DBM December Fic Exchange

(Dee, again with the early posting?) Yup, it’s me again

Honest question, and please reblog/reply/message/whatever to this

Is there much interest in keeping up the secret santa/fic exchange this year? I’d be okay with running it again, but I will let y’all know that as of right now I’ve got over like… 100 things to do for my classes this semester (that I know of), I’m trying to get an internship that I can live off, and save up for a friend’s wedding 

SO I don’t know if I can allot much effort into planning and running something that won’t get a lot of interest - and as much as I love DBM and this lil fandom, I do also know it’s slowly going away (which is fine, it happens).

In that case, please answer honestly on whether or not you’d be interested in it this year, no need to tell me why if you don’t want to, I fully understand (y’all should SEE my to-do list for school, oof)

love y’all to bits even if we don’t do this!

(Dee, again with the early posting?) Yup, it’s me again

Honest question, and please reblog/reply/message/whatever to this

Is there much interest in keeping up the secret santa/fic exchange this year? I’d be okay with running it again, but I will let y’all know that as of right now I’ve got over like… 100 things to do for my classes this semester (that I know of), I’m trying to get an internship that I can live off, and save up for a friend’s wedding 

SO I don’t know if I can allot much effort into planning and running something that won’t get a lot of interest - and as much as I love DBM and this lil fandom, I do also know it’s slowly going away (which is fine, it happens).

In that case, please answer honestly on whether or not you’d be interested in it this year, no need to tell me why if you don’t want to, I fully understand (y’all should SEE my to-do list for school, oof)

love y’all to bits even if we don’t do this!

(Dee, again with the early posting?) Yup, it’s me again

Honest question, and please reblog/reply/message/whatever to this

Is there much interest in keeping up the secret santa/fic exchange this year? I’d be okay with running it again, but I will let y’all know that as of right now I’ve got over like… 100 things to do for my classes this semester (that I know of), I’m trying to get an internship that I can live off, and save up for a friend’s wedding 

SO I don’t know if I can allot much effort into planning and running something that won’t get a lot of interest - and as much as I love DBM and this lil fandom, I do also know it’s slowly going away (which is fine, it happens).

In that case, please answer honestly on whether or not you’d be interested in it this year, no need to tell me why if you don’t want to, I fully understand (y’all should SEE my to-do list for school, oof)

love y’all to bits even if we don’t do this!

for randomkiwibirds

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year! The prompt was fortitude: strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.

Some glimpses of the early lives of Lucien and Jean Blake.

When World War II came along, it blew through all the hopes and expectations and dreams of most everyone in the world. Somehow, in some way, people were affected even if they were not in a country directly involved in fighting. History stories explain that certain parts of the world were completely destroyed, whole countries disappeared and were swept into the chaos of another, now larger, country. And so many of those people directly connected were hurt, injured, tortured and even killed. The hardship was not always so noteworthy. People in this story are connected to the country of Australia. Some of these people were able to keep their shelters, house or shared space, and much or all of their families for part of the duration of that war. Others were granted only a brief time before they lost family members, places that they lived, or both. Sometimes the loss was permanent, sometimes it was temporary, and sometimes it would take much time before the location of a person, or their physical remains, could be determined. For those who were left it was sometimes an ordeal to gather strength to get through a day.

