Notes:

I've been experimenting with a bit of first person POV lately and noticed there wasn't too much kicking round the fandom, so thought it would be fun to post the first part of this (hopefully) three parter, and see what people think. I hope I've managed to keep true to the character voices, but you never know with the old first person!

Thi starts at the very familiar end of Unnatural Habits, but hopefully diehards (um, so all of us then) will spot when it begins to go a little AU.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Gingham xx

Phryne

"I thought you were with Rosie."

The moment he said "I was," I knew why he had come. To let me down gently.

It felt horribly... ironic, I suppose. The amount of relationships I've had where intimate embraces have been exchanged freely and never spoken of again! And here was Jack, with whom my entire relationship has consisted of embraces we DIDN'T have and words we DIDN'T say, feeling the need to come and tell me that he was going back to his ex-wife! He could have quite easily left it, mentioned it casually in passing or pretended that it didn't matter.

He didn't.

But that's Jack. That's Jack. And I was so struck then by his... GOODNESS, that I couldn't bring myself to show him how much his decision hurt.

Accept his decision graciously, Phryne, I thought. He's an honourable man. He's a good man.

Too good for you, maybe.

"She needed you," I said. "Jack Robinson. The man who always does the right thing. The noble thing."

But then, something changed. I could see the fight rise in his eyes, the moment he realised I was letting him go gently. He didn't want to go at all!

"Not always, Miss Fisher."

His lips were on mine before I had a chance to respond. It was such a chaste kiss, a mere brush of skin on skin. But it seemed to reach right through my body and grab hold somewhere near my navel, yanking me into shocked stillness. I rushed to part my lips in response, but it was too late: he had retreated and was looking into my eyes carefully, seeking confirmation, I suppose, that this was what I wanted.

Imagine being in doubt about THAT after all these months!

Whatever he saw in my face must have reassured him and he pulled me towards him, one hand at my back and one behind my head, his lips hungry this time as he pressed me against his body.

My own hands were frustratingly trapped between us, stuck at his lapels, but I smoothed my hands over his chest and was able to feel the quickening thrum of his heartbeat beneath. I responded to his kiss eagerly, exploring his mouth with increasing excitement. It was finally happening!

"Was that the baby?"

Drat!

I stepped back quickly, fixing my Aunt with a deadly, gimlet-eyed type of stare. Infuriating woman!

Jack had turned his face towards the staircase, vainly attempting to hide his heavy breathing and flushed expression. Prudence eyed him suspiciously and made some remarks about it being rather late for a house call before bustling into the next room to see to Mary's infant.

I couldn't help but laugh at Jack's uncharacteristic ruffled exterior, and he bit his lip, trying not to smile.

"You might have warned me your Aunt was here," he rumbled.

"You never gave me a chance."

"Maybe we should continue this... conversation another time."

The pause before he said "conversation" was absolutely delicious!

"Yes, indeed, Jack," I said, using my most seductive tone. "I can't wait to hear what you were going to say next."

He reddened slightly, and shot me a censorious glance before heading towards the door.

I caught his arm as he opened the door. "Come for dinner tomorrow?" Now was the time for action. I had no intention of letting this slip by and it becoming one of those moments we never mentioned again.

But luckily, Jack clearly had no intention of that either.

"I'd like that," he said softly.

"Good."

"Until tomorrow then, Miss Fisher."

"Until tomorrow."

Jack

I've often heard that to a man approaching the end of his prison sentence, the last few weeks stretch out insufferably, seeming almost as long as the preceding years. The closer the release date gets, the farther away it seems.

As a man locked who has spent the last few months steadfastly in a prison of his own making, I can now confirm this urban legend to be unequivocally true.

For eons, it seemed, I was withstanding the advances of Miss Phryne Fisher. At times, it seemed I was doing so only to my own detriment. After all, it would have been easy enough to stay that little bit later one night after a case, or when catching her arm one day, keep hold, and pull her in. It wasn't that I didn't want to; I think even Collins could attest to that! (Although, obviously, we will never discuss it) Rather, the opposite was true, I wanted her too much. To the point where I knew, that even if it did last more than one night, I would spend any dalliance we had waiting in frozen horror for the end to come.

But recently, I have sensed a change in her which has allowed me to hope (as I have never allowed myself to before) that this is important to her too. Too important, maybe, to squander on a couple of nights of pleasure. That actually this want, this need, which has tormented me for so many months, might be something that she feels too.

I felt it that day in my office, when she stood in front of me to fix my tie. Though I suppose the heat we generated that day may have been purely down to our close proximity. I have a tendency to spectacularly overheat when I am close to Phryne, something that she has noticed and therefore taken it upon herself to orchestrate when at all possible!

But I also felt in that day in that benighted town of Maiden Creek, when Collins and I arrived and took possession of the body of Oscar Voigt. She looked at me with a mixture of so much pride, relief and affection that I couldn't even bring myself to feel jealous of that wine crusher who was clearly making eyes at her.

And then there was last night. I went to her because I didn't want her to think I was going back to my ex-wife. I knew she feared it earlier in the station, when I went to comfort Rosie. But she took my arrival at her house as confirmation, and I heard it in her voice; the hurt and resignation as she gave me up. Just as I had once given her up.

All this giving up, and here we were. Still there.

In fact, we would probably still be there now if it wasn't for that confounded Aunt of hers! But no matter, dinner was arranged for today. And I can feel my skin tingle all over just to think of it.

This isn't just a flirtation now, I know it. This is a partnership, a true partnership, and one I feel I have been waiting for my entire life. The jailed man, waiting for release. (Er… metaphorically, of course.)

But now, it seems that tonight doesn't just appear further away, it actually is. Last night's activities, I confess, pushed everything else from my mind and I found myself agreeing to dinner without remembering that today was likely to be one of the most trying days in my police career.

After two hours of interrogation this afternoon about my relationship with George Sanderson, I realised the likelihood of my making it out at a reasonable time was slim to none, so I slipped out to telephone Phryne.

"Jack?" Her voice came brightly down the line.

"Miss Fisher-"

"You're going to be late, aren't you?"

I frowned. "Formidable detecting, Miss Fisher. Even for you."

"Hugh told Dot you were all being questioned."

I sighed. There are no secrets in my police station with that lad on the team.

"Has it been awful?" she continued sympathetically.

"I've had pleasanter days," I replied, keeping my voice low so as not to be overheard by the visiting investigators currently taking up residence in every nook and cranny of City South.

"I should have remembered this would happen today," Phryne sounded almost contrite. "Do you want to reschedule our dinner?"

"No," I said quickly. Hearing her voice made me even more impatient to see her again. "As long as you don't mind a late visitor?"

"You're never too late, Jack."

I heard the smile in her voice and recognised her reference to her words last night. "Good," I said, smiling too.

"I'll see you tonight then."

"I can't wait," I answered truthfully.