"I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen." — A.A. Milne

24 February 1942

Jack relaxed back into the couch - ready to get lost in the afternoon edition of his favorite paper - when a cleared throat gained his attention; he looked up over the paper to see the eldest of their charges standing across from him - shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Yes, Alice?"

The soon-to-be doctor ducked her head, a bright pink blush spreading across her cheeks as she mustered the courage to speak to him; she'd not been like this around him in a long time - not since she'd first come to Wardlow and been wary of him and the other men.

"Could… Matthew wrote… in his last letter that maybe we'd go dancing…"

Jack set aside his paper and gave Alice his full attention. "Dancing would be fun for you two."

"I imagine so… but I don't know how to dance."

"Ah."

Alice nodded, "You see how that might put a damper on plans."

Biting back a grin, Jack shifted on the couch, "How do you plan on solving this one, Alice?"

"Could… Could you teach me, Jack? I've seen you with Phryne, I know you know how to."

"I don't know the current dances."

"I don't want to learn the current dances, I just want to not step on his toes."

At that, Jack actually did laugh and got up from the couch, "Since you asked so nicely, Alice, I'm sure I can teach you a basic waltz."

He caught the brilliant grin on Alice's face before she hurried forward to hug him - as he held her close, Jack mused on how far she'd grown since coming here. Time was she wouldn't have even initiated a hug with him. Pressing a kiss to the side of her head, he drew back after a while to pick out a record; the player scratched a bit, but soon a light melody filled the parlor.

"Alright," Jack smiled as Alice looked even more nervous than before. "Here, put your hand on my shoulder, mine will go on your waist."

"And the other hand?"

"Holds mine, there you go."

"Now what?"

"Now we move in a box, you do the opposite of me; when I step forward with my left foot, you step back with your right. Then we put the feet back together - so the dance follows a simple 'step together pattern"

Alice nodded - a furrow of concentration between her brows as Jack led her through the steps of a basic waltz; once she'd gotten the hang of it (a few toes trodden on, but no big deal), he moved on to letting her get a feel of the waltz itself. Soon, Alice could keep up with him and giggled when he gave her a twirl.

"There you go, one waltz mastered."

"Thank you, Jack," she smiled when he kissed her cheek.

"You're very welcome… you like this boy a lot, don't you?"

Alice rolled her eyes, but the smile remained, "He's not a boy, Jack, and like you don't already know him. Matthew was a constable in City South for years before the war."

"I know that and he's a good man, good copper; it's certainly interesting that you never crossed paths until the war based on the number of times you came in and out of the station with Dot… but that's not what I'm asking, love. You like him, don't you?"

The pink blush returned, and Alice didn't answer right away; to give her time to think, Jack twirled her again and continued dancing with her.

"I… I don't know if I do… I certainly like him as a friend, in fact, I'd say he's my best friend by now. How… how do I know if I also like him romantically?"

"It's different for everyone, so I'm not sure how much help I'd be," he pressed a kiss to Alice's forehead when she frowned - she never did like obscure answers.

"The heart is a tricky thing, dear Alice, and often love and romance can sneak up on you without you looking. And figuring out the difference between attraction, affection, and love can take a while, but I have every hope you will in the end. So… if for right now you like this soldier of yours as a friend, and maybe possibly also as a romantic partner, then that's perfectly fine. It's not something you have to rush into or put a label on."

Alice stopped their dance and hugged him again, "Thank you, Jack."

"You're welcome, Alice. But know I am going to have a talk with him when he's here seeing you."

"Jack."

Jack laughed and flipped the record; offering his hand to Alice again, he smiled, "Care for another dance, Miss Harvey?"

"Certainly, Superintendent Robinson."

They waltzed around the parlor - Alice laughing at some of his more ridiculous moves - and Jack smiled as he caught Phryne's bemused eye in the doorway; even if Matthew and Alice didn't go dancing, he was happy to help their oldest charge learn new skills and experience more of life. Especially, after all that's happened with the war and in Australia as a result.

