Author's Note: This is the final chapter. Sorry for the delay in posting, I meant to do it last night but things got messy.. there were martinis and *gags a bit*... never mind. More notes at the end.

Previously: Jack and Phryne visited Leo in the hospital and gave Margo back to her mother. Jack suspected Isabel would drop the charges and wondered if he could continue to support her if she went back to Leo.

Chapter 11

They sat, busying themselves with paperwork, pretending they weren't waiting for Isabel to come through the station door.

Despite Jack's jabs about the quality of Phryne's documentation the week before, he found the lady detective a very able assistant when it came to writing up the case. They were hurrying, of course, though they were pretending not to. Trying to get as much of the work done before Isabel could call the whole thing off.

"Maybe you did deserve that badge after all," Jack commented dryly, looking over a sheet covered in her neat hand.

"Good job I never gave it back," Phryne answered tartly, and they smiled at each other for a moment, remembering their last case. How long ago that seemed.

"Uncle Jack!"

They both looked up in unison and Jack was in the foyer in an instant, scooping an excitable Margo off the ground and high above him.

"What's this, Collins? A new prisoner?"

Margo screamed delightedly as Jack swung her back into his arms. Hugh laughed, then trailed off as he noticed Isabel standing by the door.

"Good afternoon, Mrs Drake."

Jack's smile died as brother and sister exchanged a nervous look. Phryne could sense Jack grip Margo more tightly, perhaps in the knowledge this might be their last meeting for a while.

"Hello, Jack."

"Bel." He nodded in answer to her unspoken question. "Just give me a second." He turned to his constable. "Hugh, would you mind watching Margo while I have a word with my sister?"

"Of course, Sir."

Jack sat Margo on the counter. "You behave for Senior Constable Collins, Margo. He's easily led."

Phryne smiled at his joke, but couldn't help feeling a pang of sadness as he pressed a kiss to the top of the child's head. Dear Jack. He was trying to say goodbye without making a scene. The realisation brought a wave of anger over her, and she swallowed, trying to keep calm as she followed Isabel and Jack into the office.

It was evident everyone in the room knew why they were there. Jack took up a position behind his desk, gripping the back of his chair so tight Phryne could see the whites of his knuckles.

Isabel twisted her gloves in her hand, the creaking leather the only sound in the deathly silent room. Eventually she spoke.

"I've come to apologise."

Jack nodded slowly. "Have you?"

"Yes." She exhaled and sat down in the visitor's chair. Phryne stood back against the window, trying to make herself as unobtrusive as possible.

"I should never have brought you into this," Isabel continued. "I've wasted your time, and Miss Fishers. It was just a silly argument."

"He kidnapped your daughter." Jack's voice was cold.

"But don't you see?" Isabel pleaded. "That just shows how much he wants to be with us – with both of us! He did that because he finally realised what he stood to lose if he carried on with his behaviour. We can have a new start now, Jack."

"Isabel. Please don't do this."

But she stood up, her head held high. "My mind is made up. This isn't a police matter."

Though it was what he was expecting, Jack's frustration was evident. "You made it a police matter when you dumped Margo with me. And you ASKED me to find her for you. You can't just pick and choose!"

"He's her father! No crime was committed if I say it wasn't."

"He'll still be charged with the assault on Miss Fisher," Jack pointed out, indicating Phryne.

Isabel looked at her with such pain that Phryne almost felt bad about not dropping the charges. But only almost. Pointless trying to make Jack's sister feel better now if it was just going to lead to more harm in the long run.

"He... he was distraught," Isabel stammered. "He didn't mean..."

"He wasn't distraught," Phryne said firmly. "And I'm afraid he did mean."

Isabel blinked and shook her head. "His lawyers will..."

"His lawyers can do what they want." Jack interrupted. "Leo has committed two crimes - that I know of. If you're so determined to shield him from one charge, I'm going to make damn sure he doesn't escape the other." His eyes were cold, his voice firm and clear. This was Jack at his most authoritarian, and it seemed to deeply unsettle his sister.

"Can't you just be my brother?" Isabel cried. "Or are you so wedded to your damn job you can no longer distinguish between the two?"

"Fine." Jack suddenly walked around the desk towards his sister. His voice dropped as he appealed to her. "You want me to talk like your brother? Leave him."

Isabel shook her head dismissively, as if Jack was talking nonsense.

"Leave him." Jack took Isabel's hands in his, looking at her intently. "I mean it. He's bad for you. He's bad for Margo. Even if you are willing to put up with what he puts you through, don't make Margo go through it too. She doesn't have the choice!"

There was a pause as Isabel looked at him, judging his sincerity.

"Please," Jack said quietly. "Please, Bel. I'm so worried about you both."

