A/N Hello and welcome!

This idea (along with countless others) has been running around the JazzyMuse brain for months… But, as is often the way, real life interferes, and writing is forced to take a backseat... Initially, the plan was to crank out a quick little one-shot, but that plan fell apart as soon as my fingers started typing. LOL (I swear, the JazzyMuse doesn't understand the concept of a one-shot….) I suspect this takes place sometime in S2… for reasons you'll find out later in this tale, it'd be necessary that it occurs before 'Dead Air,' but sometime after they recovered from their fallout following 'Blood at the Wheel.' In my imagination, our two detectives work a lot more cases off-screen - they only show us the crème de la crème.

I haven't watched the movie yet, though I am in the US and I do have an Acorn subscription… I'm hesitant to see it for fear that my happy little bubble of dreams and expectations will burst on the off-chance that I'm disappointed… For those of you who've seen it, I hope you enjoyed it, and for those who haven't, hopefully you get the opportunity to see it when you're ready!

We are all living in a strange world at this time. Please keep yourselves and your family as healthy as possible, practice social distancing and disinfect everything! If you're a people-person, I know it's difficult to stay away from friends and family, but for now, it's a necessary inconvenience. I hope that, if nothing else, you find a bit of escapism in this little tale. Please enjoy!

I don't have a beta, so all mistakes are my own... Sorry!

Also posted on AO3, so if you read both platforms, this will be a duplicate.

Disclaimer: As always, I lay no claim to these main characters.

"I never want to see him again!" Phryne tossed back the last of her drink, ignoring the intense burning sensation that spread through her chest.

"Phryne," Mac sipped from her own tumbler, knowingly eyeing the other woman over the rim.

"I'm serious this time, Mac. He's an... arrogant… old-fashioned… insufferable..." Her thoughts were so blinded by her fury that she struggled to come up with another insult. "MAN!"

"Well," the good doctor shrugged one shoulder and bit back a smirk. "You hit that last bit right on the head… He is a man…"

"Whose side are you on?!" The Lady Detective glared at her best friend, the daggers in her eyes as lethal as any tangible weapon.

"Darling, you know I'm on your side. I'm always on your side…" She looked down into the dark amber liquor, swirling it absently. "But… I think.. there is some merit to his concern…" She dared not look up right away, anticipating the expression Phryne would certainly wear as, in her frustration, the Lady Detective misinterpreted opinion as betrayal. "You didn't warn anyone as to your plans… If it weren't for the Inspector's leap of logic as to your possible whereabouts, the police may not have reached you in time… You can't tell me that you're actually surprised that his knee-jerk reaction would be rife with anger once he ascertained your ultimate well-being…"

Phryne had the nerve to look insulted at her oldest friend's perception of the whole situation. "I would have figured a way out," she raised her nose into the air and looked away. "I always find a way… Jack had no business talking to me the way he did. Especially within earshot of my household..."

"Could've been worse… He could have done it in front of the entire constabulary, which would have been well within his rights as DI, Phryne! Or he could have raised a stink within hearing distance to the nursing staff at the clinic. But, he didn't. He held his tongue until you were discharged with a clean bill of health and sent home." Mac leaned forward, leaning her elbows on her knees. "He was angry because that man is in lov-."

"Don't you dare, Elizabeth MacMillan," she leaned forward and pointed a well-manicured finger at the doctor. "You don't know anything about the Inspector, let alone his affections." She flopped back in her seat and crossed her arms. "He thinks that because we solve the occasional mystery side-by-side that he can dictate my actions."

"The occasional mystery….?" Mac deadpanned at Phryne's downplay of their unconventional partnership.

"Well," Phryne ignored her friend's interjection, plowing forward with her vehement objection. "No one controls Phryne Fisher except Phryne Fisher!"

Mac noted the heated determination in Phryne's eyes and simply finished her drink. Wordlessly, they sat together for several minutes, each lost in her own thoughts. Phryne fumed over the audacity of Jack Robinson for demanding that she check-in whenever planning a late-night investigation, while Mac weighed the pros and cons of supporting the dearest friend she'd ever had or outright agreeing with the perfect logic put forth by the Detective Inspector in this instance. When Phryne's empty glass was thumped onto the table with finality, interrupting the heavy silence, Mac knew it was time to take her leave.

She pushed up and placed her glass on the coffee table, eyeing Phryne sideways. "Give him a few days, Darling, he'll be back knocking on your door and you'll see - things will be back on track."

Stubbornly, she pinned Mac with cold eyes. "He can knock all he wants, but if he knows what's good for him, that man will never attempt to step foot in my home again. I made it perfectly clear he was no longer welcome here." When she saw the argument forming in the doctor's eyes, she rose as well, quickly changing the subject. "I'll be going away for a little while. Since my return to Australia last year, I've neglected to visit some friends up in Brisbane - a woman with whom I served in the ambulance corps. She and her husband have invited me several times to come for a visit. I think it's high time I take them up on their offer."

Mac nodded solemnly, feeling sad for her friend. Being a professional in the medical field, she knew just how fleeting life could be, and she would have expected Phryne to realize it as well. With each passing day that she and the Inspector continued to ignore their true feelings, the partners were a day closer to losing one or the other. It was a grim outlook on life, but for a pragmatist, it was hard not to see life with such a jaded view.

