A/N: "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" took me by storm. I went absolutely crazy watching and rewatching the series. When I discovered that there would be forth season, I was devastated, but knew I could count on fanfiction. Seldarious, missphyne, Firebird9, Bellairian, theblue-swallow and other major fandom authors have already dissected Jack and Phryne's relationship in all kinds of ways, so my fic will have some recurring themes, but I also hope, that this fic is going to bring something new.
My fanfiction author mind already started constructing two stories after finishing season 2, so for the sake of this fic the kiss in the end and "Come after me" did not happen, but everything else in season 3 did. Also the timeline line of the series is stretched over two and a half years with additional two and a half years before the plot of the fic starts. There will be explanations for some events that happened in between. And thus the fic starts during the July of 1933, at the time of the global financial crisis which is not happening in my fic. Let's just forget about it.
I've never wrote fanfiction based on TV series, only books, cartoons and comics, so it was an amazing experience to imagine actual people. For the narrative style I chose one with almost no author remarks but plenty of dialog that indicates character reactions. Hopefully it is not confusing.
I know that posting a whole fic right away is a review suicide, but I do not want to torture either you or myself so here it is. I cannot say that I am completely satisfied with this work since there could be much more character development with the plot premise I suggest here. Hopefully, I did not butcher too much the language of that time.
So enough with my ranting, read, enjoy or not and preferably review.
Disclaimer: The characters and settings belong to Kerry Greenwood and ABC Australia. And frankly I must also credit Essie Davis and Nathan Page for the superb portrayals.
Mr. and Mrs. Robinson
by Lady Arabella Malfoy
Chapter One
"So what is your verdict, Mac?"
"It is as you suspected, Phryne."
"How long?"
"Seven weeks. I do not understand how you did not realize it sooner."
"I was rather… stressed these past weeks, but when I threw up in the morning the day before yesterday and yesterday too… I understood something was not right. God, how am I going to tell Jack?"
"Is he the father?"
"No! Of course not!"
"No need to yell, Phryne. How can you be so sure?"
"Because."
"This is an answer for a five-year-old, not a thirty-two-year-old pregnant woman, and no, you cannot blame the hormones yet."
"It is just…"
"What, Phryne? You have never been secretive about your relationships with men; through you have never divulged any details about our esteemed inspector."
"You are my closest friend, Mac, right?"
"Of course, I am. Do you doubt my confidence? This rather hurts."
"No, no, I just… have never talked to anyone about Jack… and me."
"I promise you, Phryne, everything you say will remain between us. Just as this unexpected pregnancy of yours."
"I have never talked about Jack and me, because there has never been 'Jack and me'. We have never had a non-platonic relationship. We have never been… intimate. So Jack could not possibly be the father of this baby. And please, do not look so shocked, Mac."
"How could I not be?! You have known the man for five years and have not managed to get him into your bed?!"
"It is not a matter of getting the man into my bed! It is the matter of what to do after that!"
"Hm, Phryne, I thought you were quite knowledgeable about what to do with a man in bed."
"Do not laugh at me, Mac! Jack is different! Only with him I ask myself 'what next?' Yes, we could have had a, no doubt, passionate tumble between the sheets for what? Several weeks? Months? And then what? He will not just disappear like all other men in my life. We will still meet during investigations, in town…"
"So you decided to let things as they are to preserve your… partnership."
"We both decided."
"Somehow I doubt the decision was mutual."
"What can you know, Mac?"
"Remember the five months tour in China you went to last year?"
"Of course! It was very exhilarating!"
"Well, I remember quite clearly the day you left. Inspector and I were sending you off. You remained on the pierce till the very last minute and when you finally went up the drawbridge, I happened to catch the Inspector's glance. His eyes looked empty, as if the life had been sucked out of him."
"Surely you are exaggerating…"
"I am not. As surely as I am not exaggerating the way you literally ran into his arms the moment you set foot on the dock when you returned. To me, and I can bet to everybody else, you looked like the lovers reunited."
"But we never were, Mac. So let us not talk about it any further."
"Your choice, dear. So if not – alright, alright, no need to shoot me with such piercing glares – are you aware who the father is?"
"In a way… But that ship has long sailed. Literally."
"He is a seaman?"
"Not exactly, well, he can as well be. Remember the Sydney cruise I went to?"
"More disappeared to. No announcement, no plans, just one day you are having tea with me and the next – you are at sea. You are spontaneous, but that was rather abrupt even for you."
"I was invited, but I was not planning on going."
"So what changed your mind?"
"…"
"Somehow I get the feeling, we are returning to Inspector Robinson."
"Yes… But you must swear, Mac… What I tell you next will never leave these walls."
"Of course, Phryne. Stop being melodramatic. You can trust me with anything."
"Here it is then… You know of the tradition of the Firemen and Policemen's Ball?"
"Yes, I am aware, but how -"
"It is a rather silly notion, but I realized that Jack and I have never been in public together. Yes, there were several occasions, but the circumstances were not…"
"Intimate enough?"
