"Lucien stop your fussing. How many times do I have to tell you, I'm fine!"

"At least once more."

Jean smiled and booped his nose with her finger, "Look, it was very sweet to begin with, but it's been a month now. At some stage you have to ease off."

Lucien grinned, warm affection shining in his eyes. "Never."

Jean shoved him away playfully, her smile turning thoughtful. "We've got to be more careful around the school, people are starting to get suspicious. I'm sure Nell and Agnes are onto us."

"Jean, I hate keeping us a secret. How do you feel about us telling Li at least?"

Jean considered him seriously, "Do you think we're ready? Do you think she's ready?"

Lucien sighed, "I don't know, it's just… I feel like I'm lying by omission. Jean when I'm with you everything feels right… Except the secrecy. I feel like I'm going to explode when I can't touch you, I'm constantly watching what I say or what I do. It's torture."

There was a short pause as Jean thought for a moment, "I agree with you, I do, I just… I don't want this to blow up in our faces Lucien. What if she hates it? What if she hates me?"

"Jean," Lucien took her hands in his own, awkwardly manoeuvring around the cast that was still wrapped around her wrist, "Li could never hate you. You're her favourite teacher."

"Her favourite teacher who is secretly seeing her dad behind her back."

"All the more reason to get it out in the open. The more we keep it from her the harder it will be to tell her."

Jean was silent.

"We said we'd wait until you'd healed." Lucien pulled back and looked pointedly at her, "Well? You yourself have just been telling me you're fine."

Jean waved her plastered wrist in his face and he gave her a withering glare, "That doesn't count." He kissed the knuckles poking out of the plaster, "Look, I will never pressure you into anything you don't want to do, If you're really not ready we can wait. I just need you to know, I'm ready."

Jean chewed the inside of her lip. "Lucien I'm scared. It's been so long, I don't know how to…" she broke away and met his eyes.

"Together Jean. We will work this out together."

Li glanced down at the paper in front of her and she felt her ears heat up in shame. Her eyes were glued to the B at the top of the page. She quickly turned the paper over as she felt Mattie's eyes on her.

"Ugh that was a difficult one, I barely scraped by with a C. How did you go?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Li pursed her lips and looked away.

"Li Blake, you didn't fail, did you?" Mattie's eyes danced as she teased her friend.

"I said I didn't want to talk about it," Li snapped and immediately felt bad as she saw Mattie's face fall. "Look I'm sorry, I just…" she exhaled heavily, "No, I didn't fail, I just… I know I can do better."

"Hey, That was a hard test, Miss Harvey even said that," Mattie looked at her as Li avoided her eyes. "You know you don't have to be perfect all the time, right?"

Li stared at the B in the corner of her page. "Don't I?" She whispered to herself.

Li's head was still swirling as she got home and closed the door after her. She'd waved away Mattie with the pretence of a headache but she knew her friend didn't buy it. This never would have happened back in Singapore. What would your mother think? She shook her head to try and dismiss the intrusive thoughts and exhaled heavily. The house was quiet. Too quiet. "Dad?" she tried. There was no answer and she wandered into the kitchen to find a note on the bench.

Gone to the shops. Got a surprise for you.
Be home soon
Love you
Dad

The corners of Li's mouth twitched slightly until the negative voice returned. You don't deserve a surprise. Your Papa is foolish to think you do. Her face fell once again and she became aware of the phone she clutched in her hand. She wasn't even aware of calling anyone, but a voice broke through her consciousness.

"Li? Are you there? Li?"

"Papa…" she managed in a wobbly voice.

"Li, what's the matter? Are you alright? Li talk to me! Where are you? Are you safe?"

"Home," she managed through her tears.

"I'll be right there."

When Lucien got home he found Li sprawled face down on the couch, her phone still clutched in her hand, face pressed into the cushions.

He sat cautiously on the edge of the couch and rested a gentle hand on her back, "Oh Li my darling, what happened? Did you have a falling out with one of your friends?"

The head smooshed into the cushions shook slightly.

"Li, sweetheart, can you look at me? Please? Do you think you can sit up?"

There was stillness from the teenage girl.

"Can you tell me what happened? Are you unwell?"

"It's stupid," came a muffled voice.

"It's not stupid if it matters this much to you." There was silence. "Is this something you would prefer to talk with Phryne about? Want me to see if she can fit you in for an emergency phone appointment?"

Li finally sat up, her face red and blotchy, "You'll find out soon enough." She rummaged in her bag and pulled out a crumpled paper which she thrust at Lucien.

