Sorry for the delay guys, real life got the better of me. I still have a couple of chapter ideas to go, and I hope you enjoy this latest instalment!

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Christopher was absolutely dumbfounded. He expected Amelia to be well taken care of; after all, he left her in the care of his mother and three other competent adults. But to watch them move around each other in such an efficient and well-practice manner after a mere ten days all together – it astonished him, and frankly put the Army to shame. If only he could coordinate his unit the way this family could coordinate dinner preparation time.

Charlie put together the roast chicken complete with fresh herbs from the garden, dressed fetchingly in Jean's floral apron as he chopped and arranged veggies in the roasting dish, which baffled Christopher to no end. Matthew held Amelia on his lap in the living room, waving the rattle and making her laugh around her teething ring, which seemed a far cry from the impression his mother gave of the serious policeman. Jean was busy clearing away the remnants of broken plates strewn across the kitchen table – Lucien's experiments, she said, as though that was any explanation at all – in such an unflustered way that Christopher had to question just how often Lucien Blake got into the crockery cupboard and destroyed things.

And as for Blake himself, well he was busy tidying up his lab so that, in his words, a prolonged reaction between two certain chemicals wouldn't produce any noxious gases and poison them all where they ate. That last part alarmed Christopher to no end, and it had taken a good deal of convincing from his mother to reassure him Amelia had never once been in any danger of poisoning of any kind. (She wisely left out any mention of Amelia joining Lucien in the lab, figuring that was need-to-know information, and Christopher didn't need to know).

"Charlie, pop another onion on that tray, Christopher likes them too" said Jean.

"Yes Mrs Bee" he replied, doing as she asked, cutting another onion into quarters and placing it around the bird in the tray. It occurred to Christopher that the shortened name might prove useful after the marriage, but he didn't comment. There was too much organised chaos for him to really step in too far.

"Can I do anything?" he asked from his hiding place near the kitchen doorway.

"You can come help me pour a drink" said a voice behind him, and Christopher turned just as Lucien passed him down the hall and slapped his shoulder in a friendly gesture, heading towards the drinks cart in the dining room. Not one to argue, Christopher just nodded and followed.

Lucien poured a generous drink for each of them, knowing exactly what they'd all prefer, and only briefly paused to check with Christopher that he would also have a scotch. Christopher took his drink silently, and went ahead when Lucien gestured he do so, still feeling a little out of sorts by it all.

Once they gathered together their drinks, and one each for Matthew and Jean – Charlie had called out that he didn't want one – they came back to the living room where everyone seemed to have gathered together now that the roast was on to cook. Christopher sat next to his mother on the big couch, Matthew on her other side still holding Amelia, while Lucien took the armchair near the window and Charlie sat in the one closest to the kitchen.

"How's Ruby?" asked Jean.

"Tired, and getting a bit sick of the hospital room"

"I can imagine. Miserable place to be, really" she agreed, having a sip of her sherry. "Are you sure you don't want me to bring Amelia down for the day?"

Christopher shook his head – they'd been through this over the phone.

"Ruby doesn't want her around the hospital, with all the germs she might pick up. I'm just here to check in, and then I'll head back to Melbourne after dinner"

Jean got a frown on her face at that, obviously unhappy that Christopher had made the trip for the sake of an afternoon visit.

"Are you sure?" she asked, touching his arm lightly. "You know, I don't like you on that highway after dark, those hills near Bacchus Marsh can get so dangerous"

"I'll be fine, Mum" he said, placing his free hand on top of hers. He didn't remind her that as a near-thirty year old Army officer he was more than capable of driving for an hour at night on a highway; there was no point, and anyway, her subtle insistence that he stay the night was obviously borne of her want to have his visit go a little longer. But Christopher was only in Ballarat for a few hours, tasked by Ruby to go and check on Amelia. She was doing well, but the long days and separation anxiety had made her near-hysterical that Christopher should see for himself that Amelia was well. Christopher had tried pacifying her, but given the circumstances it was easier to come up for the afternoon, spend some time in the Blake house, cuddle his daughter, and then go back to Ruby.