"No, but think whatever you like. Jack is a fabulous dancer, but… it is an extremely rare occasion when he does dance, moreover with me in the vicinity. So for years, I was waiting that he would ask me to that dance. It is just a dance with no further obligation. And yet, year after year, Jack did not show any initiative. So I decided to take the matter into my own hands offhandedly suggesting we attend this year. Just for fun of it. Imagine my surprise, when Jack informs me, in the same offhanded manner that he cannot accompany me because he already has the date for the dance."
"I have a vast imagination, but I am still not able to picture your reaction. Were you gawking for several minutes, after understanding that you were rejected in favor of another woman? For the first time in your life?"
"This is no laughing matter. But yes, I admit, I must have looked quite… unladylike for a moment. But then I got myself together and went to devise a plan of infiltrating that troublesome ball."
"And you obviously succeeded."
"Obviously. I managed to get to the dance looking breathtaking as always. I located Jack right away with him looking rather dashing in his tuxedo. As always. There was indeed a woman on his arm. A blond, rather elegantly and tastefully dressed, I admit. They made quite a pair… They looked genuinely happy. They were smiling and laughing and being so comfortable around each other… The way only lovers do. Jack has never acted around me this way. Despite what we had been through. And that hurt, Mac, hurt me to the very core."
"Are you crying, Phryne?"
"Sorry, cannot blame that on hormones yet, right?"
"So who was that woman?"
"I do not know. I stormed out of the dance hall, ditching my date (not that I cared much about him). As you understand I was… not particularly myself. I decided to ruin their little get together. In my… anxious state I hunted for Jack's address (for some reason, I have never been invited over, can you fathom that?); I did not sleep a wink during the night and at six in the morning I appeared on his doorstep in a state of slight disarray."
"You did not."
"You stop giggling this instant, Mac! This is a very serious matter!"
"Indeed it is, but at six in the morning?! Do continue."
"So his cleaning lady or coming help or whoever that woman is, answers the door, not in any way pulsed to admit a visitor at such hour. I dash pass her before she could announce me to come to a rather peaceful picture of Jack having breakfast. He asks if something is wrong. Well, something should be very wrong for me to appear in that fashion. And it was, just not the way he understood it. I reply that nothing is wrong, that I was having a morning stroll in the neighborhood and decided to come for a cup of tea."
"And he actually believed that?"
"Of course not, but he poured me a cup and continued with reading the newspaper. So I asked him about his evening, receiving a curt response that it went very well. I continued probing in a polite manner, but did not receive any concrete information. I was astounded by the fact that I, Lady Detective, could not pry such simple information out of him. So I decided to cut out the pleasantries and asked directly if my loud talking could wake his lady friend. And Jack said something like: 'No, there will not be any problems' without even blinking. As if him talking downstairs with someone else sleeping in his bedroom was a common occurrence! I am sure, you will say, I acted like a complete idiot, but I cannot take anything back now. And yes, I did act like an idiot-"
"Phryne! Stop mumbling and tell me what happened. This story must be made into a moving picture, honestly!"
"I asked if a lot of ladies stayed over at his house. Well, more demanded than asked, I suppose. To what Jack answered that it is none of my business. I should have backed down at that moment, but as said, I was not completely myself, so I pushed further disregarding the consequences, stating that it was actually very well my business."
"And then?"
"And then happened something I will never forget – Jack lost his temper. I mean, he had never even raised his voice at me, never shouted, never even snapped in irritation. But that morning… We had a huge row. I will not retell all the insulting and hurtful comments we threw at each other. But to summarize Jack's position... Since we do not have any claim on each other, we are free to pursue any kind of relationship. Moreover, if I keep whoring myself spreading my legs to any pretty face that passes by, who I am to judge his choice of sexual partners?"
"Jack Robinson said that?"
"Yelled more like. So I ran out of his house, jumped into the car and drove home. Thankfully the roads were empty, I doubt I would have reached the house without accident otherwise. I do not even remember how I drove. One moment I was seeing Jack's face contorted in anger and the next – I was tossing clothes (and only clothes, I completely forgot about the contraception in my hue state) into the suitcase and hailing for Bert to take me to the seaside.
And this is how I ended up on the Sydney cruise liner, where… I acted rather unladylike, well, exactly like Jack described me. The whole trip is hazy because of the consumption of alcohol and other substances… All I know is that I was rather generous with 'spreading my legs' as Jack put it. When the ship returned to Melbourne and I came to my senses after a massive hangover, I stayed out of Jack's way as much as possible.
"About three weeks ago we ran into each other on a case. You understand, it was very awkward. And then Jack surprised me once again – he apologized. I also apologized for acting inappropriately. The case concluded with no problems, though Jack did not come to my house for the traditional nightcap. Last week our paths intersected once again. On a case. It was nothing particularly dangerous, just an armed robbery. But as it usually is, there was a shoot out… I ran out of bullets… The next thing I know, I am pushed against the wall. I know it is Jack without seeing his face. The bullets keep flying. Then one of the officers signals that the culprit is apprehended. My protector swiftly moves away without me able to thank him."
"What a mess, Phryne. I will leave the mending of your relationship with Inspector Robinson to you-"
"There is no relationship, Mac!"
"Platonic or otherwise. It is not my concern. What I want to know is what are you going to do about the baby? As you know, I am not the supporter of such acts, but I will perform the operation since you are my friend. But it is for you and only you to decide. You have four weeks."
"God, what am I going to tell Jack?"