"How long will you be gone?" She knew it would be useless to try to talk her out of running.

"I don't know yet." Phryne didn't want to be angry with Mac. She could feel the disappointment and, worse, disapproval rolling off the red-head in heated waves. "And if he tries to ply you for information, you can tell him to go to hell. It's none of his damn business what I get up to."

Mac knew Phryne was scared by her own feelings for the Inspector as her emotions continued to toe the line of comfort. She held hope that a few days apart might help the wonderfully, and admittedly infuriatingly independent woman and the stubborn Inspector clear their minds enough to finally see what the rest of their mismatched family had been seeing for months.

"Well," Mac sighed as she moved out to the foyer, collecting her hat and jacket. "I suppose I'll see you when you're back, then. Have a good trip." She allowed Phryne to kiss her cheek and hugged her tenderly, as she would a beloved sister. "Let's have dinner when you're home."

Phryne locked the door after Mac left, knowing that her household had retired to bed long before. With her emotions battling between anger, frustration and sadness, she turned off the lights and took herself up to her bedroom, planning out her impromptu trip in her mind. It would be good to see Harriet again, she consoled herself; the older nurse had been the one to show a young, newly-enlisted Phryne Fisher the ins-and-outs of working in a field hospital.

~MFMM~

"But, Miss," Dorothy tilted her head. "I always travel with you for your out-of-town overnight trips." She wasn't sure what she'd done to upset her mistress enough to be left behind. "Who will accompany, and assist you, or draw your baths and make tea?"

Phryne realized that, in her haste to make arrangements and pack a suitcase, she had implied to Dot that she was unhappy with her companionship. She reached out, taking Dot's hand and pulled her to sit beside her on the bed. "Harriet and her husband live very simply, Dot. They do not have staff and they have a small cottage. I won't be gone very long, perhaps a week, maybe two, I haven't quite decided yet - it all depends on what kind of mischief I can get into," she tried to put the younger woman at rest. "During my time away," she smiled softly, "I'm certain I'll be able to draw my own baths."

Dorothy met her employer's eyes and saw something there she didn't recognize. "Miss, did something happen? Something bad?"

Phryne couldn't help the pride that swelled in her chest, the dear girl was certainly honing her powers of observation. "Nothing that won't right itself," she assured her companion. "I just need some time away. Alone."

"It's because of the Inspector, isn't it, Miss?" It was more a statement than a question.

Phryne's brow wrinkled, she was deeply angry with Jack for picking such a vocal argument with her once she'd returned home from the Women's Hospital. Lying to Dot, however, was not an option. "I certainly did not appreciate the Inspector trying to tell me how to conduct my business… I don't tell him how to run the Station…" She saw Dot's expression turn sympathetic towards the Inspector's cause, having discreetly voiced a similar wish to have been clued in on her employer's whereabouts during the dangerous stake-out. "I think I made it perfectly clear to the Inspector that he is no longer welcome at Wardlow. I won't tolerate a man trying to control me or my actions."

"I don't think the Inspector was trying to control you, Miss… I get the impression that he just cares and -"

"Stop, please." Phryne raised a hand. "This is my decision, period. The opportunity to drive up and visit Harriet is a very welcome break, while I recharge myself. When I return, I will start taking new cases again, and if I require any assistance from the Victoria Constabulary, I will seek it from City East."

Dot felt hurt and betrayed that her mistress suddenly didn't trust her beau any longer, either. "But, Miss, Hugh would still-"

"Hugh answers to the Inspector. His loyalties will, naturally, lie with his boss and mentor. As it should be," she added quietly. "Besides, I wouldn't want to place him into a difficult position by asking for help, and I know that Jack will be reluctant to provide so much as an opinion, let alone police resources."

Dorothy nodded sadly. "I suppose you're right, Miss." She looked down at her own hands where she tugged at the hem of her apron. "You'll leave your contact information, in case we need to reach you?"

"Don't worry about reaching me, Dot." Phryne reached out and covered her hand again, giving her a little squeeze. "It will take me a few days to get there, I plan on following the coastal roadways. I'll telegram updates in regards to my return, so you know. Until then, enjoy some time off from having to follow me around and clean up my messes." When Dot, bless her heart, started to disagree with the assessment, Phryne chuckled. "I am not delusional, Dot, I know I'm not an easy person. Both you and Mr. Butler deserve some time off, with pay, of course. Perhaps you can spend some time visiting with your mother, or your sisters."

Dorothy felt dejected but nodded in agreement all the same. "You'll be safe? Are you sure you don't want to take the train instead of the Hispano?"

Phryne smiled. "I'm sure. I'm quite looking forward to finding some adventures enroute, and I can't do that from inside a train car!"

Postscript A/N

Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear from you! I promise, all your Comments are greatly appreciated - I'll apologize preemptively if I fail to respond … I'm considered an 'essential worker,' so I don't actually have much time off work right now, but your encouragement always means so very much!

Please remember to stay healthy.

peace and love, my friends,

~jazzy