20 March 1942

Matthew filled out the form to send a telegram to Alice - having formulated the short message he wanted to send to her on the journey home; he still planned on sending her the series of letters he wrote to her like the last time he'd been at sea, but Matthew knew Alice would also expect a telegram letting her know he'd landed safely. He'd post the letter once he arrived in Ballarat, but for right now, a telegram would do nicely; it was short but carried the message he needed to convey.

20 MARCH 1942

MISS ALICE HARVEY

221B THE ESPLANADE

ST. KILDA, VICTORIA

ARRIVED IN ADELAIDE. TRAVELING TO BALLARAT FIRST. IN MELBOURNE 1 APRIL. LETTER TO FOLLOW.

MATTHEW LAWSON

After sending his telegram, Matthew found a nearby hotel that would let him use the phone; as he dialed his mother's number, butterflies jumbled beneath his ribs - it'd been so long since he'd heard his mother's voice, and for some reason, the idea of speaking to her again both thrilled him and scared him.

Had she been alright? Had she moved in with Vera finally?

The click of the phone picking up reached his ears and at long last the warm, if tired, voice of his mother echoed down the line.

"Lawson residence, this is Charlotte."

"Hello, Mum."

"Oh, Matty!"

He smiled, a few tears welling up in his eyes as his mother gushed over him.

"My baby is back! How are you? When are you coming to visit? Are they treating you well?"

"Mum," Matthew laughed. "Mum, can I get a word in and answer your first question?"

"Oh, alright."

"I'm fine, the army has been treating me well, and I'm actually going to hop on the next train to Ballarat and come to visit you for a bit, then down to Melbourne to see Vera and some friends."

"I'll have your old room ready and waiting, do you know the next train and when you'll arrive?"

Matthew quietly consulted with the hotel's front desk and they told him the time of the next train, relaying it to his mother, he couldn't help but smile as she plotted out his favorite dishes to eat - as well as some things he could do around the house - and his smile widened; Charlotte Lawson hadn't changed a bit, and while helping her out wasn't particularly restful, it was a welcome shift of priorities for him to focus on.

"I have a little friend coming with me, is that alright, Mum?"

"What kind of friend?"

"A kitten."

At that, his mother laughed, "The more the merrier, I look forward to meeting this friend of yours."

"Thanks, Mum, she refused to go with anyone else. Think Vera would be alright with it too?"

"Certainly, and who knows maybe your niece will want to keep her and you won't have to worry about taking care of her in a warzone."

"We'll see, Mum, the little miss is very stubborn."

His mother laughed again and he wrapped up his conversation with her - he still needed to get to the train station and purchase a ticket - and as they exchanged goodbyes and 'I love yous', Matthew couldn't stop the grin on his face.

It felt good to be home - to be back in Australia - and a week or so with his mum would make everything feel a little better. The prospect of also seeing Alice again after so long also gave him something to look forward to before returning to the war.

22 March 1942

Alice looked up from the bundle of letters Matthew sent her from Ballarat when Clara sat down next to her at the dining room table (Alice had overtaken it again for studying - this time with Edith sitting across from her, also studying).

"What is it, Clary?" Edith put down her pencil.

"I have news."

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

Clara just threw a balled-up piece of paper at Edith - who easily dodged it and laughed as it sailed into the entryway.

"No, Edie, not that kind of news."

"What is it?" Alice asked as Edith got up to get the paper.

"Did your soldier say when he was coming down to Melbourne?"

"Not my soldier and yes, he'll be down by the first of April to see his sister. Why?"

"Eric and I talked, and we don't mind delaying the wedding for a bit, so he can attend - both of us want to meet him, and what better way than at our wedding when all of us look our best? We're thinking of having it on the fourth of April."

Alice gaped at her housemate, not quite sure how to react, but she was secretly thrilled Matthew would be there to celebrate with them all.

