5.06 has come to an end! (Finally) Alice gets those test results back, has a conversation with Matthew, and works on getting her house ready to move into. - Dee

Alice sucked in a deep breath when she read the report in her hands; nodding to herself after she chewed idly on her thumbnail, she quickly grabbed her coat, handbag, and the folder - leaving a note to call the Blake house if she was needed - before leaving the morgue. The house was blissfully quiet when she arrived, though Lucien was in his study.

"Alice! Got something related to the case?" He asked from his desk.

"No!" she hid the folder behind her - a second too late by the amused gleam in Lucien's eye.

"What have you got?"

"Nothing for you, so mind your business."

"Alice!"

"Mind your business, Lucien Blake!" she called over her shoulder as she moved further into the house to find Jean. Her friend was out in the garden - toiling away to ready it for the coming summer. "Jean!"

"Oh, hello, Alice, you're home early," Jean smiled as she stood and removed her work gloves.

Alice looked behind her to make sure Lucien hadn't followed her out, but she did spy a familiar flash of blond in the surgery window, so she waited until she was close enough to Jean to speak.

"I have something for you," she handed the folder over and stood right next to her - shielding the folder from Lucien's nosy gaze.

"Is this…?"

Alice nodded and watched as Jean opened it with shaking hands. "Do you need me to tell you what it says?"

"No," Jean laughed a little nervously as tears started to gather in her eyes while she read the results - but a smile started to spread on her face, so Alice's worry over Jean's reaction lessened some. "No, thank you, Alice… for doing the test and bringing these to me… I couldn't have asked for a better friend."

"So… you're happy with the result?"

Jean's smile grew stronger as she nodded, "I am… oh, I am, Alice… I'm worried about it all, especially with my age, but… I have to admit that I'm happy about the news I'm going to deliver to Lucien."

"Good, you… the two of you deserve this, Jean."

"Thank you," Jean pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you, Alice. I'm… let me go tell him and then I can get started on tea."

"Nonsense, you go tell that nosy husband of yours the good news, I'm going to go see Matthew at the station before picking Anna up."

Jean hugged her again, "Thank you. And… Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Could… could you keep this quiet for now? Just for a little while as Lucien and I get a chance to absorb this and talk?"

"Of course, Jean. I won't tell anyone."

"Matthew can know if for some reason he has some… suspicion, but I'd like to keep it private."

"I won't tell Matthew unless he absolutely has to know, Jean, or if Lucien gets excited and tells him."

At that, Jean laughed and shooed Alice towards the breezeway connecting the backyard to the front, "Go, enjoy your afternoon."

"You're sure?"

"I am."

With one last hug, Alice left Jean in the garden - looking back to catch the slowly beaming smile on her friend's face as she read the results again; getting into her car, Alice let out a small laugh, she had a new deadline to get the house ready, no doubt Matthew would prefer not to be around the Blakes as much once Lucien got wind of his impending fatherhood.

Lucien was over the moon when Matthew got home that day and Matthew found it annoying. He wasn't about to ask his friend what had caused his good mood - it might not be a reason he wanted to hear - so Matthew just harrumphed a bit at dinner before retreating to his favorite chair in the parlor to read; Anna joined him shortly, asking him (with the biggest blue eyes he'd ever seen her use) to read to her and Matthew couldn't help but give in.

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger," Alice teased him later that night once they'd gone to bed.

"She's cute, what can I say?"

That got him a laugh and a short kiss before Alice turned off her bedside lamp and settled down to sleep. Sleep eluded them both, however, as something bothered Alice, and her shifting and brooding kept him from drifting off (as much as he wanted to).

Rolling over to face her with a sigh, Matthew cracked an eye open to see his fiance fully awake and staring up at the ceiling - the familiar furrow firmly between her brows.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"It's nothing."

"I can hear you thinking," he smiled when she chuckled a little. "What is it?"

"I… It's not something I can tell you… it's not my secret to tell."

"But it's clearly bothering you."

Alice sighed heavily and scooted closer to him in bed, "It's not the secret it's more… evaluating parts of my life because of that secret."

"Sweetheart," Matthew sighed and kissed her temple, "it's too late for cryptic talk and I'm too tired for it… how about a hypothetical situation? No names, but you get to talk about it."

