so, I know I said last chapter they'd be coming to Ballarat for the Begonia Festival, but silly me didn't check to see when they have it each year, so just pretend it's held in like... September instead of when it is (if it's not September) because we're roughly in September of 1962 with this story! - Dee
Lucien's hand was warm on her shoulder as they walked through downtown towards the bus station.
"You really don't have to come with me, Lucien," she told him.
"I don't have anything else to do," he grinned at Alice's disbelieving look, "alright, I'd love to meet your family and it'll be nice to see Frank again."
She shook her head with a fond smile just as someone called her name and two small arms wrapped as far as they could around her waist.
"Alice!" Hazel Jones looked up at her with a grin (she'd lost a tooth since the last time Alice saw her) as her father jogged up to them.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Lawson."
Alice smoothed a hand over Hazel's braided pigtails with a smile, "It's alright, Mr. Jones, Hazel didn't cause any harm. Though, Hazel, I wouldn't do that too often in the coming months, my balance isn't what it used to be."
Hazel giggled and hugged her tighter, "Baby Lawson is getting big!"
"Tell me about it," Alice muttered (narrowing her eyes at Lucien's laugh.) "What are you two up to today?"
"Errands," Harold answered. "We were just about done. And you, Dr. Lawson?"
"Picking up my sister and her family from the bus station," Alice smiled.
"You have a sister? Can I meet her?"
"Hazel," her father tutted. "We still have errands to finish and work to do at home."
"But I want to meet Alice's family, Papa!"
"Listen to you father, Hazel," Alice squeezed Hazel's shoulder. "My family will be here for the weekend, and I'm sure if you get all your work done today that maybe your father would let you come to the begonia festival with us tomorrow."
"Oh could I, Papa?"
Harold tried to look stern, but a smile broke through and he nodded, "So long as we finish up our errands and work today." he looked up at Alice, "Thank you, Dr. Lawson."
"I enjoy having Hazel around," Alice smiled back. "And my sister is bringing her youngest who is around Hazel's age I think."
"Good. Now, Hazel, we've got to be going."
"Okay," Hazel nodded. She squeezed Alice tight in a hug - one that Alice returned - before she followed her father into the grocer's with a wave.
Glancing down at her watch, Alice blanched, "Oh bloody hell, we're late."
She hurried along as fast as Baby Lawson (and Lucien) would allow, arriving at the bus station just as Peggy and Frank got off. A small girl, with Peggy's big hazel eyes and thick golden blonde hair held back with ribbons held her sister's hand. Peggy waved when she spotted Alice as Frank got their luggage.
"Allie!" Peggy smiled and hugged her sister with one arm. "You look well."
"So do you, was the journey alright?" Alice hugged her back.
"It was, luckily my little one was entertained by her book so it went smoothly. Speaking of which, Alice, I'd like you to meet Miss Bernice Walton. Bernie, this is your Auntie Alice."
"Hello, Auntie Alice," the girl waved with a smile.
"Hello, Bernice," Alice waved back.
"Mummy said you're gonna have a baby, where is it?"
"Bernice Eleanor," her sister chided even as Alice smiled. "I'm sorry, Allie."
"Now I see what you meant by her reminding you of me," Alice teased. "There's nothing wrong with asking questions."
"Your Auntie Alice asks them all the time," Lucien spoke up. "Dr. Lucien Blake, I work with Alice."
"Blake!" Frank walked up as Lucien introduced himself to Peggy. "Been awhile."
"Ah, Frank, you look well. Let me help you with the luggage."
"Auntie Alice," Bernice tugged on her hand as they all left the bus station together. "You didn't answer the question."
The exasperated look on her sister's face made Alice laugh harder than she should have. Letting Bernice swing their joined hands as they walked, she explained where Baby Lawson was and answered all of her niece's questions all the way to the front door of the house.
"You're going to be great, Allie," Peggy pulled her in for a hug once they got inside 7 Mycroft Avenue. "You have more patience than I do with Bernice's questions."
"No, Peg, you've done wonders with her. She's polite and knows her own mind, that all comes from you; I certainly remember a forthright baby sister when we were young."
Peggy laughed, "You'll thank me later if your child turns out to be stubborn."
"With me and Matthew as the parents, stubborness is a guarantee, Peg."
Her sister laughed again and they joined their loved ones in the kitchen for tea and biscuits. Alice and Peggy got caught up - telling each other all that had happened in the decades they'd spent apart. Alice learned about her nieces and nephew (as well as answered Bernice's questions as the popped up) and she was halfway through a story involving Lucien and Frank when the front door opened and she heard Matthew's familiar gait.
"Full house, Jean?" her husband teased as he looked into the kitchen.
"There's plenty for everyone, Matthew, and I have your lunch on the stove."
"Bless you, Jean Blake," Matthew grinned as he picked up the plate on the stove and sat next to Alice. Before anything else, he leaned over and kissed Alice's cheek.
"Hi," Alice whispered with a smile as he kissed her cheek again and gently rubbed her belly.
"Hi there, sweetheart. I didn't wake you too early, did I?"
"No, I think I slept right through the early morning call."