'He'll get to see you in that blue dress after all,' she mused as she slowly nodded.

"Do you have an address I can send an invite to, Allie?"

Normally she would balk at both the nickname (only her sister had called her that) and at giving out personal information, but Alice couldn't place the warmth in her chest at the new name bestowed upon her by Clara as she jotted down the address to Matthew's childhood home in Ballarat.

"No pestering him if he doesn't want to come, Clara."

"Of course," her housemate kissed her cheek and hugged her. "Though, after seeing you in that dress, I'm not sure if he'd be foolish enough to pass up an opportunity to see you in it."

Alice's cheeks burned, and continued to after she buried her head in her notes - ignoring the whispered twitters of Clara and Edith out in the hallway; it'd be nice to see Matthew, and maybe he'd wear his uniform again - he looked sharp in it when they first met. Mentally chastising herself, Alice pulled a particularly thick and dull textbook of anatomy towards her - Matthew was not a thing to be ogled, he was a sweet and dear friend and she'd treat him as such… regardless if her own particular feelings were still a tumultuous storm over their relationship.

23 March 1942

He woke to the smell of breakfast wafting upstairs from the kitchen and Addy kneading biscuits on his chest; Matthew smiled and chuckled when she played with his hand.

"You're getting spoiled by waking up in a nice bed, aren't you, little troublemaker."

Pressing a kiss to her head, Matthew sat up with Miss Addy in his arms; she climbed up onto his shoulders as he got up and stretched a little. Addy remained draped across his shoulders as he padded downstairs to see his mum putting the finishing touches on breakfast.

"Good morning, Matty," she kissed his cheek when he reached for his old favorite mug. Addy mewed her own good mornings when his mum scratched her chin.

"Morning, Mum," he leaned down and kissed hers. "Smells good."

"I'd hope so, you'll need the energy for today's activities."

Laughing as he readied a cup of tea, Matthew shuffled over to the table. A cream-colored envelope waited for him atop his plate, and for a brief moment he hoped it was from Alice, but the name on the return address snuffed that hope out. It was from the same address as Alice, but the 'C. Lewis' clued him in that it might be from one of her housemates.

"That came for you this morning, one of your friends in Melbourne?" his mother asked.

"I think it's one of her housemates, not sure why they'd be writing to me, though."

"Her housemates?"

"Mum, don't start," he grinned as he opened the envelope. "She's just a friend."

"Mmm," she kissed his forehead and dished up breakfast for him, "we'll see. What's the news?"

"It's a wedding invitation. One of Alice's housemates got engaged not that long ago, I thought they'd have already gotten married, but apparently, they've delayed it."

"Oh? He get called out?"

"No, no, apparently they want to invite me to the wedding now that they know I'm back home for a bit."

"That's wonderful, Matty."

He smiled and put the invitation to the side, "Thanks, Mum, it'll give me something to look forward to besides seeing Alice again."

"Tell me about her."

"Who?"

His mum gave him an exasperated look - a familiar one from his childhood when he and Vera got into trouble, it was also the same look he'd give the men in his brigade when they were trying his patience.

"This friend of yours, Alice."

Matthew felt his cheeks warm as he dug into the breakfast (not unlike the breakfast he'd ordered at the diner); he could feel his mum watching him as both of them ate a little.

"I met her the day before I left for training almost two years ago in a diner. She was just finishing up an overnight shift and we got to talking about books. I asked her for some recommendations since I'd be leaving for a bit and needed some entertainment."

"Did she give you some?"

He smiled and nodded, "We got to talking and I found out she's studying to be a doctor - pathologist to be exact."

"So you might work together in the future? After the war?"

"Yeah, if it's over after she's graduated, her mentor is the Police Surgeon for City South."

"Ah, so she's already gotten a taste for it?"

"Yeah," he grinned, "I think she prefers the work in the morgue, though. Alice… Alice isn't much for interacting with people."

"Shy?"

"Reserved, I think… she hasn't exactly told me why, and I'm not pushing her."