"I got a B on my Chemistry ok, a B! There. Take a good look at your failure of a daughter, who is so dumb she can't keep her grades up. I'm going to fail and I'll never graduate, And you can return this surprise whatever it is, I don't deserve special things, And Mrs Beasley said my grades couldn't slip or she wouldn't let me do costumes for the show which let's face it are going to be rubbish anyway. I should just go ahead, do everyone a favour and pull out of the show entirely, let Mattie have my role at least she doesn't hyperventilate every time she has to sing by herself, and…"

"Woah Li, Li, Li! Where did all of this come from?" Lucien pulled his daughter into a close hug. "Shhh. Just breathe with me."

They stayed like this for a while, Li sobbing on his shoulder and Lucien rubbing her back gently whispering, "I've got you," and "Shhh," and It's alright Li," and "I love you."

"I'm sorry Papa," her small voice mumbled into his wet shoulder.

"Li let me make thing one thing exponentially clear. A 'B' is still a passing grade. As long as you're not failing miserably I'm not concerned. And even if you were, we would work it out together, get you a tutor, or some extra help. But honestly, I don't care about your grades Li, I just want you to be happy."

"I told you it was stupid," Li sniffed.

"And I told you nothing that makes you this upset is stupid."

"I'm sorry Papa, I just couldn't stop thinking and then it all kind of spiralled out of control and I couldn't stop."

"Li listen to me. I will never love you any less regardless of any grades you may or may not get. You're not dumb. You are incredibly clever and a 'B' is not a failure. As for the musical I will not let you quit. This show has brought you to life. Your friends, the rest of your cast, they're lucky to have you. You are a beautiful singer, a consummate performer and Mrs Beazley cast you as Aida for a reason. I'm sure she doesn't care about your B either. I'm sure when she said that she meant If you are failing any of your classes." He held up his phone, "We can call her if you like."

Li shook her head violently, not wanting anyone else to know how weak she was.

"You're not weak for this," Lucien guessing her thoughts. "Your mother… she… installed a lot of good qualities in you, ones I admire and which have made you, you. But she was also a perfectionist who wouldn't accept anything less." He clasped her hand gently, "Li, I'm not mama, and I accept you, B's and all. "Li look at how you've already come in your confidence. Think back to the start of the year. Did you ever think you'd perform two solo's in front of an audience?"

"Papa, I almost fainted after the first one, Charlie and Mattie had to put me back together backstage!"

"But you didn't Li. And that's growth Every time you sing in front of someone your confidence grows. Yes I'm even talking about at rehearsals. Plus, the bravery you showed in singing that particular song in the first place, knowing what it meant to you, to us. Li a professional performer would have struggled to hold it together."

Li's lip trembled as tears spilled over her eyes again.

Lucien squeezed her hand, "Now, I'm going to call Phryne and see if she can fit you in sometime this week. I know she'll have some things that will help you with this. And I will tell you all day, everyday, if it helps, just how incredible you are." He pressed a kiss to her hair. "I'm prouder to be your dad than anything else I've ever done in my life."

"And then she bit my head off. Honestly Phryne I didn't mean anything by it. There's no way Li Blake failed the test, I mean it was hard, but she knows her stuff." Mattie sipped the coffee in front of her as she watched a small child at the table next to them in the small café shovel pancake into his mouth with a spoon. She sighed, "I just feel like sometimes she shuts me out. There is so much I still don't know about her, and she won't talk to me about it."

Phryne patted her lips with the napkin. "You're right Mattie, There is a lot you don't know about her. And it's not my place to tell you. She will tell you when she's ready. What I will say is that Li hasn't had a lot of friends before, so all you can do is let her know you're there for her for whenever she feels like she can talk with you about things that are going on." Phyrne patted Mattie's hand gently, "Now what about you? What did you get in your Chemistry test?"

Mattie made a face. "I got a C, 62%. I mean I'm just happy I passed. I don't even know why I'm even taking Chemistry. Not like I need it for a journalism degree."

"Why did you choose it as a subject then?"

Mattie made the same screwed up face, "To shut my Dad up, it's a requirement for the course at Melbourne uni he wants me to do."

"They don't know your plans for next year?"

"No."

"Are you planning on telling them?"

Mattie shrugged, "How would I do that? They're never home to tell anything to. I can't exactly tell then in a text can I? I can just see how that would go. "Hi Dad, hope you're well, just letting you know I'm not doing the bio science course you wanted me to do next year. I'm staying in Ballarat and want to get into journalism." Yeah that would go down really well," her voice drawled with sarcasm.