"Good," he smiled.
"Matthew, this is my sister Peggy Walton. Peg, this is my husband, Matthew Lawson. He's also the Chief Superintendent of police here in Ballarat."
"It's nice to put a face to the name," Peggy shook Matthew's hand.
"Likewise."
"Allie didn't mention you were a copper," Peggy teased her sister. "Though I should have guessed it with her line of work. It's how I met Frank."
Matthew chuckled and shook hands with Ballarat's former superintendent. "I think Alice didn't want to admit most of our flirting was over dead bodies in the morgue."
Peggy laughed as Alice shook her head with a smile. "Is that true, Allie?"
She felt her cheeks grow warm - to the point that the tips of her ears burned as her sister laughed again. Matthew leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"I'm just teasing, sweetheart. I quite like our moments in the morgue," he whispered in her ear.
"I'll get you later for this," Alice smiled and kissed him softly. "Eat your lunch, I know you've got to get back to work soon."
"I'll be home for dinner."
"Good," Alice kissed him again and let him eat his lunch as conversation passed around the table. Matthew's hand stayed on her belly - Baby Lawson kicking frequently throughout.
He finished just as the phone rang and the station called for his return. With a handshake to Frank and Peggy, a kiss to Jean's cheek as he brought his dish over to the sink, and a kiss to the top of Alice's head, Matthew left with Lucien in tow.
Alice helped Jean with the dishes as the others moved to the parlor, "Thank you, Jean."
"Whatever for?"
"You didn't have to let my sister and Frank stay here, but you did."
"They're family, Alice, and family is always welcome here," Jean squeezed her shoulder.
She surprised Jean with a sudden (and slightly sudsy) hug, "Thank you."
"Of course, Alice." Her friend smoothed her hands up and down Alice's back as she sniffled into Mrs. Blake's shoulder - overcome by the generosity of the Blakes as well as Baby Lawson stirring up her hormones.
Alice leaned back with a laugh, "I'm afraid I've got your shirt all wet, Jean."
"Easily fixed," Jean teased. "What a pair we make, hm?"
"Indeed," Alice laughed again.
"I've got the rest of these, why don't you go sit with your sister? If I need help, I'll draft Frank into service."
She laughed and bumped shoulders with Jean while she gave the dish in her hands one last swipe with the drying cloth. Her friend gently reached out and wiped away the lingering tears and mascara tracks on her cheeks before giving her a motherly pat and a warm smile. Squeezing Jean's hand, Alice walked into the parlor and firmly ensconced herself into the armchair Matthew usually sat in.
As Frank handed her a cup of tea with a smile, Alice settled back and propped her feet up on the ottoman in front of her as she talked with her sister. At some point, Bernice wiggled her way into her aunt's lap, somehow making room for both her and Baby Lawson - nearly upsetting the refilled cup of tea in Alice's hand - but Alice waved off Peggy's concern with a smile.
"I've got to get used to a child worming their way into my lap or arms before this little one comes along, Peg, might as well start now."
Her sister laughed, "It will happen more often than you think, particularly at night."
"What are you hoping for?" Frank asked Alice. "Boy or girl?"
Alice shrugged as Bernice leaned against her shoulder and tapped on her baby bump, "I'm not really partial to either, but I think Matthew would like a girl - less likely to want to play sports."
"I'd pay good money to see a child of yours play any sport," Frank laughed - even as Peggy elbowed him in the side.
"Just for that, I'll make sure that the baby plays one regardless of gender," Alice shot back. "Maybe they'll even go to the Olympics."
He shook his head with a fond smile and wrapped an arm around Peggy's shoulders, "You're just stubborn enough to make it happen, so that's one bet I won't be taking."
"Smart man."
Both Matthew and Lucien had to miss dinner for the case, but luckily they'd wrapped it up early enough for both of them to come home before it was too late in the night. Alice looked up at the light knock on their door and met Matthew's eyes in the mirror of her small vanity.
"Oh good, I was worried about waking you."
She smiled, "No, I'm still getting ready, dear."
He crossed the room and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, breathing in the familiar mix of antiseptic and peonies of his wife's perfume. Squeezing her shoulder, Matthew kissed her forehead when she tilted her head back and then pressed another to her lips. Alice covered his hand with hers and hummed in the back of her throat when he kissed her again.
"I'm sorry I missed dinner, sweetheart," Matthew whispered.
"It's alright. I know who I married when you asked, Matthew. Odd hours and late nights are old friends of mine."
He laughed lightly and kissed her again. "I'll let you finish getting ready for bed and join you."
"Not tired yet?"
"No, still a bit wired from all the tea."
"You change into your pajamas, I'll go get us some water from the kitchen."
He did as he was told and went through his nightly routine - settling back on the bed just as Alice returned with two glasses of water in her hands. She placed them on the bedside table and smiled when he opened his arms. It took a bit of shuffling, but Alice sat between his legs - giggling when he pulled her closer.
"Good day, sweetheart?"
"Tiring day, but good," Alice nodded. "I'm glad Peg and I found each other again."
Matthew kissed her cheek, "I am too. Now our kid will grow up with another auntie and a couple more cousins than before."
