Dead Air
Jack
Jack enjoyed working undercover, and he is good at it; however, seeing Miss Fisher at the door of the studio peeking in at him, he did double take. His mind attempting to grasp how she always knows, Jack finished his broadcast. He didn't know how she knew, but his need for her help on the case was decidedly necessary, and he thanking his lucky stars she had made an appearance he allowed his mind to move forward to the real reason he was providing the ladies of Melbourne with his honeyed voice; the murder. Once off the air, he quickly seeks her help, knowing it puts him a disadvantage with her, but not certain how long they will be out of earshot of the key players, he plunges forward. "Do you want me to beg?" he asks in his deepest voice. To his exasperation, she does choose make him beg; her expression one of delighted interest. "Please" he says, spitting out the word while standing so close to her in the narrow hallway that he can see the purplish flecks in her pansy eyes.
After the case ends, he plans to have their usual discourse and nightcap, but he finds his attendance at a party at Miss Fisher's is expected instead. Blessedly, it's a quiet party filled with her friends and family, and his observations go mostly unnoticed. He ponders as he watches Dot's and Hugh's toast, that they will be engaged soon. The idea pleases him he realizes with a grin. If ever two people should be together, it's Hugh and Dot. They are a match made in heaven. As people are leaving, Jack takes the opportunity to play Phryne's piano. He wonders if she plays or if she just has the piano for such a time as this? Since he doesn't have a piano at his house, the decision to make use of the opportunity comes easily.
He begins playing the piano, letting his memory and his excellent musical ear provide the impetus to his fingers. He loses himself in the music, moving from one song to another with no conscious thought. He is slightly startled to hear Miss Fisher's voice bringing him out of his reverie, "So Archie, it looks like it's back to your old life". He self-consciously stops playing at her words and begins to get up, but at her encouragement to continue playing he does so, his fingers skimming the keys with a new song. He falls into the magic of the music, but isn't unaware or surprised when she joins him at the piano. He knew flirting with him would be on her activity list for the evening and with the party this has yet to happen. What does surprise him is the fact that her presence beside him on the stool is making his pulse quicken. He realizes with a start as she sits down that he is playing "Let's Misbehave". Why has he moved into that song? As Jack tries to fathom his choice of songs, telling his distracted mind it is just because Mr. Porter is such a delightful musician. Phryne begins to sing a verse of the song in her lovely soprano. Jack naturally adds his voice and sings another verse in his smooth bass.
As he sings the verse about being wild and contagious, he knows it is true. Phryne Fisher is definitely wild and contagious, and outrageous as well, and infuriating and wonderful, and oh so beautiful, his mind adds to the words of the song. They begin singing the next verse at the same time, their voices blending magically together. Jack's thoughts are slightly chaotic, because he would never admit it aloud, how much fun he is having. Sitting thigh to thigh with her playing the piano and singing, unconsciously Jack licks his lips, not realizing how the gesture may be interpreted. As they sing additional verses, Jack realizes they should make use of the piano more often. They both have the voices for singing, and their natural harmony brings a slight smile to his lips. What Jack is enjoying most, though, is Phryne's warmth beside him on the piano bench and the patter of his slightly accelerating heartbeat, reminding him that contrary to his determination not to be, where Miss Fisher is concerned, he is very much alive and feeling slightly reckless.
As they finish the song and the last notes die away, Jack turns toward her, giving his Miss Fisher a flirtatious look that says let's misbehave. His heart beats even faster as he looks into her sparkling blue eyes, speaking no audible words, but communicating nonetheless; what the heck do we care? Jack is drawn by the various shades of blue in her eyes and continues to feast on her gaze. When he feels he is longing to lose himself to the desires he sees flickering in the depths of fathomless blue, his hands itching to hold her to him and leaning in toward her in order to act on the impulse, he slowly blinks, his lashes grazing his cheeks and the spell of the song breaks. His mind and body return to the reality of his world, the world where he will not misbehave, but where he already looks forward to seeing her during their next murder investigation and guiltily hopes it won't be long.