"Oh Mattie. What does your mum think?"

"She thinks whatever dad wants her to think," Mattie sighed dejectedly.

"Well I think she…"

Mattie was saved from a feminist rant about her mother by Phryne's phone ringing.

Phryne glanced at the screen, held up a finger, "Hold that thought." She swiped up her phone, "Lucien, Good to hear from you."

Mattie listened interestedly at the one-sided conversation while Phryne nodded and flicked her eyes at Mattie.

"Yes.
Yes of course.
I'm afraid I'm out at the moment, give me 15 minutes and I'll get back to my rooms and give her a call.
Absolutely Lucien.
No it's fine
Don't worry about it, We'll work through it. She's got you and a great group of friends around her," She winked at Mattie
"Of course. Tell her I'll talk to her soon.
No worries.
Alright, Bye."

Phryne looked at Mattie, "You are a wonderful friend Mattie, Li will need you tonight. I can drop you there after I've spoken with her if you want to come back to my rooms with me."

Mattie opened her mouth to reply that she was fine to catch the bus, but what actually came out of her mouth was, "You wouldn't mind?"

Phryne drained the last of her coffee, "Mattie why would I offer if I minded." She shook her head affectionately, "Silly."

Mattie's cheeks coloured, "I just… don't want to be a bother."

"And did it ever occur to you that I like your company and want to help you, and Li out?"

"I guess when you put it like that…" Mattie trailed off.

Phryne grinned and nodded to Mattie's half eaten donut she'd been pushing around her plate for the last half hour. "Come on, Let's get a takeaway container for that."

Li stared at the table, tracing the wood grain with her finger. She was jerked out of her trance as Lucien placed a glass of water in front of her.

"Can you drink that for me?"

Li raised a trembling hand and slowly brought the cup to her mouth and started to sip. The ice-cold water was refreshing and immediately she felt some of the cloud over her mind begin to move. "Thankyou" she croaked.

"Phryne is out, but she said she'll call you in the next half an hour."

Li nodded.

"Why don't you go and get changed out of your uniform, put something comfortable on?"

Li nodded again and wordlessly rose from her chair. As she reached the doorway Lucien's voice made her stop and turn.

"I love you. Don't forget it."

A small smile twitched at Li's lips. "Love you too Dad" She wandered slowly into her bedroom and closed the door.

Lucien exhaled as he pushed a hand through his hair. Why was there no guide book to raising a teenage daughter by yourself.

Mattie stared at the ringing phone on the desk and glanced outside where Dot was talking to Hugh. She put the book down she'd been reading and waved her, arms trying to get Dot's attention, with no luck. The phone stopped ringing and Mattie sat back down, relief etched onto her face. No sooner had she picked up her book back up the phone started up once more. She stood and again tried to catch Dot's eye, but she was absolutely glued to the postman. Mattie glanced down at the phone and taking a deep breath swept up the phone. "Good afternoon, Fisher and Robinson rooms, could you hold the line ple…"

"Hello? I'm calling about my appointment tomorrow? The name is Lange? Jeff Lange? Unfortunately I'm unable to make my appointment. It's supposed to be at 10, with Jack but…" Mattie listened to the elderly man ramble about having to take his wife to a dentist appointment as she'd broken a tooth on a Jaffa.

"Um alright. I'll let him know you won't be in shall I?" she tried once the man (Jeff) had finished his long winded explanation.

"Yes, that would be fine, And can I book a new appointment for next week?"

Mattie paled, staring at the computer in front of her, the program on the screen completely foreign, "Uh, I'll have to get someone to call you back about that, The computer is down," she lied. "What's the best phone number to reach you on?" She grabbed a pen and scribbled down a number on a pad of paper, and underlined it a few times. "No worries, Mr Lange, Hope your wife's tooth can be fixed tomorrow. Alright, Bye." She put the phone down and exhaled loudly.

"Well done Mattie," The voice behind her made her jump.

"Phryne! I didn't know what to do, Dot was outside and the phone kept ringing."

"You did good kid," Phryne pulled her in for an affectionate hug, "Dot on the other hand…"

"Oh Miss Phryne, you'll never guess what just happened!" The aforementioned person swept back into the rooms a grin on her face. Not even giving them a chance to reply she continued. "Hugh proposed!" She stuck out her hand with a squeal, "And I've accepted!"

"Oh Dottie darling of course you did, how wonderful!" Phryne swept Dottie into her arms and hugged her close, "Congratulations to you both. Let's see the ring then."

