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"I'm telling you, Jean, it goes the other way." This time of night was becoming her favorite part of the day. The boys and Thomas were already in bed and, if he wasn't working on a case, she and Lucien would spend the time together, listening to music, talking, anything they could do to just to be together. Currently, they were working on a jigsaw puzzle. Lucien was shaking his head at her and was rather put out she refused to listen to him and then...the puzzle piece fit. He closed his eyes and smiled. "Right. Like that."
Jean was grinning ear to ear, hands on her knees. "Well, care for some humble pie, Doctor?" She made to get up from the settee but he stopped her with his hand on her arm.
"Oh, no you don't. Not the "doctor" business again."
She paused and genuinely asked, "Why don't you like to be called "doctor"."
He leaned in toward her. "You know, I don't mind so much when other people call me that, but you..." He blushed a bit and his voice got softer. "I want you to call me by my name." Her shade of red matched his and she smiled. They still hadn't officially moved past the friend stage. They had comforted each other when need be, even cuddled on the settee a few evenings while listening to the wireless but it was perfectly harmless. His current proximity to her and the look in his eyes had her heart racing.
She whispered, "Lucien it is then." She leaned toward him. Their lips met in the softest, sweetest of kisses. They both smiled as they broke the kiss. His hand came up to caress her cheek.
He said softly, "It feels like I have waited an eternity to do that."
"Well, don't make it that long for kiss number two."
"You mean you'll let me kiss you again?"
She said with a wink, "Only if you're good."
He enjoyed their banter immensely. He took her hands in his and looked more serious. "Jean, the last time we spoke of the prospect of us-"
"I know but I don't want to fight it anymore, Lucien. I care about you and I'd like to try to see if we can make this work."
He kissed her hand. His bright smile was back along with the twinkle in his eye. "So then, you'll let me court you?"
She squeezed his hands. "Oh, please do." Lucien leaned in and kissed her lips with a little more confidence this time, catching her top lip between his as he broke away. "I quite like kiss number two."
She snuggled into his side as he chuckled and put his arms around her. "There will be plenty more of that." He squeezed her. "You make me very happy, Jean."
She squeezed him in return. "That goes both ways, Lucien." They sat there, content in each other's arms until the early morning, eventually finding their way to their own bedrooms.
Thomas could tell something had changed. The two of them were sitting closer together and the innocent touches lasted a bit longer than would pass for innocent. He was trying to contain his excitement until he had confirmation. He didn't want to pry but he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to wait for them to tell him. Finally a few nights later, after the boys went upstairs, he blurted it out. "Do you two have something you'd like to tell me?!" He scoffed at their matching innocent faces. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I know you two are up to something."
Lucien pulled a bill from his billfold and handed it to Jean, who gladly took it. At his dad's confused look he said, "Jean said you'd be the first to crack. I was sure the boys would." At his father's slow rising grin he continued, "Father, Jean and I are officially courting."
"Oh, that's splendid, son!" He stood, as fast as he could at his age, and kissed Jean on the cheek. "That's the best medicine for this old heart." Jean's eyes filled with happy tears.
"Thank you, Doctor."
He walked over to his son and gave him a bear hug, then pushed back a bit and said with his finger waving at him, "Don't you screw this up."
Lucien rolled his eyes but couldn't contain his smile. "Gee, thanks, dad." Looking at Jean he said, "I'll try my best not to."
He patted Lucien on the back. "That's all I have ever asked of you, that you do your best. I'm proud of you son." All three of them were teary eyed.
Jean cleared her throat. "Who would like some tea?"
Thomas put his hand up. "Oh, none for me, thank you. I need to read up on some files and then go to bed."
They watched as he walked around the corner toward the study. Lucien stepped toward Jean, hands in his pockets. "Well, that went well."
She laughed and closed the distance. "I knew it would."
Before their lips met, he said, "I can't believe you actually took my money."
She put her hand behind his head, pulling him to her as she laughed into his kiss. She briefly pulled back. "I won, fair and square." His chuckle vibrated her lips. His hands went to her hips as he deepened the kiss. He groaned into her mouth when he heard the ring of the phone. Leaning his forehead against hers, they knew Thomas would pick it up but there was no doubt who the call would be for.
