A/N: I apologize that it's taken so long to update. We have construction work being done on the apartment building, and the noise level for the last two weeks is prohibitive of getting any real writing done. I've only managed a few Snippets while they (and I) were on our lunch hours. I hope to have an update ready for Freedom in a few days.

Jean opened her eyes and stretched languidly. Little by little she was managing to sleep later into the morning, what with her new late-night schedule. No longer did she feel compelled to be up, dressed and busy before 7 A.M. With a contented sigh, she reached for her phone to check the time. Almost ten o'clock. Still plenty of time before Lucien would be there at noon to pick her up.

She decided to start a grocery list based on the menu they'd discussed. Chicken thighs, rice, shrimp, perhaps some mussels and scallops, tomatoes, chicken stock, saffron... She was wincing over how expensive the saffron would be when her phone rang. It showed Christopher's number. Calling to discuss plans for tomorrow, no doubt.

"Good morning," she said.

"Mum, I... Good morning," he said, belatedly remembering his manners. "Have you seen the newspaper? The Times?"

"Not yet. Why?"

"There's an incredible review about you! You and Lucien Blake. The critic absolutely raves about your act."

Jean had hardly ever heard her older son so excited. "He interviewed Lucien and me after the show last night. So he liked the act?"

"Listen to this: 'Ms. Beazley's clear, fresh voice brings a new perspective on the blues, and her intelligent interpretations of classic songs make her distinct in a world of too many tired cover singers.' He really liked it. Not a single negative thing to say about you."

"And what did he say about Lucien?"

"Oh, he liked him, too. Urges everyone to check out the club."

"Matthew will be thrilled at that."

"You're on your way, Mum. After all this time you're going to be the star Dad always said you should have been."

"You remember that?" asked Jean. Christopher Jr. had been very young when his father was deployed overseas, never to return.

"He used to say it every night," Christopher recalled. "Congratulations on your first review, and a big one at that."

"Thank you," she said. "I'm not sure it will lead anywhere, but still it's nice that someone thinks I have talent."

"While I have you," said Christopher, "I wanted to apologize for not inviting you over for dinner tomorrow. We've been waiting to hear from Agatha, Ruby's mother. She isn't doing very well, I'm afraid. We're flying out tomorrow morning to be with her. I know it's last minute, but we were wondering if Amelia could stay with you for a couple of days."

"You know I'm off today and tomorrow, but I have to work the following night," said Jean. "I suppose I could set up her porta-crib in my dressing room and see if someone could stay with her while I'm on stage."

"You know we wouldn't ask if it wasn't an emergency," said Christopher.

"Yes, I know, and I always love spending time with my granddaughter," said Jean. "Just so you know, I've made other plans for tomorrow, but I think I could bring Amelia with me. If not, I suppose we'll just spend the day at home, the two of us."

"Thanks, Mum. I really appreciate it, and Ruby does, too. We can drop her off at your place on the way to the airport, if that's all right."

"I'll let you know if anything changes," said Jean. "Give my love to Amelia and Ruby. I'll say a prayer for Agatha."

She ended the call. So much for her lazy morning. She decided she might as well start the day. She wondered if she could still accept Lucien's invitation to dinner tomorrow with a baby in tow. Did he even like children? He had a daughter, but had been denied the opportunity to be involved in much of her upbringing. Well, there was nothing for it but to ask him.

She was looking through her recipes when the door buzzer sounded. He was early - it must be light traffic today, she thought. He had never been inside her apartment before, but this was as good a time as any for him to see it. She ran down the stairs and let him in, leading the way back to her tiny, cramped home.

"You can see why we couldn't possible make dinner together here," she said, waving a hand.

"It is rather... cozy," he observed. "But you've managed to make it neat and comfortable. Now, before we do anything else I have something to show you." He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a newspaper folded to show the review Christopher had mentioned. "I thought you might want to keep this for your scrapbook. The first of many, I'm sure."

She gave him a doubting look, but took the newspaper, saying, "I heard it was in this morning's paper and it was quite complimentary."

"It's an actual rave," said Lucien. "You should be very proud."

She invited Lucien to sit down and did the same herself to read the review in full. When she looked up at him, they exchanged broad smiles. "This is very flattering," she said, feeling herself blush at the praise.

"It isn't flattery if it's true. I keep telling you how talented you are. Are you starting to believe in yourself?"

"Maybe just a little," Jean conceded. "After all, you might just have a bit of bias."

"Because I happen to be very fond of you? Did you ever think that part of the reason I'm fond of you is because I happen to think talent is very sexy?" He waggled his eyebrows comically.

Laughing, she replied, "I did consider that, since, as you'll recall, I've considered your talent to be sexy since before I was actually old enough to know what 'sexy' meant."

"Ah, yes, the incident that I'm not allowed to mention."

"Yes, that incident..". She tapped her finger on the newspaper. "Do you mind if I keep this?"

"That's why I brought it."

"Very kind of you. Thank you. I'd like to put it away to show my granddaughter some day. And on the subject of Amelia, I'm afraid there's a complication in my plans to join you tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"Yes, Christopher's mother-in-law is quite ill and she's taken a turn for the worse. Christopher and Ruby are flying to Florida tomorrow afternoon to be with her, and they've asked me to take Amelia while they're away."