After some brief celebrations, Dottie quickly showed Mattie how to check the calendar on the computer and add and delete appointments, "Just in case" she whispered to Mattie with a grin. As Phryne and Mattie waved goodbye to Dot she was on the phone rescheduling Mr Lange's appointment.

Phryne looked across to where Mattie sat in the passenger seat of the car, "What would I do without you Mattie O'Brien?"

Li was feeling a bit better. She'd been able to talk things through with Phryne and Mattie had turned up just when she was needed as usual. They had finished dinner and settled into their after tea routine, Lucien washing dishes, Li drying them and putting them away, and Mattie making the cocoa on the stove that she had perfected over the past month or so. There was a comfortable silence in the room and Lucien smiled as he let the water drain. Wiping his hands he turned to Li, "Are you ready for your surprise now?"

Li smiled shakily as she dried the last plate. She still didn't feel as if she deserved something, but Phryne had told her she didn't have to deserve anything for it to be given, and she was trying hard to believe it. She nodded slowly, "I think so."

"Close your eyes," Lucien exchanged a grin with Mattie as Li did as she was asked.

Lucien slipped out of the room and Mattie crossed to where Li stood leaning against the counter. She could feel the anxiety trembling off her in waves. "Li? I'm gonna hold your hand ok?"

Li nodded again and her shoulders relaxed as she felt Mattie's hand find hers. "It's a good surprise, I promise."

Li's brow furrowed, but she kept her eyes closed, "How do you even know what it is?"

"I have my ways," Mattie's eyes sparkled with joy as Lucien came back into the room carrying a large heavy object hidden under a colourful crocheted blanket. Placing it on the table he indicated for Mattie to lead Li towards it.

Li felt a pull on her hand and she followed it obligingly. She was trembling with anxiety and excitement but she also felt safe. Her dad and her best friend conspiring together to do something nice for her. It was a foreign feeling, but it made her feel warm and fuzzy. Her hand was led to a soft blanket and she swallowed nervously. She felt a kiss press to the side of her head and Lucien's voice whispered, "Open your eyes."

She opened her eyes and they settled on the large shape under the crocheted blanket occupying almost half of the small table.

"Go on," Lucien urged her, "Unwrap it."

Slowly Li pulled the blanket off the item and the room went silent. The air was heavy with anticipation as all three people held their breath.

Li gasped. On the table sat a beautiful old sewing machine, "Papa? How did you… but where?" she couldn't get her words out, like the words were in her head but wouldn't come out of her mouth in any kind of order that made any sense.

"It was my mothers. I found it when I was cleaning out the studio. And I've had it serviced and Mattie found the instruction booklet online and she's downloaded it for you. I've been assured it works perfectly well. It's yours." Lucien finished and the silence flooded the room once more as Li stared at the sewing machine, uncertainty flickered across his face, "If you want it."

"If I want… Are you serious?"

"I Just…"

"In what universe would this not be the absolute best surprise?" She threw her arms around Lucien. "Thank you," she managed through her tears, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome. I'm so glad you love it."

Li finally released Lucien only to fling herself onto Mattie, "And you! Keeping this secret from me! You're both way too sneaky! What else are you guys keeping from me?" she joked.

Lucien's breath hitched as he thought of his relationship with Jean. The last two weeks they hadn't been able to spend as much time with each other as they would like, not wanting to arouse suspicion. They texted daily though and Lucien's lips tingled at the thought of the touch of hers on his. Jean's physical healing had been going reasonably well, but her mental healing still had a way to go. She jumped at loud noises, and she wasn't sleeping overly well, still obstinately refusing to take the melatonin Lucien had given her unless he promised to stay with her.

"Papa?" Li frowned at him "What are you thinking? You've gone all quiet."

Lucien blinked himself out of his thoughts and smiled at her, "Just wishing you'd been able to meet my mother. Her name was Genevieve, She would have loved you Li." He held out the crocheted blanket that had covered the sewing machine, "She made this for me. It's yours now. Along with the sewing machine."

Li clutched the blanket to her chest, "Oh! I'm going to put it on my bed right away." She ran to her room and Mattie gave Lucien a grin and followed after her.

Lucien watched them both go and a thoughtful look crossed his face. He pulled out his phone and texted Jean.

"Wondering whether you'd had any more thoughts about telling Li. About us?"

"Lucien it's too soon."

"Jean it's really not. I know what I feel about you. And It's not going to change. How about we make a date. Three weeks from now. Do you think you'll be ready by then?"

Three dots appeared, then stilled.

"We don't have to go public with everyone. But I can't lie to Li for much longer."

A long pause then.

"Alright, Three weeks."