He kissed her nose when his dad called for him. "I suspect 'don't wait up' is in order." She gave him a sympathetic smile as she watched him walk away.
It was indeed Matthew on the phone and they spent most of the night trying to figure out why an Army Sergeant had drowned in Lake Wendouree. They couldn't find any evidence at the scene. There was no car, so they weren't even sure how he got there. Lucien spent the rest of the night performing the autopsy. He found the sergeant hadn't drowned at all, he had been killed before he went into the water. He had died from blunt force trauma to the chest. He dropped off his report for Matthew and Ashby and went home, wondering what could have happened to the sergeant.
He got home just in time to wave to the boys as they were off to school. He slowly made his way inside. His dad was in the surgery and Jean was cleaning the kitchen. He walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and said, "You must be exhausted. Can I fix you something to eat?"
"No, thank you, Jean. I'm going to see if I can get some sleep first."
She sensed there was something more than just exhaustion causing his somber mood but she didn't push. She watched him as he made his way to the stairs. He seemed a bit preoccupied. She came to the conclusion they must not have gotten very far with the case. She made a mental note to stay close by in case he needed to talk.
Two hours later there was a knock at the door. Jean opened the door to a tall man in uniform, about Lucien's age, maybe older.
"Is this the home of Lucien Blake?"
Jean didn't know why but the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Her guard went up automatically. "Yes, it is. Can I help you?"
He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Is he in, Miss?"
She held her ground. "It's Mrs. Beazley. And you are?"
"Major Alderton."
"I'll go see if he's available, Major. Won't be but a moment." With that she shut the door and left him on the front porch. She knew it was rude but she didn't like the feeling she was getting from this man. She went up to Lucien's room and knocked lightly. She slowly opened the door, smiling at his soft snore. He was still in his trousers and his singlet. He didn't even make it under the covers. She hated to have to wake him when he was sleeping so peacefully but she needed to know who that man was to him. She rubbed his shoulder and gently called his name. He stirred and looked up at her groggily. "I'm sorry to wake you but you have a visitor."
He groaned, "It's alright." He swung his legs around the side of the bed and sat up. He took a moment to run his hands though his hair and over his face. She put out a hand to help him up and he pulled her into a hug once he was standing. She rubbed his back and kissed his neck. "Mmm, this is nice. I don't mind being woken up for this." He pulled back to look at her. They smiled at each other.
"I wouldn't have woken you but there's a gentleman outside asking for you, a Major Alderton." His face fell and she was unsure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Outside? Right now?" He moved quickly down the stairs and yanked open the door. "You bugger! It really is you!"
They hugged and slapped each other's arms. "Lucien, you look well."
"Derek, you look…like you're still in the army. What are you still doing in uniform?"
"I had a change of heart and decided to stay in."
Lucien suddenly realized they were still outside. "Please, come in." He ushered him in to the kitchen and sat at the table. "You've met Jean?"
"Mrs. Beazley. Yes, I had the pleasure." Jean smiled to be cordial but her nerves were still on guard. There was something about this man.
Lucien sensed some tension between the two but shook it off. "So, what brings you to Ballarat, Derek?"
"I had a sergeant that was missing. Seems he turned up in your lake last night."
Lucien was shocked. "That was rather quick for you to get here."
"Well, we wanted to claim his body and find out what happened to him. So we can let his family know, of course."
Lucien was skeptical of his old friend. "Of course."
"Lucien, have you thought of reenlisting? I could really use your help."
Lucien laughed. "I'm sorry, Derek. Those days are over. I paid my dues. I would have thought you'd have felt the same way."
Derek was straight-faced. "No, there's much left to do. Please, give it some thought."
He didn't like the way he said that. "Well, are you going to be in town for a few days? Where are you staying?"
"Yes, I think so. Soldiers' Hill."
"I'll stop by tonight and we'll have a drink, yes?"
"Sounds good, Lucien. Until then…think about what I said." They rose from the table and walked to the front door. They shook hands and Lucien closed the door behind him. He turned and met Jean's gaze.
He cocked his head to the side and worked his jaw back and forth. She knew that look and it gave her feelings for the Major some validation.