On the fourth Sunday, which turned out to be a Saturday, Lucas turned up at Jo's place at 7pm. Earlier that week they'd arranged how they would spend the evening.
"Lucas, this is my nephew Toby," Jo said with a smile.
The baby had fine blonde hair, rosy pink cheeks and blue, blue eyes. Like Jo, Lucas thought. Like what our baby would look like if it looked like Jo.
Lucas looked at him and smiled, "He's a handsome little fella," he said as he offered the baby his finger which he promptly grabbed and held in his baby sized fist.
"I think so too," said Jo happily. "But then I'm not exactly impartial."
Lucas had received the invitation to come over on Thursday. That day at work he'd asked Jo what she was doing at the weekend.
"Babysitting," she'd replied. "I need the practice. My brother and his wife are going out on Saturday night and I offered to babysit."
She looked at him, "perhaps you'd like to join me? – you might like the practice too."
Lucas smiled, "You've got a point there. What time shall I come over?"
"Whenever you like, I'm picking him up about 6."
Inside Jo's place, Lucas had initially sat on the couch and smiled to himself as he watched Jo sitting on the floor and playing with the baby, tickling his tummy and making circles around him with little toy cars which he would attempt to grab when they came closer.
After a little while, Lucas got up from the couch and sat down on the floor to join in their game. Lucas proved to be a big hit with baby Toby when he introduced a new variation to their game which was to pick him up and swoop him in the air every time Jo managed to touch him with a toy car, making him squeal with delight.
After half an hour of excitement Jo picked up the baby and announced that it was his dinner time.
As she busied herself in the kitchen with the baby resting on her hip Lucas couldn't help thinking to himself that there was something so right and natural about the way the baby slotted so perfectly in to the curve of her waist, the way that her face lit up with laughter as she foiled his bid to grab her necklace and how the baby leant in to rest his head against her breast and cooed as she gently patted his little back.
When his dinner had been prepared, Jo sat him in a highchair and fed him. After several spoonfuls of mashed vegetables, the baby became restless. When he threw his spoon on the ground for a second time Lucas shook his head at her when Jo moved to pick it up. "Don't," he said, "He's onto you – if you keep picking it up he'll keep throwing it right down. They're crafty – even at that age."
"Lucas," she replied, laughing, 'He's ten months old."
"Still," he replied, "You've got to teach them boundaries – otherwise they'll run rings round you," he said picking the baby up out of the chair and attentively wiping his face with a napkin.
Shortly after dinner they put the baby to bed, while Jo got started on their own dinner, with some help from Lucas.
During dinner, Lucas asked whether she thought anyone at work had worked out about the baby yet.
"Not as far as I can tell, apart from Ros obviously," replied Jo.
"I got myself some peppermint tea by the way and it works a treat so I don't feel ill. Though I suppose it won't be too long before they'll be able to tell and I'll have to fess up," she said sighing.
"You're not showing yet," Lucas replied.
"No, I can notice it though – with my clothes of –" she paused, blushing.
Lucas looked at her, amused. "I can imagine."
Lucas' imagination didn't need much prompting to recall what Jo had looked like without her clothes on. He remembered thinking how gorgeous he'd thought she was, with her golden skin contrasting with the pink blush of her cheeks. He remembered too how it had felt to have her soft curves beneath him and how it had felt to kiss her and taste how lovely she was.
"I wish you would stop trying to be funny, " said Jo, irritated by his comment.
"Well, I'm just saying I do recall what that looked like. I have an excellent memory –a necessary asset in this profession," Lucas replied.
He paused, and then added deviously, "actually I have a photographic memory."
Jo met his eyes for a brief moment, then she hastily got up deciding that now was a good time to start dishing out dessert, despite the fact that she was only half way through her main course. In the kitchen she tried to concentrate less on thinking about how very handsome Lucas was when he smiled and more on getting the right water to icing sugar ratio to ice her cake correctly.
After dinner, they'd moved to the couch and watched a movie. Not a very good one it had to be said, but they were happy enough in each other's company. Half way through, Jo had turned to see Lucas had switched his attention from the screen to watching her.
She found it a little disconcerting and didn't know what to say to him. After a few seconds, he'd said quietly, "Jo, will you tell me if there was anyone special before Ben?"
He could see from her reaction that his question had clearly thrown her. He could see her considering what to say before opening her mouth to reply, "well, I had a couple of boyfriends before him – they were special at the time though I don't see them any more."
"What about Zaf?" Lucas asked softly.
He remembered a conversation a long time ago he'd had with Ros, not long after he'd joined the team. He'd heard Malcolm mention something about how a certain Abdul Khan used to be Zaf's contact. After the briefing he'd asked Ros who Zaf was. She'd explained that and also how he'd met his end. Lucas has listened silently to this sorry tale. When she'd finished speaking she'd paused, then added quietly, "Don't mention Zaf to Jo."
Lucas had looked at her curiously, "why do you say that?"
Ros sighed, "well you know the way that Jo is now, she's lost Adam who always looked after her, and you know that she was taken by the Redbacks and what happened to her then, and Zaf is just another sore spot."
She continued, "Zaf was always in love with her and I don't know what her feelings were for him but I know she cared for him. You'd best just leave it alone and not mention him around her."
Lucas had nodded and mentally added another subject to his list of topics to avoid in conversation with Jo. He hadn't worked much with Jo but he thought at the time she seemed like a sweet girl to have such a lot of troubles heaped upon her, though she was quiet and very reflective. She was thoughtful too, he'd seen that from the way she'd offered to help him out at work and he'd soon discovered, smart enough as well.
At the time it had seemed sensible to follow Ros' advice, but for some reason now he wanted to know how Jo felt about Zaf, the Zaf Ros had described as a "handsome joker" who was sharp enough to be Adam's trustee sidekick and popular with the ladies too apparently.
Jo looked away from Lucas. For a moment she struggled to get any sound to escape from her lips then eventually she repeated, "what about Zaf?"
She'd wanted it to sound casual, but it didn't – it sounded kind of - defeated.
"Ros says he was in love with you," said Lucas simply.
Once he saw the emotion flicker over Jo's face at his words, he wished he could have taken them back. There was clearly regret there and pain too and maybe other emotions too but he couldn't tell what.
Jo went pale but said nothing in reply, just got up to put the jug on to make tea, though Lucas could see the way her hands trembled as she fussed with the teapot.
**
Lucas had left just before 10 and poured himself a drink when he got home and settled down to read the newspaper.
In the middle of the international section he'd heard the phone ring. He glanced at the clock – 10.22 and considered who would be calling at this hour.
"Lucas I need to talk to you."
"I'm listening," he replied.
"I've been thinking about the future. I've been thinking that I haven't been happy for a long while and – well, if I had you I think then I might be happy."
"Oh," Lucas said, running his hand through his hair wearily, while trying to collect his thoughts, "I think I had better talk to you about this. Do you want to come over?"
"Yes."
Lucas put the phone down and went in search of the whiskey bottle to pour himself another drink. He collapsed on the couch and switched on the TV, idly scanning through the different channels while he wondered what could be responsible for his ex wife's sudden change of heart.
**
Please Review.
Also by the way Lucas really does have a photographic memory! In one the episodes in series 7 he memorizes some of the numbers on Malcolm's computer screen then goes back to his apartment and writes them down! Maybe you should have thought of that before jumping into bed with him like that, Jo? Hmm?