As if sensing where his thoughts had gone, Matthew gestured that Jean take Amelia and transfer her over to her father's knee. Noticing the movement, Lucien wordlessly held out his hand to take Christopher's drink for him. It all seemed so… practiced.

Amelia came to him easily, calm in his arms as she usually was, as though she could sense this was where she should be. He had worried, when they learned Ruby was pregnant, that he would be like his own father; caring, but emotionally distant, almost cold. Christopher Senior had been a good farmer and a devoted family man, but he'd also been uncomfortable around extreme shows of emotion and certainly had no hands-on experience with babies. That was woman's work, better left up to people whose hands weren't calloused and grip too unpractised.

Christopher wanted more than that for his family; he wanted Amelia, and any other children they may have, to know his hugs were a safe harbour from any possible storm, and if he was quiet or moody it didn't mean he didn't still love her with every fibre of his being because he did. Not an overly sentimental man, Christopher knew at least that much about himself. He credited his mother for teaching him how; he could see now that she'd been right and he was rather like her in so many ways.

"You're so good with her" said Jean. She was watching them both with a tender smile.

"She's easy to be good with" he replied. He wasn't ready yet to give himself too much credit.

"Watch yourself" said Matthew. "She's started teething this week"

Christopher only grinned – a contained little expression that showed he was playing along but had nothing more to say. His mother already told him all the little tricks they'd been using to calm the baby as the teeth fought through. She'd even embarrassingly admitted that Lucien was sometimes the only one to calm her down at night, which Christopher found… oddly endearing.

The man in question was watching them all with an air like a grand patriarch, sipping his scotch and smiling very softly, watching over his dominion with a level of love Christopher could only hope to emulate in his own home, with his own family. Though he supposed Blake would soon be family too, and that seemed quite fine by him.

"Quite a bunch of babysitters we make, hey Doc?" said Charlie, a conspiratorial look on his face from his place in the other armchair.

Lucien chuckled a little to himself. "Quite"

"Nonsense, it's been perfectly ordinary" said Jean. She gave Christopher a conspiratorial smirk and he just grinned, not quite sure of them all but enjoying the atmosphere anyway.

"Well" said Lucien, smiling. "In any case, Miss Millie doesn't seem to mind"

Christopher noted the nickname, but didn't comment – he would ask his mother later if he remembered, and if not, well, it was one more charming thing to note about Amelia's newest Grandfather. Jean only smiled at the comment, eyes lingering, and Christopher looked away.

His mother seemed so different these days from the woman she'd always been. He had an impression of her in his mind – stern and serious, loving but always practical. And sad. There was always a cloud of sadness around her in Christopher's memories, like she was carrying grief around like a cross to bear. The sadness was gone now – she could sit still for more than a minute, and joke with him as an adult and not just as his parent. They were developing their own unique relationship as fellow parents, which he found lovely. And she was quicker to smile, and more relaxed, which he'd wanted to see for so long.

Certain that it wasn't any one single thing to have brought the change, Christopher still landed a fair amount of credit at the feet of Lucien Blake, and liked the man all the more for it. They'd always got along, and Lucien extended his home out to Christopher (and Jack, he knew) without a moment of hesitation, and for that he earned Christopher's respect. Blake was showing him another way to be, as he moved forward on his own path through adulthood – a fellow war-torn soldier who still managed to hold on to his humanity; a scientist who still found wonder in a baby's smile.

Amelia had become a piece of the fabric in this house – her toys were strewn about on a knitted quilt his mother always had in the cupboard, her bottles were being sterilised on the kitchen sink, and she hadn't cried in the arms of one person all afternoon.

Yes, Christopher was quite dumbfounded. Not least because he almost wanted to stay longer himself, just to bask in the homeliness of it all.