"Amelia is how old?"

"She just turned three."

"Then bring her along. What's one more very small mouth to feed? Seriously, Jean, I'd be happy to have her. Matthew and Alice will be by later tomorrow with the baby anyway."

"If you're sure?"

"I'm quite sure. I haven't had a little one in the house at Christmas for, oh, nearly twenty years," he said, with a small hitch in his voice.

Jean knew he was thinking about his daughter.

"Well, then, it's settled, thank you."

"You're perfectly welcome. Now, shall we head to the supermarket?"

"I know you probably have a favorite store near here, but I thought that if we're buying seafood we should probably shop closer to the house," he explained, "especially with the weather being so warm today."

"That makes sense," Jean agreed. "We definitely don't want to risk food poisoning from eating shrimp that has turned."

"Right." He navigated local streets until they reached Sunset Boulevard. "We can take this straight down to the Pacific Coast Highway, then take that up to Malibu."

He'd told her he lived near the beach, but she was impressed that it was Malibu.

"Not one of the neighborhoods with all the celebrities," he assured her when her eyes had widened. "My immediate neighbors are a nurse and a film set designer, hardly household names." He turned his head to glance at her. "What about you? You've said you have plans to move. Do you know where?"

"That's the problem, finding a decent place that I can afford," she said with a sigh. "I've been looking, but so far most of what I've seen are high-rise fortresses or soulless condos."

"Do you have an area in mind?"

"Not exactly. I'd love to live near water, Santa Monica maybe, or even Silver Lake. But both of them seem to be out of my price range, even though I'm being paid very generously," she hastened to add.

He seemed to find that amusing, that she thought he might be offended.

"I don't suppose you know somewhere affordable in Malibu?" she said, mostly in jest.

"Because Malibu is known for its affordability?" he teased back. Then he paused, thinking. "You know, I just might have an idea about that. I'll get back to you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're joking, right?"

"No, I happen to know someone... I'll need to ask some questions, but it might just work."

She smiled brightly, but tried not to get her hopes up. There had been too many disappointments in her life, and she didn't want to set herself up for another one, but what a Christmas gift that would be - a place in Malibu.

She could smell the salt in the air even before they reached the end of Sunset Boulevard and saw the blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean spread out in front of them. "It still takes my breath away," she said, "even after living so close to it for almost twenty years."

"Me, too," he told her, "and it's been considerably longer for me."

"I like that there are still things that can fill me with wonder and a sense of awe."

"Especially the things not made by man," he agreed.

He turned right and they headed north on the aptly named Pacific Coast Highway, with the ocean filling the entire vista to their left. Even though it was December and winter, the warm temperatures meant there were people on the beaches. Seeing all the families, she couldn't help wishing she'd been able to bring her boys to the beach more often when they were young. She would make it a point to take Amelia to the beach while she had her.

Lucien had donned a pair of sunglasses to manage the glare coming off the water, but Jean could see him peering intently out to sea. "Is there something out there?" she asked, thinking he might be seeing a boat in distress.

"Hmm? No, I was just looking at the waves, the height of the surf."

They drove in silence for a while, enjoying the beautiful weather and the stunning view. After a while he reached for her hand, which she willingly gave, and they shared a smile. Jean could hardly remember a time when she'd felt so absolutely carefree and contented. In the back of her mind she pictured Grace Kelly in "To Catch a Thief", riding along the Riviera in a convertible with Cary Grant. Could she ever have imagined her life would be like this?

She leaned back and closed her eyes, enjoying the sunshine on her face. He squeezed her hand, then brought it to his lips for a quick kiss. She opened her eyes and smiled at him, just as he turned the car off the highway. A few minutes later they were pulling into the parking lot of a supermarket.

Inside, they each took a cart. As Lucien had made paella before, he concentrated on the ingredients needed for that, while Jean headed for the produce section and what was required for a salad. When they met up at the bakery area, Jean noticed that Lucien had added two very large turkeys to the seafood and chicken for the paella. "For tomorrow," he explained.

"Ah," said Jean.

"I hope you and Amelia like turkey."

"I do, and Amelia is not a fussy eater. I'm sure it will be fine," said Jean.

Lucien waved his hand to indicate themselves and the groceries. "I can't help feeling this is like a scene from a rom-com."

"Watch a lot of those, do you?" she teased.

"I've seen more than enough. With my neighbor, Mattie O'Brien, the nurse I mentioned, you'll meet her tomorrow. She comes over every time she has a break-up with a boyfriend. Cries on my shoulder, then I make popcorn and she insists I watch movies with her."

"Well, then, in that case, you know that this is the point where you're supposed to juggle apples or something to make me laugh," she said.

He grinned. "Will peppers do instead?" He reached into his cart and then juggled three bell peppers while making silly faces.

Dutifully, she laughed at his antics, then applauded as he finished with a flourish. "You know your rom-coms," she said approvingly.

