Truth will out 1/?

Disclaimer:- Don't own them just borrowing!

Episode:- Umm difficult one, mention of things talked about in "The Mind has Mountains" and bits and pieces throughout the show timeline but no spoilers really.

Pairing:- Jean/James (though not until way later on in the final chapters)

Rating:- T/M

Achieve:- http(:/) . /group/rebeccafrontlewisffarchive/

Summary:- One very long night and a little unscheduled family therapy leads to some interesting results.

Author's Note:- I've wanted to do something for ages looking at Jean's relationship with her son and I've put it off because I couldn't decide what to do, I finally decided on this then faffed around for another while deciding if I liked it and so on and so forth until finally I just sat down and wrote it! I think it will probably end up high "T" or "M" Rated by the final chapters so the rating is for that. Hope you enjoy and reviews would be lovely thank you!

"Mum I wish you'd just let me order something for dinner you don't need to start cooking when you've been at work all day."

"No it's been ages since you've been home overnight and I don't get nearly enough chances to feed you up these days I swear you live on take away food and energy drinks!" Jean smiled pulling peppers, courgettes and cream cheese from the fridge as Chris rolled his eyes at her. "Don't give me that look I know what you're like if it can't be pinged in the microwave or delivered on a moped at all hours of the night you won't be bothered to make it."

"Do you know who's taking the course tomorrow? I mean all it said on the info pack they sent was that it would be taken by a senior police officer with experience in complex murder investigations. I….."

"Relax sweetheart it's not me, I think it's Alec Mahoney he took the last one when it was based with us." She replied watching as relief crossed is face briefly before he did a good job of hiding it again. It wasn't often that there were training courses held in house and this was the first time that he'd been sent down by his own station to take part in one. While she was delighted that it meant they got to spend the evening together and that he'd be back in the family home for a night she knew he always worried about people jumping to conclusions based on the fact she was his mother and the idea that she might be leading the course would have been a nightmare for him.

"That wasn't what I meant." Chris smiled knowing that she was well aware that it was as she smiled knowingly at him before carrying on cutting the vegetables in front of her as he opened a bottle of wine and poured her a glass before fetching himself a beer from the fridge.

"It's ok to not want the embarrassment of having to sit in a room with a load of other younger officers while your mother lectures you all on police procedure Chris I'm a big girl I can take the rejection." Jean laughed taking a sip of the wine while adding pasta to a pot of boiling water with her free hand. "Alec is a good guy, experienced he'll give a great lecture but let's not talk about work what else is going on with you? How's Julie?"

"I wouldn't know, we split, she'd moved on to a traffic warden called Joe the last I heard." Chris replied shrugging as Jean shook her head and he prepared himself for the lecture that was to come, one that would be much more embarrassing than any police procedure one he could be given by her.

"Sweetheart you really need to think about settling down, you've got a good job, you're a good looking boy don't you think it's time you at least thought about having a relationship that lasted more than a few months?" Jean sighed, it wasn't that she thought he should be getting married and having half a dozen kids she just thought it might be nice if he came to visit and for two consecutive times he had the same girlfriend. "I thought Julie was nice, you were full of how perfect she was when you were here last month."

"Well she was nice, I mean she is nice we didn't break up because she wasn't we just didn't make a great couple. We brought out the worst in each other and that's no basis for a relationship." Chris continued lifting the wine bottle and his own drink and following her to the sitting room.

"No I suppose not." Jean agreed handing him a plate of pasta before sitting beside him on the sofa as they ate in silence for a few minutes. "Do you remember when you were younger and if you'd had a bad day or were poorly you'd want me to make you this. Other kids wanted ice cream or fish fingers and chips or whatever as comfort food all you ever wanted was pasta with cream cheese pepper and courgette sauce."

"I wanted it because we used to be able to talk about what was bothering me or just about stuff in general when you were cooking it." Chris smiled the memory of those times when it was just the two of them sitting in the same kitchen they'd just left with her cooking and him perched at the breakfast bar while she seemed to know all the answers to whatever was bothering him "I really enjoyed those times, you were so busy with work and Dad was never here so it felt like they were special if I'd just asked for ice cream it would have taken two minutes and we'd not have had the chance to talk much."

"It never occurred to me that you'd think like that, I didn't even expect you to remember that it was your favourite." Jean replied pushing the remains of her own pasta about the plate as she let his words sink in. Over the years she'd wondered if working full time while he was growing up had affected him, if he resented it and her because of it and now that the door was open a crack and she could possibly ask she couldn't decide if it was worth the risk of spoiling their evening by pushing it. "Did it bother you? The fact that I worked rather than staying at home and looking after you full time?"

"Why would you ask that?" Chris sighed setting his empty plate on the coffee table and turning a little on the sofa so he was facing her taking a swig of his beer.

"Well if you would rather have pasta because it took me time to make it that implies I wasn't exactly there for you unless there as a reason for me to be. I'm curious and I want you to be honest you don't have to spare my feelings I know you love me I'm not going to assume there's a deep-seated resentment there just because you say yes. I just thought since we're here talking about stuff I might as well ask."

"Why drag up the past Mum? I mean there are things I'm sure we'd both like to thrash out I know I wasn't exactly an easy teenager but is there really any reason to start on some Jeremy Kyle show style soul bearing?"

"Maybe it's time; since your father and I split up I wonder if we all spent too much time not being honest with each other. Would it be such a bad thing to talk things out if we agreed to be honest even if the truth might hurt?" Jean replied watching as she could tell he was turning the idea over in his head. It was obvious he had things he wanted to say now that the opportunity was being offered but she wasn't sure if either of them were ready for what might come out if they started down that road.

"Complete honesty no matter what?" Chris asked his eyes narrowing a little in an action that so perfectly mirrored what she knew was her own expression in times of scepticism that it was frightening. Richard had always said he was much more like her than him not just to look at but personality wise too and right at that second she could see what he meant.

"OK, complete honesty, I think it might be good for us to talk things out. Your father and I spent the last decade of our marriage not talking it's taught me that sometimes silence and boxing away your feelings is more destructive than helpful.

"Yeah well maybe we'll get on to you and Dad later but for now ok if you want to talk about it and we both agree to be honest why not. You have to agree not to close off just because you might not like everything I say though otherwise there's no point. Openness and honesty works both ways if I'm going to be honest with you you're not allowed to pull the "I'm your mother mind your own business" card nor the "because I said so" one on me when it suits you."

"Fine, I'll take the dishes into the kitchen and get you another drink." Jean agreed lifting the dishes and walking away as he watched her go. If he was honest there were a million questions he wanted to ask his Mother, both his parents actually, that he never saw there ever being a right time to ask but if she was going to open the door and have a frank, adult discussion with him then maybe the time was right to clear the air. That way maybe he might get the answers he needed and she might feel like she could finally put away any doubt she had about herself as a mother and move on with her life without constantly feeling like she had to fix his.