"That's my boy," his mum patted his cheek. "So, you've been writing to each other?"

"Yeah, writing, talking, telling stories, giving advice - we even have our own little Jane Austen book club going on… maybe if this war goes on long enough we'll make it through all of her novels."

That made his mum laugh as they started to clear the table from breakfast; she started on the wash and handed him a towel to dry; they stood side by side (Addy had gone to explore the house more), and Matthew felt… content - more content than he had been in a while. He was home - for a bit - his mum was doing well, and he'd see Vera in a week or so - Alice not long after that.

Life was good.

"Sounds like she's good for you," his mum told him softly as she handed him another dish.

"She is… Alice has helped a lot."

"Helped with homesickness?"

Matthew shrugged half-heartedly, "Of a sort… she's… she's someone I can talk to about the things I can't talk to you about, Mum."

"Oh, no, I get that," she bumped his shoulder with hers, "but she also helps tether you back home - gives you something to come back for besides me and Vera and her family."

"Yeah."

"Good… when do I get to meet her?"

"Mum."

His mum laughed, "I just want to meet the person who you seem to hold in high regard - you've rarely shown that to anyone, Matty."

"I know, Mum, I know."

"So?"

He laughed and bumped her shoulder as he dried the last dish, "Maybe… we'll have to see how the war goes. I don't want to take her from her studies if I don't have to."

"I understand. I also want you to know that this house will be yours whenever the war is done and you're home for good."

Matthew gaped a little, and after he stared at his mum, she started to chuckle.

"Don't look so surprised, Matty. It's time I move on, and you'll get more use out of this old place than I will - maybe you and this Alice will share it?"

"Mum."

She laughed again, "Regardless if you live here or sell the house, it's yours… you just have to come home."

"I will, Mum, I promise."

"Good," she leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Now, go get dressed, we've lots of work to do around the house."

Smiling as he climbed the stairs to start the expansive list his mother had prepared for him, Matthew couldn't wait to dig his hands into his mother's garden and feel the ache in his muscles from a good day's work around the house.

31 March 1942

Matthew loaded the last of the boxes into his mum's car - wondering how she had accumulated so much in that little house.

"Wonderful, thank you, Matty," his mum patted his cheek. "Give them my best."

"I will, Mum," and I'll be quiet if I come back late - no clue if I'll get pulled into helping out around there."

His mum laughed and patted his cheek again before he left in the car; heading out of the main town Ballarat, suburbs gave way to farmland and bush - soon he pulled into a small, worn, and slightly rundown farm. The tires of the car crunched on the gravel and dirt drive as his mum's car squealed to a stop in front of the house. As he got out, the front door opened and a young woman with chestnut curls shaded her eyes to get a better look at him.

"I don't believe it!" she laughed and patted the shoulders of the young boys crowded around her. "Boys, could you go get your father? He should be in the barn."

"Yes, Mum!"

The boys scampered off while their mum walked down the front steps to greet Matthew with a brief hug. Matthew held her close - a little concerned with how thin she felt.

"Matthew Lawson, where on Earth have you been?"

"Here and there, Jean, but I'm back visiting Mum for a while."

Jean Beazley, though he'd known her as Jean Randall, smiled and squeezed his arm.

"It's good you're safe. I know your mum worried - it was all she spoke of whenever I came over to help clean each week."

"Well, she's certainly let me know the past few days."

Jean laughed as the young boys came back with a man in tow; whereas the oldest of the boys took after Jean, the youngest looked exactly like his father - complete with the same dark curls and bright blue eyes. The man frowned as he walked up to them, but when he caught a look at Matthew's face, his own brightened. Christopher Beazley barreled towards him and pulled him in for a tight hug - clapping Matthew on the back hard enough to briefly knock the breath out of him.

"Bloody Hell, Matty! Where have you been?"

"Around, back home for a bit."

Christopher pointed to the chain of Matthew's dog tags just visible above his collar, "Been fighting?"