She was quiet for quite awhile, "Wouldn't that still be telling the secret?"

"Not exactly, you get to choose which details of the secret to tell me, and if I guess along the way we'll just keep it between us - nothing will have to leave the bedroom before we want it, sweetheart."

"Okay…" she nodded and smiled when he kissed her cheek and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Say that… a friend of mine - very close in age to me - just found out she's expecting."

"Expecting what?"

A pointed glance from Alice had him clearing his throat, "Ah, expecting expecting, got it."

"Yes, say that she's found out she's expecting a baby, and that I have realized that we've not been as careful as we could be when it comes to…"

"Sex?"

Alice swatted at his arm, but she giggled and nodded.

"What's got you worried?"

Alice stared at him again, waiting silently as he thought. Friend, close in age, expecting a baby and Alice was worried about the two of them when it came to sex; Matthew didn't quite get why she was worried unless it was about-

Oh.

"Oh, ah…" Matthew felt his cheeks warm - his eyes growing wide as Alice's body shook with silent laughter. "Um, well, you're not the friend in this situation, are you?"

"No, my dear Matthew, if I was expecting a baby I wouldn't tell you in a hypothetical situation," she patted his cheek, "but… the worry over us not taking precautions seriously as we should the last few times has got me worried."

"Do you think you're…?"

Alice shook her head, "I don't think so, but I think it's something we should talk about."

"Agreed," Matthew shifted on the bed and smiled when Alice rolled to face him. "So, kids."

"Yes… do… do you want them, Matthew?"

"When I was younger, yes," he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I thought I'd settle down early on with my soulmate and maybe we'd have a kid or two."

"I'm sorry you had to wait for so long."

"Don't be, sweetheart," he kissed her forehead again. "You were worth the wait, and so was Anna."

"So… do you still want kids now?"

Matthew shook his head, "No, Anna's more than enough. What about you?"

"I never really wanted children… not after growing up with my father; I didn't want to chance me ending up like him."

"You're in no way like him, Alice," he kissed her softly, "Anna absolutely adores you."

"Thank you, dearest… so, Anna is enough for both of us?"

"Absolutely."

"What if… I end up pregnant because of the last few times?"

"Then… we'll have to have another discussion."

"Matthe-" he put a finger over her mouth to continue talking.

"I'd love to have a child with you, sweetheart, but we've got your health to think of, and not just physical. Would you want to go through with a pregnancy?"

She sighed and pulled his hand up to kiss his palm, "Honestly? No. As much as I love the idea of seeing you hold a child we made together, Matthew, I'm just… I don't do well with children under Anna's age."

"So, let's hope you haven't caught," Alice giggled when he winked, "and if you have… we'll take whatever steps necessary to… deal with it."

Alice kissed his palm again and then his lips, "You're a godsend, dearest."

"I just want you to be happy, sweetheart; you're happy with how our life is right now, and I most definitely am. Anna's more than enough."

"And we'll take more precautions?"

"I'll nip into the chemist more often, sweetheart, I promise."

She giggled as he kissed her and rolled her beneath him in bed, "Have you gone lately? I'm not so tired yet tonight."

"Cheeky girl," he nipped at her throat, but reached into his bedside table drawer - grinning at her laughter.

He had a feeling he'd know who this friend was of Alice's, but for right now he'd enjoy taking precautions with Alice.

"So tell me again why we're dining here instead of with the Blakes?" Matthew asked her as she finished laying out another blanket - he and Anna had brought in a few pillows and cushions for them to lounge on.

"We needed to finish painting the house and I figured if we have some sandwiches here we could finish it all by the end of the weekend."

"So we're also camping here for tonight?"

Alice grinned as she helped Matthew down onto the floor, "Yes, I thought you'd enjoy an adventure."

"Everyday is an adventure with you, sweetheart," he pulled her down for a kiss as she laughed.

"Are we sleeping in here tonight, Mumma?"

"We are, my dear girl, though not here in the parlor. Daddy has to have lots of support with his leg, so we have a mattress in our future bedroom, and we found a smaller one for your room too."

"Can't I stay with you?" Anna pouted as Alice handed her a sandwich.