Isabel seemed to be affected by this heartfelt plea; her eyes were filling up, but still she shook her head determinedly.

"You don't understand, Jack," she said tearfully, and Phryne saw Jack's shoulders sag at the realisation that he couldn't reach her. "I just want to be with the man I love," Isabel pleaded. "I know he's not perfect - nobody is, but we love each other so much. That's why it's difficult sometimes."

"For God's Sake!" Jack shook his head angrily, and Phryne could sense his unease. What could one say to an argument like that?

"It's worth it," Isabel continued. "It's worth it to have him, to have us. Margo and Leo; they're my world. It's all I want. All I ever wanted. You understand that, Jack? You must understand. It's the same thing you want." At this, she shot a glance at Phryne, who felt herself redden. "Or, it used to be."

"Fine!" he snapped in return, stung by her attempts to shift the focus on to him. "Go back to him. But he'll do this again, Bel, and when he does..." his brow creased, and he faltered. Sitting back against his desk with a defeated look, he continued:

"You know where I am."

Isabel stared at him for a moment, nodded once, and then left the office. Outside, they could hear her thanking Hugh as she scooped Margo up and out of the station.

Jack remained perched on the end of his desk, looking blankly through the foyer at the door his sister and niece had disappeared through. Phryne went to his office door, shooting a grateful smile at Hugh as she shut it gently behind her, leaving her and Jack alone together in the quiet office.

Jack stayed quiet, and she leaned against the inside of the door for a few moments, letting him gather his thoughts. Eventually he let out a great sigh, putting his fingers to his temples.

"Well. That went pretty much as expected."

"You did everything you could, you know," Phryne said softly, her head still resting against the glass door panel.

"Did I?" Jack rubbed his tired eyes. "I don't know. Half of me wants to pin every unsolved case in the files on him, lock him up and throw away the key."

"No, Jack..." Phryne said gently, walking to stand in front of him. "That's not how you do things. You can't stoop to his level. And you wouldn't try to control her that way."

"Wouldn't I?" Jack asked bleakly, before a blink of his eyes signalled the truth of her words.

"Anyway," she said, adopting a hurt tone. "We don't have any unsolved cases, do we?"

Jack chuckled, making her smile, and then his expression hardened.

"He's going to be the ruin of her," Jack said ruminatively. "And Margo too."

"At least she knows she always has you. I know that must have been difficult for you to say." It had slightly broken her heart, that. Watching him trying to give her no option but to leave him, but being unable to refuse her help if she didn't.

Or, if it hadn't broken her heart, it had made her love him even more.

"She's my sister," he murmured. And then, as if worried the mood was getting too bleak, he gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You can't choose your family, I suppose."

Phryne thought about the ramshackle band of friends she had gathered to her since her arrival in Melbourne. She certainly thought of them as family, more so than her actual relatives, sometimes. She couldn't imagine being without them now. Especially Jack. She looked down him with great fondness.

"I did," she said aloud. She was aware of her heartbeat, but it wasn't racing. It was strong and steady and sure.

Jack tilted his head. "I suppose you did."

She put out a hand and drew it down his face, coming to a stop at his chin. She leaned towards him.

"And you're mine," she whispered, and pressed her lips quickly to his.

Jack's reactions seemed to suffer a shocked delay, and by the time he was reaching for her, she was already pulling back. She could have sworn she heard a small whimper escape him as his lips registered her absence.

She smiled down at him as he blinked in surprise, then pulling himself together, rose to standing, grabbed her, and kissed her properly.

At length, they broke apart.

"About time," she breathed.

Jack could only nod, his eyes glazed and his breath coming in pants.

"Dinner?" she suggested breathily.

He nodded, and made to follow her out of the room. She put a hand on his chest.

"It's still the middle of the day, Jack.

Jack flushed. "Of course," he said, finding his voice.

"Come round tonight?"

He nodded, biting down on a grin. She made to leave, but he pulled her back, into another embrace that spoke less of stunned jubilation and more of deep and sensual passions. His mouth moved against hers in a way that made her tremble at the knees, and when they broke, apart, it was her turn to look flushed and weak.

"I can't wait," whispered Jack.

She left without another word, leaving Jack staring blankly at his door for a few minutes more as he allowed his thoughts to catch up with him.

The situation with Isabel had ended exactly as he had thought it would. He had no doubt it would rear its head again in the future, but for now, this chapter at least was over. His involvement had been temporary, unsatisfactory, and predictable.

But from it somehow had sprung a new beginning. And Jack had a feeling that his involvement in this chapter was going to be very different.

FIN

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little story. Thanks to those who reviewed and followed too, your thoughts and feedback mean a lot to me. For anyone who thinks there are some loose ends, don't worry. I suspect Margo may be back.