Okay, wow. So I'm dipping my toes back into the fanfiction pool for the first time in eight years, which, not coincidentally, was also the last time I wrote any non-academic prose with dialogue. Grad school has a lot to answer for…sigh. I'm really rather nervous, so feedback would be so appreciated!

So after I marathoned the first two series of MFMM, I had a thought: "What if Phryne's 'trusty diaphragm' were to fail her, and Jack was the 'other party?'" It was actually a pretty tricky question, and I pondered for a long time. Even when I came up with what I thought was the most likely answer, I wasn't entirely satisfied. I'm still not, frankly, but the excitement over series 3 and the great community of fans over on Tumblr persuaded me I should start writing it down anyway. So here, friends. This introductory piece, and the others to come, are for you.

Betaed by my dear friend DrinkwaterDrinkwine, the one who persuaded me to give MFMM a try in the first place. Any remaining mistakes are mine. Characters are the property of Kerry Greenwood and Every Cloud Productions. No infringement intended!

Confirmation

"Well," said Mac, stepping back from the examination table, "you were right."

"Just this once, I would much rather have been wrong," Phryne huffed, propping herself up on her elbows.

Mac rolled her eyes as she rinsed her hands. "Based on what I can see, and from what you've told me, I'd estimate about seven weeks or so, perhaps eight." She paused. "Inspector Robinson, I presume?"

"Of course it's Jack's, Mac," Phryne replied irritably. "You know very well there hasn't been anyone else for months."

"I simply didn't like to assume, Phryne, that's all." Mac laid a supportive hand on Phryne's arm. "Have you thought about what you want to do? You'll need to make a decision soon…"

"I've barely thought about anything else for the past week, Mac, ever since I began to suspect for certain. If it was just me, Mac, if this had transpired from a brief liaison, you know what I'd do. There would be no question."

"But?"

"But…this is Jack's child. Jack, the most decent man I've ever known. And, although I'm sounding much too reminiscent of your vile friend Dr. Bradbury for comfort, if a shred of his decency, his humor and his goodness, could live on through this child, how can I possibly deny that to the world?"

"Now, just wait…"

"And he'd be a ridiculously wonderful father, you know he would. You said it yourself; he would be your first choice."

"I did, yes, but…"

"How can I possibly deny him that chance?" Phryne burst out passionately

"Phryne, it's a child first. Your child. Not a gift you're granting to Jack or bestowing upon the entirety of the human race. A child you will have to carry, and provide for, and raise. Consider that before anything else. You've said often enough you won't dance to anyone else's tune, and this child will blast a hell of a symphony, even before it's born." Mac sighed, leaning forward. "Look, you know I will support whatever choice you make. Just, please, before you consider what this could mean for Jack, or what society or even your Aunt Prudence might make of it, just, think about what it means for you, about what you really want."

"Dear Mac. You really are the most stalwart of friends." Phryne smiled sadly. "But it's not as though I can make the decision entirely in a vacuum, is it? Even if I did finally decide to…terminate, I couldn't not tell him. I couldn't bear the deception. Either way, I don't think our relationship, or our friendship, would survive. And I couldn't bear that either," she admitted rather wistfully. Her voice hardened. "But having the child, all the compromises I'd have to make, I just…I'm afraid I would lose something of myself, something irretrievable. So for once, Mac, I haven't the faintest idea what to do."

Oooh, cliffhanger! Well, not if you've seen some of my posts on Tumblr, but…

I know, a lamentable lack of Jack in this one. I'm so sorry! This was just a short introduction to the series. He'll be in the next one, I promise.

Also, regarding Phryne's pregnancy: Here's why I chose to have this conversation take place in week 7, which, to my 21st century mind, seems a bit late to confirm if you have suspicions, although I don't think it is, really…? For the 1920's I think it's definitely a bit on the early side, though. Here's my reasoning: Given the lack of home pregnancy tests and ultrasounds in 1930, I think Phryne would want to/have to wait to definitely confirm things in terms of her cycle, and the earliest that could happen, if my biology/research is correct, would be around week 6? Also, in terms of a physical examination, detectable changes to the cervix (Hegar's sign, Chadwick's sign, etc.) can occur initially anywhere from week 4 to week 10, apparently, although their presence or absence is not conclusive. So, for a number of reasons, week 7/8 seemed a good compromise. The things one learns!

Back to the dissertation for the moment! Please let me know if you enjoyed, and if you would be interested in more.