She giggled, "Like they weren't already going to have an abundance of family. Speaking of Baby Lawson…"
"Yes?"
Alice leaned over for a drink of water, offering it to Matthew (who took a sip of his own before putting the glass back down). "Frank Carlyle asked if I wanted a boy or girl."
"And?" Matthew smoothed his hands up and down her bare upper arms.
Alice shrugged. "I'm not partial to either gender, and I told him as much, but it got me thinking about some things we've not yet prepared for. Baby furniture, nappies, clothes… I guess we've just been so busy with everything else we haven't thought of anything, not even names."
"Have you thought about names?" Matthew asked as she settled back against him.
"A little after we married, but I wanted to discuss them with you." Alice sighed happily when Matthew wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"And?"
"I'm stuck."
He laughed and held her tight, "Names are hard, aren't they?"
"They are!" she threaded her fingers with his. "So many options and choices… and then I worry that it won't fit the baby at all once they're born."
"Hm… we could always have different options and then once the baby's born we pick one of them. Maybe three boy choices, three girls?"
"What did Vera do?"
"Oh she had Rose's name picked out the second she found out she was pregnant," he sighed. "I think she'd always wanted to name her daughter that, she had a harder time with a boy name."
Alice sighed heavily. "Oh, why is this so hard?"
He chuckled in her ear and pressed a kiss to the sensitive skin below it, "We've got some time still. Baby Lawson won't be arriving for another three months or so."
"True."
"What about… family names? Anyone in your family you were close to?"
Alice shook her head, "No… there's Peg and that's about it."
"Hm… we could do Elizabeth - for both my mother and Dr. Mac."
"Elizabeth Lawson… that could work. What about Jean? I think it'd be a nice touch since she's done so much for us."
Matthew laughed lightly and Alice shifted in his arms.
"What, what's so funny?"
"Jean Lawson… time was - before I met you and before Lucien came back - that I went on a few dates with Jean. If things were different, there might have been a Jean Lawson in Ballarat."
Alice laughed, "You courted Jean?"
"Only one or two dates, sweetheart," he protested. "Besides, we're much better friends; Jean's practically my sister at this point. It's not like either of us were completely chaste before meeting each other."
"True, I'll have you know I walked around the park with Frank Carlyle a handful of times."
"Frank Carlyle?"
"Yes."
"What happened?"
She shrugged, "We were better as friends - still are."
"Huh," Matthew kissed the back of her shoulder as Baby Lawson kicked his hands. "And now he's dating your sister."
"He picked the wrong Harvey girl the first time around," Alice grinned when Matthew laughed. "He's good for her."
"He is."
"I suppose you have some ideas on names?" she shifted in his arms as the baby danced around.
"Eh, maybe," Matthew shrugged and smoothed his hands down her sides to gently knead the tight muscles of her lower back. He smiled when Alice practically melted back against his hands. "The Blakes have done a lot for us."
"You want to name our child after one of them?"
"Thomas is always a solid name, but you never met him. Lucien's an option."
"Oh no," Alice giggled, "I think one Lucien in Ballarat is enough."
"True, true," he smiled.
"We could… incorporate it somehow though… maybe Luke?"
"Luke Lawson? Mm, maybe as a middle name."
"How about… Jonathan Luke? We could call him Jack."
"That's a good name. So we have… Jack, Thomas, Elizabeth-"
"Elizabeth Jean."
"Right, Elizabeth Jean."
"And Thomas can have your middle name, so he'd be Thomas Henry."
"Sounds like an uppity git: Thomas Henry Lawson."
She swatted at his good knee with a laugh, "Watch it, that might be Baby Lawson's name."
Matthew laughed as he pressed a kiss to her neck.
"How about you pick a girl's name, since we have two boys and only one girl so far, Matthew."
"Hm… what's your favorite book?"
"Jane Eyre."
"What about Jane?"
Alice shrugged and wrinkled her nose a bit, "I don't know…"
"Joanna? Jacqueline? Jill?"
"Now you're just saying names that start with that letter until you land on one I like," she giggled.
"I could do other letters too."
"Matthew."
"That's not a girl name, sweetheart."
"You're being ridiculous."
He laughed and pulled her close as he trailed kisses up and down her neck and shoulder. "I'm just trying to get you to relax a little, sweetheart. We'll figure out the name - we'll know what feels right when the baby comes."
Alice let out a frustrated sigh even as she leaned into his kisses, "I just… I'm getting tired of waiting."
"The seemingly never-ending patience of Dr. Alice Lawson runs out, hm?"
"Oh very funny."
Matthew rubbed his hands up and down her sides, "Not even you can hurry a baby along, sweetheart. Nature will run its course in due time, and while we wait we'll prepare as best we can."
"I suppose."
"I can't hurry along the pregnancy, but I can help distract you from it."
"Oh?" Alice shivered as he slowly drew the hem of her nightgown up and teased the soft skin of her inner thighs. "What did you have in mind, Superintendent Lawson?"
"Something that'll put all thought of baby names out of your mind, Doctor."
Her low, throaty laughter was her only response as Matthew's hands got to work.