ONE

Before World War II, in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. When they thought of Jean Beasley, people in town would consider her to be very nice, very trustworthy, and a cook who could do very well with limited ingredients. Her husband Christopher was nice enough, nothing notable about him. They married very young; the little house was repaired to a livable condition. He did what he could to be successful with the farm property, and Jean was out in the fields at critical times to help. The couple was filled with purpose each day, they loved each other, and they rarely had time for a thought towards the future. Jean read anything she could find, a habit begun in grade school. During the first few married years Jean had baby Christopher and then Jack. For their father, the two boys were a sometimes a joy, sometimes a job to him. As they got older and could help with chores, young Christopher was reliable and tried to learn things. Little Jack was a handful from the first week he was born and cried inconsolably. As a child, Jack was looking for something to do, something to grab, someplace to go, as long as it wasn’t what he was meant to do. This was not a situation that resolved easily and neither parent knew what to do to improve Jacks behavior. Christopher didn’t spend much time thinking the next month or year, other than specifically related to farming. His wife could be interesting, and fun, and sometimes he was thankful for that. He loved her, and she loved him. But she often talked of thigs he wasn’t interested in, like travel or news. The work was never ending, and many times he just finished his food and walked back outside to some task or another. When the overwhelming conflict that became World War II came along, it was only a few misunderstandings and harsh words with his wife before he decided to show her a thing or two and joined the army. Christopher assumed he would be gone a short while and come back with some extra money from his military service. He assumed Jean and the boys would be fine, somehow, with neighbors and the Church to help while he was gone. But he did not return.

TWO Jean was a fixture at the Catholic church, she grew up there and took on many roles as she got older. As a young mother, she was sewing vestments or repairing choir robes, providing flowers, sharing cleanup duties, or setting up for a picnic while trying to keep track of her boys and often a few other youngsters around the church property. She didn't need to be in charge to be supportive of events. For example, people came up to 100 miles for the Carols by Candlelight each December. Beginning in 1938 there would be two performances presented to accommodate the extra attendance. Those who participated were always impressed with the way things were organized. Jean's name was rarely mentioned. But the framework supporting these activities was usually connected in multiple ways to Jean Beasley. People might not think of her name first when asked about the planning or preparation for the Christmas pageant at school or the drama society play. But they assumed she was involved. And she was. It didn't occur to her to seek attention. It was her strength of character and general sense of the “right thing to do” that guided her actions. When no one said thank you or paused to consider what sacrifices she may have made, it was just the normal way of things.

The longer Christopher was away, the harder it was on the days when her feelings were hurt, sometimes mean things were said about her or her boys. Some days Jean didn’t have anything to sell or trade. She barely got through a supper with a calm and determined face, with the boys complaining about the meal being the same for weeks. Often Jean went to the barn to cry and gather her courage to go back and continue on with her tasks. There were people in the community who would come to Jean for help, with needs or hurt feelings or clothing that needed expert mending. And Jean would do whatever she could for them.And as things went along and she ultimately had to sell the farm and seek other work, she tried to quiet thoughts of loneliness, of opportunities missed, of what should be done to make a better future for each of her sons. Responsibilities to church, community, her sons and work to make ends meet needed to be her priorities. THREE Lucien Blake was well known in Ballarat as the son of Dr Blake, who went off to boarding school because he was too good for Ballarat Primary. Even too good for Ballarat Grammar, which was itself a boarding school. He was the doctor's son who studied medicine in Europe because Australia wasn’t good enough. These were the ways that people “knew” Lucien Blake. Except for a few individuals, he was not really known or thought of as being part of the community of Ballarat. Which was just fine with him, because he felt mostly disconnected, no home and no mother or family. There must be family, his parents would have had parents and cousins and such. But Lucien was not aware of them as a child and after his father sent him away, his visits on school breaks never included connecting with a family member. If he asked, the grown up Lucien did not remember what the answer might have been. As far as he knew he was on his own. His father existed but was not active in his life. Lucien had to find inspiration, motivation and determination for success within himself. It was indeed a very fortunate thing that he had a caring and friendly personality and was excellent at school subjects and sports. He was charming, handsome, smart and resourceful. He liked a bit of a risk or a dangerous escapade, it meant “fun” to his thinking. He was not easily swayed in his opinions, and he was usually a very good judge of character. The fact that he was not part of a close and supportive family did not really have a negative impact on his interest in others or his enjoyment of life. If someone in his boarding school dorm was sad or having a rough day, Lucien looked for ways to cheer them up. He was one to defend against bullying behavior, not willing to put up with the petty and mean pranks that some boys liked to create. He was competitive but only with fairly equal abilities. If someone tried to take advantage of another Lucien often thwarted the action. Unfortunately, this sometimes caused problems with teachers and other authority figures, because when they were pushy, demanding, unfair or prejudiced in their actions Lucien bristled at the injustice of it all.

