Things between the pair of them since he had caught her in her wardrobe two weeks ago were at best rocky. But a week after that incident they had had another fight which had thrown them both into (if possible) even more vile moods.

Miss Fisher was angry at Jack for running away from her when nothing had even happened. She wanted so much for him to act like a grown up and just talk to her, but she knew he wouldn't and it was frustrating her. Jack was embarrassed about what had happened and angry at himself for not having the sense to knock before entering her room. He was getting tired of her games and he was tired of her turning up to his investigations when he was perfectly capable of working alone. Both them were keeping their anger pent up when in reality they just needed to talk, something which they were both too stubborn to do. They had both taken to making digs at each other which were becoming more and more personal with each passing day.

So that sunny Tuesday a week after he had walked in on her, she breezed into his office without so much as a knock and plonked herself unceremoniously on his desk, he decided he had had more than enough of her behaviour and something inside him snapped. She had been looking into a simple case of a lost ring when a maid from that household had been murdered at a nightclub, she seemed to think it was related, he did not.

"And how exactly do you know this?" he was referring to the fact that she had just inadvertently told him who the murderer was.

"He told me Jack" she shrugged her shoulders as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "He said that Marvin Banes was at the house when the ring was stolen and Marvin told him over breakfast that he had been at the rocket club the night before."

"And what you do you want me to do about that?"

"James thinks that Marvin killed for that ring Jack."

"Why were you talking to James anyway? He isn't your client; I thought Marvin was your client?" he was shuffling the papers on his desk with an air of nonchalance even though this information was new to him and certainly answered some of his more pressing questions. He knew that Marvin had come to her with the case of the missing ring, which it appeared now was a cover.

"I may have…" her eyes scanned the room as she searched for an appropriate word "tricked him into telling me." There was an obvious distaste on the Inspectors face at this statement and he stopped shuffling his papers. He had several ideas how a woman like Phryne might 'trick' a man like James and none of them boded well with him. He looked at her and she took it as a want of explanation and began with a smile, "It was easy actually, all I did…" he put his hand up and she stopped mid sentence "Well Jack I.."

"No Miss Fisher, I have no desire to know how you managed to coax that information out of James."

He couldn't help himself, he did not agree with her methods of getting information out of people, "Although I am sure your, unusual talent for seduction had something to do with it." He gave her a smile which was supposed to hurt her as he stood his chair rolling backwards as he did so.

She also stood a look of fight etched onto her face as her hands balled into fists. She had had more than enough of Jack Robinson and his silly games. Ever since he had seen her in her underwear he had gone batty. And she was angry that he wouldn't grow up and accept it and then they could move on. Her pent up anger rose in her chest as she took a step toward his desk.

"Don't you dare"

"Don't I what? He cut over the top of her "Tell you the truth?"

"If it wasn't for me." She seemed to struggle to pull her sentence together, her mouth twitching with anger "It would have taken you weeks to get that information out of James and you know it."

"At least I don't have to seduce information out of people."

"Well at least I can seduce something Inspector."

They stood panting at each other in rage before a quiet knock at the door had saved them both from further conflict. A very red faced Hugh Collins stuck his head in the door to see both Miss Fisher and the Inspector standing, glaring at him. Miss Fisher's hair was messed and her face was flushed with anger, her hands still balled into fists. The Inspector looked like he was about to yell again, his lips were tight and white, both very visibly steaming with anger. "Sorry Sir, Mr Leigh is here to see you."

His eyes turned to Miss Fisher who looked like she was going to hit him and he really couldn't blame her, "Goodbye Miss Fisher." His voice was gravely calm.

She turned her glare at him for a moment before as she very noisily left his office, all but barging Hugh Collins on her way out.

That night when her household was tucked into bed and all the lights were out she had cried. She could not remember the last time she had cried like that. She cried because she had argued with Jack, she cried because what he had said about her, but most of all she cried because she knew that fighting with Jack and hurting him, which was hurting her and there really was nothing she could do about it. She was frustrated beyond belief and honestly she didn't know how to fix it, this in turn frustrated her even more. When she managed to stop she did not feel any better at all, if anything she felt worse. Weak and upset, her lips gave into an involuntary pout and she grabbed the nearest pillow pulling it in for a very tight hug squeezing her eyes shut. Jacks words had hurt her and she hoped that her words had hurt him just as much, although a small part of her brain cried for the blow she had surely dealt him. Before she could stop herself another wave of tears hit her and she cursed Jack Robinson for ever walking into her life.