bedsheets, clutching anything she could reach. It didn't take long before she was on the brink of climax, mouth open and body trembling and shuddering beneath him. He didn't slow. She didn't even have a chance to recover before he brought her to climax again. She bit down on her own tongue to keep from screaming. Lucien finished shortly thereafter, kissing her deeply to keep from being too loud himself.

He nearly passed out mid-kiss. His entire body was slick with sweat and he could barely breathe. All energy he'd possessed had been expelled. Lucien needed a moment before he could roll off her.

Jean didn't mind the weight of him one bit. She loved to have him on top of her and still inside her after they finished making love. She wanted to keep the closeness of him as long as possible. She stroked his hair and traced the scars on his back in a soothing manner.

Eventually he was able to move again and regain the power of speech. "Where did you learn that?" he asked, still amazed at what she'd done. As soon as he asked the question he realized he didn't want to know the answer.

But Jean replied, "You aren't the only one who reads books, Dr. Blake."

Whether or not she had really learned that from a book, he was glad he was the one who got to benefit from her skill.

"I hope no one heard us," she thought aloud. "We need to be better about being quiet now that we're back home and living with two other people."

"We're newlyweds. Everyone knows what we're doing and no one could blame us for it."

"Yes, but at our age, Lucien…"

He scoffed, "People half our age wouldn't be capable of the things we just did."

"Perhaps, but we still should be aware of what Mattie and Charlie see and hear around the house."

Lucien nodded. "Whatever you say, dear."

Jean began to chuckle. "You sounded just like an exhausted husband just then."

"I am an exhausted husband. Tired out from satiating my wife."

She grinned proudly. His wife. It was still thrilling to hear. "Get under the covers and rest. I'm going to have a quick bath to clean up a bit, and then I'll be back to join you."

He just nodded sleepily as he tried to pull the bedsheets down and get underneath them without actually getting up.

Jean waited until he was settled and kissed his forehead. "Welcome home, love."