I don't know what my problem is, but I keep somehow deleting my stories… Anyway here is another chapter! I didn't realise it had been so long since I had updated, so sorry about that! Whoever that guest was who reviewed my story yesterday, thank- you for prompting me to post another chapter :)
They had just sat down to a very quiet dinner (Jack was a man of few words at the best of times and now she wasn't speaking it was almost silent) when there was a knock at the front door. Mr Butler appeared a few moments later with Mac hot on his tail.
"Miss Fisher." But he was drowned out by the ginger haired woman, "Phryne" She looked from Phryne to the Inspector and back again before heavily taking a seat beside Jack a strange look on her face. She looked upset and on edge, but her voice came out full of anger and concern but most of all worry.
"You would be the reason my friend has neglected to call!" Jack looked from Mac to Phryne and back again, shock sketched onto his face as he put down his knife and fork with a clunk.
"I wasn't.." he was cut off by Miss Fishers rough voice, "Jack has been looking after me, don't berate him." Jack was quite shocked by the words that hardly sounded like her own. It appeared that Mac was also shocked as she slumped back into the chair and picked up his drink, swallowing it down before giving him a look eyebrows raised. She had been worried out of her mind all day for her friend, but several newborn babies had prevented her from investigating any further.
Mr Butler walked out silently to fetch Elizabeth MacMillan a drink of her own which he decided she defiantly needed.
"Phryne." She looked at her friend silently asking the question if she was okay apparently ignoring her previous outburst deciding to blame it on grief.
They shared a look which Jack knew was about him and he took to sipping his drink, which was now empty thanks to Mac, instead playing with the glass all but forgetting his dinner.
"Just wanted to make sure you were okay old girl."
"I've been better." She gave her friend a weak smile as Mr Butler appeared with another glass and the scotch bottle. "Thank- you Mr Butler."
"Would you like anything to eat?"
"No thanks, I've got to run" Mr Butler bowed slightly to the fierce woman before him before leaving them once more.
"Jack came over last night and has been looking after me." The way she said it left Jack feeling hot in the cheeks and he refilled his wine glass with the bottle which Mr Butler had also snuck in and placed pointedly in front of him.
"Good" was all she muttered as she took a deep sip of her drink. She eyed Jack suspiciously and stood before giving Phryne a kiss on the head, "quick word with Jack and I will be off."
A slightly suspicious Inspector was lead out of the dining room and into the hallway. "I don't know what she has told you, but she is not in a very good place right now. Isla was murdered by that brute and it will have bought up some disgusting memories for her." He nodded, knowing whatever he could have said wouldn't be enough. "Make sure you take good care of her, I'll know if you don't" again he nodded and Mac turned to leave, but not before patting him on the upper arm, "And don't let her trick you into anything." He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw her wink at him as she stalked out of the house leaving a very confused man in the hallway.
"Jack" he heard her soft voice float out the doorway. He walked back into the dining room returning to his dinner with a frown etched into his face.
Both were lost in thought and it was only when he had almost finished his own dinner that he realised she had hardly eaten a thing.
"Phryne"
She blinked up at him stopping the fork which was busy pushing her food around her plate. "hmm" she was distracted and hadn't really even noticed the food in front of her.
"You should really eat something."
"Not really hungry." He noticed she had drunk all of her wine and she smiled guiltily at him as he eyed her. He picked up his fork which was loaded with lamb and held it out to her.
"Here"
"Jack" he continued to stare at her, waving the fork in her face, a smile he hadn't seen all day shadowed on her face, "Jack, I'm not a baby."
"Eat." With a sigh she opened her mouth and allowed him to spoon the food to her. She chewed slowly as he watched making sure she swallowed. "Happy?" He continued to watch her as he returned to his own dinner, "not really, but it's a start." She opened her mouth to say something when Mr Butler appeared in the room once more.
"Sorry to interrupt Inspector, but Constable Collins is waiting for you in the parlour when you're ready."
"Thank you Mr Butler" he bowed slightly and left the pair alone once more taking the wine bottle with him. Jack looked at Miss Fisher who had returned to moving her food around her plate and decided he probably shouldn't keep Collins waiting.
The sight that greeted him in the parlour made his heart sting. Dot and Hugh were sitting side by side on the love seat and chatting in a quite whisper. When Hugh saw the Inspector he jumped up looking embarrassed which perfectly mirrored the look on Dot's face.
"It's okay Collins, considering neither of us are on duty" he gave them both a tired smile and sat on the arm chair expectantly.
"I have the files for you Sir." He nodded towards the table that separated them. "Is she okay? Dot told me about what happened."
"I am sure she will be fine" he smiled at the pair of them and their genuine concern as he picked up the file sitting on the table. Something told him that what this contained was not going to be nice and he kept it shut as he placed it in his lap before leaning back into the couch and listening as Collins told him meaningless and welcomed information about the station.
She had considered calling Jack, of course she had. She was certain he would have come if she had asked, and yet a small part of her had stopped her. She wasn't sure how she felt about showing him her most vulnerable side. Although another part of her brain argued, he had seen it before after they had discovered Janie's grave. Then she had fallen so far into her sadness it was too late for anything and she had instead taken refuge in her bed. She wondered if she might convince Jack to stay in her bed again tonight. All things considered she didn't think it would be too hard. With that thought in mind she put down her fork and finished his drink before walking out of the dining room and up the stairs to her bedroom her cheeks flushed in a mixture of lust, wine and sadness.
When he walked back into the dining room 15 minutes later he found it empty and the table cleared. With a soft sigh he made his way back up the stairs file in hand and the warning from Mac planted firmly in his brain.