As a surgeon and an army officer there were many opportunities to be frustrated, angered and outraged about how people were treated. Even in the worst situations, such as the horrible conditions he endured at a prisoner of war camp, Lucien made choices to stand firm and even take risks to try to help others. It didn't occur to him to seek attention. It was his strength of character and general sense of the “right thing to do” that guided his actions. When no one said thank you or paused to consider what sacrifices he may have made, it was just the normal way of things. FOUR

It was 1959. Although the War had ended many years ago, there were still lasting remnants in people's lives, their communities, their families. All kinds of things, relationships forged through hard times, inventions created because of lack of materials, families torn apart through traumas of war that didn’t stop just because the government announced an end. Ballarat was thriving in many ways. The population had increased to over 48,000. Quite a few of the cherished traditional events and activities had resumed. New automobiles and exciting household appliances were beginning to be more common.

Into this community came Lucien Blake. No longer in the military service, a survivor of a horrible prisoner of war camp, a middle-aged man who lost his wife and small daughter in the rages of the war and did not know for certain if they were dead or alive. He was not any more interested in Ballarat in 1959 than he had been in 1939, but he came because word had reached him that his father was ill and needed him. Lucien was exhausted by the government secret service work that he had been handling the past few years, and this was a perfect way to break that pattern and officially leave his government entanglements. That is how it had come to feel, just chains binding him to activities he didn’t believe in and purposes he didn’t support. The point of the effort he put into the work had been to earn money. But not even the extra money had made a difference in locating information about his wife or daughter.

When the taxi let Lucien out at his father’s house, it was both a familiar and surprisingly painful experience. He was suddenly sad and relieved and excited, and very uncomfortable, wary of what was behind the door. After the initial awkwardness of meeting the housekeeper, he put his meager belongings in the front bedroom. Staring at the wall a minute, Lucien went to the kitchen to accept the cuppa that had been promised when he first arrived. Sitting down, it was strangely unfamiliar to him. He had expected it to be “home”, he thought he would remember something about his early life, or at least his mother, in that room. But, pleasant and nice as it was, there was nothing in that kitchen that spoke to his heart or his memory. After seeing his sleeping father and reading the notes from the hospital staff and the visiting nurse, Lucien found himself really at a loss for what to do next. He was dead tired but having trouble feeling sleepy. Sitting in the living room of the house, he returned the quiet “good night” spoken by the housekeeper as she left the room. Lucien decided he really needed a drink of something stronger than tea. Hopefully, he started opening cabinets and soon found the stash of liquor. Grabbing a glass and the whiskey he turned off the lights and retreated to the bedroom. It didn’t have familiar furniture, and he wondered what happened to his bed and desk from the room used to know. He had not been to the house since he was maybe 21 or 22 years old. Lucien unpacked a few items, not sure of his next few days, and settled on the bed with his shoes off and the first glass of whiskey. He would drink until he finally felt he could sleep. Many of his thoughts came through and left his mind without registering more than a sad or angry emotion. He slept for many hours. But did not feel rested when he awoke. He left the house without even a cup of tea, seeking out his old friend Matthew at the police station as a distraction. The pending death of his father, the uncertainty of what to do with himself and the unsettling sense of failure related to his father and people who knew his family. Matthew had been a friend he last spoke to so long ago, they would have plenty to catch up with that should be harmless and time consuming.