"We'll see how tired you are when we finish painting for the day," she smiled when Anna giggled.

Matthew leaned over Alice's shoulder to pick up his own sandwich, "Have plans for us later, sweetheart?"

"If you behave," she teased even as her cheeks warmed and Matthew kissed her cheek.

After the feast of sandwiches, milk, and tea, they finished up painting the hallway and the bathrooms - the guest room and master bedroom had been touched up that morning - and thankfully the smell of paint was whisked away by the open windows and doors. Anna grew tired once they wrapped up the bathrooms, so Alice helped her scrub the paint from her arms ("How did you get it everywhere!") amidst her daughter's giggles, and then into a nightgown before she was tucked into bed.

"Mumma, can I stay with you and Daddy?" Anna yawned as Alice pulled up the blanket to cover her.

Looking over her shoulder to see Matthew leaning up against the doorway, she smiled when he nodded.

"Alright, my girl, but no wallowing when Daddy and I come to bed later."

Hoisting Anna up into her arms - blankets and Goose and all - Alice transferred her daughter (already fast asleep) to their future bedroom; Matthew pressed a kiss to their sleeping daughter's forehead before Alice put her down on the bed.

"You know this means we'll just be sleeping once we finish cleaning up," Alice teased him softly as they watched Anna snuggle further into the bedding.

"Ah, think of it as a precaution."

She muffled her laughter in his shoulder before he pulled her away from their future bedroom and back to the parlor; Alice gasped quietly at the newly set up candles around the room, she spun in a small circle to take it all in as Matthew limped over to the record player in the corner (they'd blasted tunes to hear throughout the house before dinner) and with a few seconds of scratchy silence, soon Duke Ellington played softly.

"May I have this dance, Dr. Harvey?" Matthew extended a hand.

Alice took it, "You may, Chief Superintendent Lawson."

He pulled her into his arms and slowly twirled them on the spot; Alice sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder - without her heels on she could just about tuck her head under his chin, and Matthew's arms were warm around her as they swayed.

"So…" he pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "Why are we here tonight, really?"

She chuckled, "What are you, a copper?"

"Cheeky girl, you know I am."

Snorting as she kissed his cheek, Alice lingered, "I wanted to give the Blakes the house to themselves since Charlie's at the station tonight."

"Why?"

"Why not?" Alice shrugged. "He was stabbed, he's been unruly and tensions have been high between them, so I thought they should have some peace and quiet to sort things out. That, and…"

"Yes?"

"You swear to me that you'll keep this part secret?"

Matthew let go of her hand and crossed his heart - kissing her softly when she smiled, "I promise."

"Jean's pregnant."

"What!"

Alice shushed him with a hand over his mouth as she giggled - their dance temporarily forgotten as Matthew stared at her; finally, he pulled her hand from his mouth as her giggles tapered off.

"She's what?"

"Pregnant, my dear man."

"So, your friend from the other night…?"

Alice nodded, "Jean."

"That explains Lucien's obnoxiousness that night, but I wasn't about to ask him."

"Smart man," pressing a kiss to his cheek, Alice pulled away from him to flip the record and start up their dance again. "They'll probably announce it at some point, but I think they're both waiting until it's safer - that the pregnancy will go through to full term."

"When do you think Baby Blake will join us?"

"Some time in the new year," she shrugged as Matthew smoothed a hand up and down her back. "They've got some time to get ready at least."

"Mm-hm," he hummed and kissed her temple. "Is this why you've suddenly decided to hurry with the house?"

"It's about time, Matthew, and I don't think you still want to be staying there when the baby's born."

"True, nor do I really want to stick around for Lucien's motherhenning."

Snorting a laugh, Alice buried her face in the crook of his neck, "He can be worse than an actual hen."

"True, true. So… with the house finishing up, should we start to think about our wedding?"

"I suppose so… would you be heartbroken if I said I didn't want it in the church?"

"Not at all, we could… look for a secular location instead."

"And do I have to wear white?"

"Well, you're not exactly a virgin so…" He grinned when she swatted at his arse. "You pick whatever colors you want, sweetheart, we'll figure out the rest together."

"Together," she smiled and lifted her head to kiss him softly.