"Now, in that vein, I suppose we'll have to sing while we prepare the meal," said Lucien.

"Would that be so bad?" asked Jean. "Although I'm not sure 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' would be very appropriate tonight."

"No reason we still couldn't cuddle afterwards though," Lucien returned, grinning.

"No reason at all," she agreed. "Now, do we have everything we need?" she asked, as she placed a box of assorted pastries in her cart for dessert.

He reached for several fruit pies and added them to his cart. "Now we are. These are for tomorrow."

Their haul filled up the entire trunk of the car, as well as most of the back seat. Lucien drove more slowly so as not to jostle his load any more than necessary. By this point, Jean was eager to see his house, and luckily it was only a few miles away. As he pulled off the road and into a driveway, she realized it was right on the beach. His backyard literally ended at the ocean.

"Lucien, when you said you lived near the beach, I had no idea you meant fifty feet from the water. This is quite something."

He put the car into Park, then hurried around to open her door. As she emerged she heard someone call out, "Lucien!" A young woman, early twenties Jean guessed, was hurrying toward them from the house next door.

"Mattie," he greeted her, with a kiss on her cheek. "Merry Christmas."

"You, too. I'm sorry to interrupt, but I forgot to ask you what I should bring tomorrow."

"A few bottles of wine, maybe? Actually, I'm glad you came over. I wanted you to meet Jean. Jean Beazley, Mattie O'Brien, the nurse I told you about. Mattie, Jean is.."

"I know exactly who Jean is. I saw the review in this morning's paper. Lovely to meet you, Jean."

"Thank you. They were very flattering."

"I repeat, it isn't flattery if it's true," said Lucien. "You should really come to hear her, Mattie."

"I was already planning to come to the club this weekend," said Mattie. "I'm off for the rest of the week."

"You aren't going to Sacramento to be with your parents for the holidays?" He turned to explain to Jean, "Mattie's father is Martin O'Brien, the California State Treasurer."

"You think I want to spend my precious time off going to formal dinners with stuffy politicians, just because he plans to run for governor next year? And listening to my father lecture me that I should have gone to law school? No, thank you. Believe me, your Christmas dinner will be much more fun. It's a tradition, after all."

"Well, then, I'll look forward to talking with you tomorrow," said Jean.

"By the way, Lucien, did you know your father's in Vienna? Your mother's probably alone for Christmas."

Jean could see Lucien clench his jaw in anger. "Bloody hell," he said under his breath. "Thank you for telling me, Mattie."

"I thought you'd want to know."

"Maybe she could come to your dinner tomorrow, if she's going to be alone?" Jean suggested.

"Exactly what I was thinking," said Lucien. He seemed to set his anger aside, now that he had a solution for the problem. "Mattie, Jean is looking for a new place to live."

"Really?" The girl's eyes lit up. "You don't smoke do you? Or throw wild parties?"

Jean laughed. "No, I don't smoke, and I can't remember the last time I even attended a wild party. Why?"

"I have an empty guest house that never gets used. I've been looking to rent it out again, but the last time I did, it was such a nightmare that I've been hesitant to advertise it. But if Lucien vouches for you, that's good enough for me."

She pointed to a charming little cottage on the next lot. It had a veranda along the ocean side, with a couple of lounge chairs. "If you're interested," Mattie continued, "I can show it to you."

"I'm interested," Jean said. "Just let me help get the groceries inside, then I'd love to see it."

"I'll take care of these, you go," said Lucien.

"Thank you," said Jean, patting his shoulder.

She followed Mattie across the yard and over to the guest house.

"I hope you like it," said Mattie. "It's furnished, but if you have your own stuff, we can put anything you don't want to use into storage." Unlocking and opening the door, she stepped back to allow Jean to enter.

It was a very open layout - the kitchen, dining area, and lounge were essentially one very large room. Only the bedroom and bathroom were enclosed. There were large windows everywhere, providing plenty of natural light, and everything was new and clean. The furnishings were all tasteful, in neutral colors, and the pale hardwood floors were gleaming. The kitchen drew her over to check out the appliances, which were gleaming and of good quality. Everything she needed to begin really cooking again.

It was the bedroom that really sold her on it - light and airy with a spectacular view of the ocean. She could just imagine waking up to the sound of the surf and seagulls each morning.

"I know it's small," said Mattie, "but what do you think?"

"It's actually quite a bit larger than my current apartment," Jean admitted. "What do I think? I think I'm in love with this place."

Mattie beamed. "That's great! It would be so nice to have a female neighbor, too. I love Lucien; he's very kind and tries his best to sympathize, but sometimes you just need another woman to vent to."

"I can understand that," said Jean, with a smile.

They quickly agreed on a monthly rent, and Mattie told Jean she was free to move in whenever she liked. They could sign a formal rental agreement right after the holiday.

"Thank you, Mattie. This is such a lovely place, and I'm looking forward to moving in. It's a weight off my mind to have it all settled."

"You're welcome. You're doing me a favor as well, having someone I can depend on to take over the house. I have a hunch we're going to get along just fine."

Feeling that she'd not only found a new home, but also made a new friend, Jean headed over to Lucien's house.