Watching Phryne get up from the piano stool, Jack is a bit surprised she didn't try to kiss or tease him, although, honestly, her perfume does that for her all on its own. She smells divine he thinks breathing in her unique scent and committing it to memory. Jack rises from the bench also, wondering at his disappointment. Why is Miss Fisher giving up so easily when there is no chaperone, when he is merely a mammal intoxicated by her perfume? She can easily sway him this evening, if she chooses and he is so ready to acquiesce. Disciplining his wayward thoughts with some difficulty and regret, he turns politely towards her, offering his arm as they leave the parlor, enjoying a few final moments of the warmth of her touch, the healing power her sweet smile contains and the view of her alabaster skin before he steps into the dark of the night.
Phryne
Phryne wandered back into the parlor after sending her guests out into the night or off to their beds, to hear Jack playing the piano. She stopped in the doorway, her mind reflecting on the case as she watched him play. From her insistence that he beg for her help, to the moment when he had steadied her as she nearly fell from the stool, quipping "steady me anytime Inspector", when she really wanted to fall into his arms, to Jack's not quite as timely as she would have liked arrival to save her from the evil killer, pictures of the case flashed across her mind, rich with the moments of the crime solving activities they did so well together.
She found his playing charming. This was something she did not know about him, but she was enjoying the glimpse of his soul that the music afforded her. She thought it was a lovely display of his inner thought life and his unconscious choices said much of his vulnerability and deep passions. She wanted to be near him, so she interrupted his playing saying in a mischievous voice, "So Archie, it looks like it's back to your old life". His lips quirked and he started to get up. "Don't stop on my account" she said, coming toward the piano.
Jack sat back down and began playing as she came to sit with him on the piano stool. There wasn't a lot of extra room on the bench so they were sitting very close together. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, infusing hers with warmth. Phryne's thoughts began galloping when she realized that Jack's fingers were playing Cole Porter's Let's Misbehave. Why would he play that song she wondered a bit breathlessly? Thinking that this is indeed a pleasant surprise as there was an undertone of significant flirtation and meaning in it, she began to sing softly, her soprano easily capturing the mood of the song. "We're all alone, no chaperone has got our number, the worlds in slumber, let's misbehave". Jack's fluid bass began the next verse, "There's something wild about you child, that's so contagious. Let's be outrageous. Let's misbehave". Together, their voices so in sync that it nearly brought her to tears, they sang the next verses together. "You know my heart is true, and you say you for me care; somebody's sure to tell, but what the heck do we care? They say that bears have love affairs and even camels. We're merely mammals, let's misbehave." Phryne smiling as they sang, looking at him out of the corner of her eye, realized the intimacy in singing with him, harmonizing, instinctively knowing where he was going with the music. Jack seemed relaxed as he played and sang licking his lips and causing her stomach to feel a sudden drop like she was on the Scenic Railway with him again. Her eyes, resting on his exquisitely formed lips, sparkled like sapphires at the thought, but her singing did not falter. As they finished the song, she saw him turn toward her, giving her that look of his, the one that was so enigmatic and full of passion. Losing herself in the look, her dark blue eyes locked with his lighter blue ones, mesmerized. She really did find him to be a most attractive man!
She saw in the depths of his eyes a desire to misbehave with her and her pulse quickened. Would he kiss her? Communicating her longing for his kisses as she gazed into his eyes, her eyes glinting a bit more as sudden understanding flooded her mind. Misbehaving with Jack would be gloriously wonderful no doubt, but more than desiring to possess his body, she needs him to be her friend. The realization that jack is much more than a dalliance caused Phryne to smile again, and for once she understood that leading and manipulating the circumstances would never do. She continued to look into his eyes, hardly daring to breathe, wondering what he would do. His expression immobilizing her, tempting her reach up and put her hand on his cheek and rub her thumb across his lips to see what his reaction might be, but knowing now she must let him decide to misbehave.
As she watched him, containing her desires by using all of the discipline she did not usually bother with, he blinked. She immediately felt his withdrawal; leaving her feeling lost. She silently gave herself a mental shake and regaining control of her emotions, she sighed. Giving Jack a final look of resignation, knowing she had once again lost the battle with the honorable and noble Inspector Jack Robinson. She gracefully rose from the piano bench, firm in the knowledge the communication between their souls did take place, the slightly bereft expression on Jack's face providing a ray of hope that she has not lost the war. Smiling sweetly as she walks to the door on Jack's gentlemanly proffered arm, she wonders when their next murder investigation will take place, hoping it will be soon. Thinking about not being outflanked again, as she bids Jack goodnight, Phryne's mind is already planning for their next skirmish.