*Set at the end of 4.1. I have always wanted to write this little missing scene, It is (wait for it) … fluffy fluff. Shocking from me, I know ;-)
Lucien and Mattie were back from their drive in his new car. As they walked toward the house, she informed him that she was going for drinks with friends after dinner.
"And you know Charlie is on night shift." She smiled knowingly as Lucien tried to keep a straight face.
"You don't say?" His eyes were on his hand, holding the door open for her.
All through dinner, Mattie was wishing she had just gone out for food too, as the air between her dear friends was positively charged, and even she felt she was in the way. With an odd silence and loaded glances accompanying their normally animated meal, she made her escape as quickly as possible. It went practically unnoticed.
As Jean was washing the dishes later, she noticed a slight shake to her hands, not that she was too surprised by the nerves. She had had butterflies in her stomach all day, as she ran around with Lucien, unwilling or unable, to leave his side.
From the moment their eyes met across the hospital hallway, until their scare at the show grounds, neither of them could imagine being out of the others reach. The utter surprise of being together again so soon, bringing them an excitement that was palpable.
When Lucien left her in Adelaide, things were still a bit, up in the air. They had become so good at talking around their changing friendship, there was no definite plan. But their shared affection, when they were able to be together there, was a sure sign that very real change was on the horizon for them.
He hadn't outright asked her to come back to Ballarat, but they discussed how long she thought she would be needed there. An unspoken understanding that she would be coming home.
"It depends on Ruby and Amelia, I guess." She had shyly answered when he brought it up, her head resting on his shoulder. Their last day together.
"Well, I'll just hope they're both quick learners then. Shall I?" He had responded, before kissing the top of her head.
She could still feel his lips there, waiting for him to rest his cheek on her next, followed by a deep intake of breath. They had a rhythm she could predict… a comfortable affection. And as she stood at the sink, back at home, she could almost feel him again.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Lucien gave a soft laugh, after the splash of a dish falling into the soapy water. "I didn't mean to startle you."
She immediately realized his hands were on her hips, and that feeling of his lips, had been very real. His arms had been around her shoulders many times now, but… this was something else. His hands, on her body, below her waist. Lucien Blake. Her head was spinning.
He moved beside her grabbing the towel to dry, a familiar dance of theirs. But this time she couldn't wipe the lovesick smile off her face. She dared to glance on his direction, only to feel that smile grow even wider, as their eyes met, sparkling with joy.
"So, are you back for good then?" He was staring at the plate in his hands now.
"Well," She cleared her throat. "I'll need to call Christopher, I left in such a hurry. But yes, I think so." Their eyes met again, with a new shyness that felt young, light and happy.
"Good." His smile fell, the tone becoming more serious. "I don't think I could bear for you to leave again."
Tears sprang to her eyes at his words. And as much as she wanted to look away, hide, retreat from what those tears were saying, she could not.
The corners of his mouth curved in understanding, as his eyes began to shine as well. They fell to her lips, and he thought he might finally lose the battle with his desire, to taste them.
He stepped forward. And as he did every fiber of Jean's body was telling her to move, break the trance. But all she could do, was relax into submission. Her shoulders practically falling to the floor as she exhaled a deep breath in anticipation. She could feel the heat of him, so close. No longer side by side, shoulder to shoulder, they were now face to face.
They both jumped, when the plate he was still holding, hit the floor. Jeans cheeks immediately flushing a beautiful shade of crimson he had never seen before, and it immediately became his favorite color.
She had bent down, picking up the bigger pieces, desperately trying to slow her heart rate, when she felt him again.
As they both kneeled before the carnage that was his mother's serving plate, he ran his hand over her hair, and kissed her there. She smiled as he cupped her face.
The trance had been broken, but they both knew, in that tiny moment, that this was new. They were new.
No grand gestures or declarations were necessary, at least not yet. But what they thought had changed about their friendship, in Adelaide, they were now both certain was a love that would grow immeasurably for the rest of their lives.