FIVE After Jean had cleaned up all the dishes and cups from various locations in the house, she settled on the couch to gather her thoughts. The funeral for Dr. Blake had been appropriate, well attended and reasonably short. She had assumed people would come by the house to pay their respects as there was no planned reception at the church and the rainy weather made a gathering in the cemetery very impractical. After the service, the younger Dr. Blake did not seem to have any plan or interest in meeting people. After Jean quietly hissed at him that he needed to make the invitation he nodded his head. Lucien called out towards people leaving the church to “come by the house if you like”. He then put on his mask of conversational pleasantries for the next couple of hours. Years of practice in the military supported his ability to turn into a vague and polite host. When the house was quiet and empty (except for Jean) he went to the liquor cupboard and was dismayed to find it empty. Only one little bottle of sherry was left. “Sherry?” he questioned out loud. “Oh, yes thank you” responded Jean. He had not noticed her coming into the room. The confusion stayed on his face for a moment, he was still trying to understand how there could be nothing but a bottle of half-gone sherry. But Jean could not see him. He then rolled his eyes and sighed, picked up the bottle and two glasses and poured a bit into each one. After handing a glass first to Jean, Lucien sat down in a chair and stared off into space. When he became aware of things, returning from the wandering thoughts and worries, Jean was no longer in the room and the clock on the mantel indicated 1:00am. Lucien doubted he would sleep much, but he decided he should at least turn out the lights and go to his bedroom.

As the days went by, and turned into weeks, the habits and responsibilities slowly developed into something interesting and important. For Jean, it was meals for 3 or 4 people at dinner, and often as not there was lunch for 3 to be prepared. Lucien was happy to do little projects and Jean was finding herself happier than she could remember since her boys were little. She found help for some of her more industrious outdoor gardening projects, and she found repairs made to some of the raised garden beds and the trellis that used to hold flowering plants. Dr. Blake had not been interested in having anyone repair things or put up stakes to encourage vegetables to grow outside. But Lucien, he kept surprising her. Lucien found Jean to be smart and witty and a great resource of all kinds of local information. Who was living where and with whom, which people had been thrown out of the pub one too many times, what the real reason was for some of Dr. Warren’s patients to start calling at the “young” Dr. Blake’s medical office.

SIX

He didn't know he wanted to be a general medical doctor, did not plan to even stay in Ballarat, but in the absence of plans there were many people and situations that took his time and attention. In the military, Lucien didn’t make plans about what to do in a few weeks or even a few months. He did what the assignment stated and when someone changed the orders and instructed him to move to another location he did so, it was not a decision he opposed. One day, months after coming to Ballarat, he found that he seemed content, settled. Police department work that he had not sought out came along through Matthew’s questions and need for a coroner. The more he got into forensic science, which was relatively new, the more Lucien found his previous experiences and natural curiosity were a great match. With the various mysteries to solve he sometimes had to postpone planned medical appointments. Many times, he forgot that there WERE any people waiting for him, which led to some frustration around him. It was a habit for him to go about his days not considering or apologizing for missed schedule commitments.

In everything he did, Lucien found himself drawn to Jean. She was pleasant, she was kind, and engaging. Somehow just being around her caused his mood to improve or at the least for his spirit to feel light. Strict and no-nonsense with some aspects of home and office life, Jean was reliable and professional. She frequently handled the various details that Lucien Blake kept forgetting about and informed him of the conclusion rather than berating him for the misstep. She also was stimulating to discuss things with, to consider and to solve problems with, and he had not experienced that before. His wife, who he had lost in the war and believed to be dead, had been many things, but a true partner was not one of them. Lucien asked for opinions or opened discussions at a meal with whoever was there, and Jean was drawn into things besides the Church and drama groups.

Somehow Lucien and Jean seemed to criss-cross over and around people and incidents and situations, weaving an invisible but real fabric of connection. Because of the kind of people they both were, tenacious and strong willed and determined to do things that were right, it was a connection that was much stronger than it looked to see them interact with one another.

SEVEN

Lucien felt a closeness with Jean he could not quite describe. It was as if they were better at things together than individually. And she could make him really laugh, not the kind of polite laugh from a silly joke. He worried that the romantic feelings he also had might crush the growing friendship. Lucien was not sure how Jean felt about him, he couldn’t really detect anything to encourage a more serious personal relationship. There were moments he thought he would kiss her, or that a brief hug “hello” could linger into something more powerful. But it never seemed to work out. And he was afraid of turning her away. She seemed very settled in her identity as a widow and not interested in dating anyone, much less him. He was determined and dedicated toward Jean, casually affectionate without even thinking about it. But his actions often took no caution about safety or communication, and it left Jean frequently worried and frustrated.

For her part, Jean sometimes found Lucien irresistible. But then she thought better of it. Just because he was kind and handsome and so smart and strong and also really good looking (whoops already thought of that twice). Just because of those things, there was no reason he would find HER attractive or interesting as a romantic possibility. He often found something about her to compliment. Sometimes he described something or expressed a thought that just made her laugh so hard. They were good friends. Or, well, something like that. She was a housekeeper. A widow of a poor farmer. Nothing more. And the times that their hands met, or he gave her shoulder or back a bit of a hug while walking past, well, those were not meant to be advances toward romance. He was just a kind and caring person. She was his employee for goodness’ sake. Lonely and wishing for someone to love, and to be loved, Lucien and Jean continued to live each day with a little bit of hope. And a lot of denial towards the real feelings that were developing. They were both in love with each other. A type of love that was different from that they had with each of their spouses. But each saw only obstacles in the way of anything beyond friendship of employer/employee. Both believed that the treasure of some kind of friendship was worth the most. Losing that through disappointment or misunderstanding was too frightening to allow. And they both approached this view with internal fortitude.

EIGHT

Skipping ahead a few years. Lucien walked past Jean as she was drying dishes in the kitchen. After putting a record on to some familiar music, Lucien called to Jean. He spoke rather quietly, and Jean came into the room asking him to repeat what he said. She found him holding out his hand. And he smiled so sweetly at her, she felt a rush of happiness closed the distance between them. Warm and large, his hand enveloped her fingers and pulled her close to his chest. The other hand came around her back and settled at her waist. They swayed and snuggled and moved around the room to the music, not so much dancing as they were wandering slowly around in odd directions. No pattern really. But it was heaven to each of them, warm and lovely and comforting. Erotic and energizing.

Merry Christmas to my @blakesecretsanta2021, the amazing organiser of our wonderful event @doctoraliceharvey! She was extremely patient as I reacquainted myself with writing for this adorable pairing. I hope you had the most amazing and lovely Christmas day filled with family and friends and that you enjoy this story.

My prompt was ‘Matthew has a secret hobby and Alice finds out’ 

Merry Christmas @blossom–of–snow from your Secret Santa.

This is my offering for the @blakesecretsanta2021 and my prompt was ‘Mattie makes it to the wedding’

I hope you enjoy this little story, I too wished Mattie had been at the wedding and had fun writing her, Lucien and Rose conspiring for it to happen.

My contribution to the @blakesecretsanta2021 exchange. Prompt: “Jean and Lucien travel somewhere Lucien has never been before (maybe Jean has or maybe she hasn’t) and they both experience this brand new place together.”

FFN | AO3

A very happy, merry and peaceful festive season to you @gabolange 

Here is my contribution to the @blakesecretsanta2021 gift exchange. My prompt was “Lucien/Jean S2 or 3 gapfiller - getting to know you/falling in love/parts we didn’t see”. 

I had so much fun playing with this prompt and I hope you enjoy it. I have set this story between episodes 2.7 and 2.8. 

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Doctor Blake Mysteries Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jean Beazley/Lucien Blake Characters: Lucien Blake, Jean Beazley Additional Tags: What happened in Adelaide, blake secret santa 2021 Summary:

The eternal question of what happened in Adelaide. My gift for @love-letters-x-cardigan-sweaters, for Blake Secret Santa 2021!

This is my contribution to the Blake Secret Santa 2021 for @funkybetsy. (I hope you like it!) My prompt was “Lucien just being an idiot and needing to make it up to Jean. I’ll let the writer have freedom to surprise me within that" 

Well, circumstances turned out better than expected, so here is my entry for @blakesecretsanta2021. This is for you, @yesmadamepresident!

The prompt was “Jean/Lucien, first “I love you.” Bonus points if I get to hear the other person say it too, whether or not it takes some time is up to you.”

Summary: Four times Lucien says “I love you,” and one time Jean says it back.