"Yeah, we got called back after everything in December."

Matthew couldn't place the look on Christopher's face - it was an odd mixture of relief, confusion, and maybe a hint of jealousy, but his old friend clapped his shoulder.

"Glad you're safe and back home - for a while at least. What brings you here?"

"Mum was clearing out some things and said to let you and Jean have your pick of the lot."

"How very kind of her," Jean answered for the two of them and she started going through it - Christopher Junior and Jack clambered in and over boxes. Soon she was directing Matthew and Christopher in moving and shifting some of the furniture in their small farmhouse; Jean didn't select much from what his mother cleared out aside from all the fabric and sewing notions - they didn't have a lot of room in the first place. Luckily, Matthew's mum knew this, but they were able to replace young Jack's bed in the room he shared with his brother, and replace the near threadbare quilt on Jean and Christopher's bed.

"You have to thank her for all of this, Matthew. It's very generous of her."

"I will," he smiled even as Christopher frowned a little - if Matthew had to guess, his friend's pride was smarting, he always was a little touchy about receiving help after he and Jean married, but they'd had a lean few years from what his mum told him and she was just trying to help where she could.

"Need any other help? I don't have anything planned for today."

At that, Christopher smiled, "How good are you with tools? Got some repairs that will be easier with two people."

"Eh, fairly decent if it's carpentry, mechanical stuff I might be able to tell the difference between some of the tools."

His old friend laughed and led him back over to the barn, "Unfortunately some mechanical things first - the tractor's giving me trouble, the boys can help you find the correct tool."

"Ha ha, very funny, Chris."

So, here he was, sitting on a stool as Christopher had his head stuck inside the tractor; the boys had stuck around for a bit, but soon grew bored of the monotonous work and returned inside to their mother. As his friend tinkered with repairs on the engine, Matthew liked to imagine how Alice would get along with him - both of them putting their heads together to get the repairs done, though both came from vastly different worlds. It made him smile at the thought of Alice meeting those of his past.

(And maybe he'd get a chance to meet hers.)

"So, what all has happened since we last saw you? It's been, what, ten years?"

"Yeah, give or take sporadic visits back here," Matthew smiled and handed Christopher another tool. "Since your wedding."

"Hard to believe. So, what have you been up to?"

"Police work and training, mostly. I was here for a bit under Ashby, then got transferred to Melbourne - City South, and I was there until 1940."

"Ah, so you volunteered?"

"Yeah… seemed like the right thing to do."

"Still think so?"

Handing Christopher another tool and taking the one he already had, Matthew sighed.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Do you ever regret it?"

"On the harder days, yeah, and when I wish I could just be home and see Alice-"

"Alice?" Christopher backed out of the tractor and gave him an incredulous look. "Who's this Alice, mate?"

"Just a friend."

His old friend gave him a disbelieving look as Jean entered the barn with some water.

"What's that look for, love?" she asked him as Matthew took the tray from her hands so she could pull up another two stools.

"Matty here has a friend - a girl friend, Jeannie."

"You make it sound salacious putting it like that, Chris."

"Is it salacious?"

Swatting at his friend with a rag, Matthew couldn't help but smile at Christopher and Jean's laughter.

"It's nothing like that, we're just friends. I met her in Melbourne before I shipped out and… we've been talking through letters. She's been helping me throughout the war and everything, we read books and… just talk."

"What's she do?" Jean asked as Christopher took a glass of water from her with a soft kiss.

"She's studying to be a doctor - a pathologist sort of like Old Man Blake; when I met her she was working at the diner I walked into and she was reading - nose in a book and oblivious to the world."

He could almost see her in that turquoise dress, brushing the stray curl out of her face as she lost herself in a book - the smell of cooking eggs and sausage filled his memory and his nose as he thought back to that cool May morning they first met.

"He's got it bad," Christopher nudged his wife - grinning when she swatted at his elbow.

"I think it's romantic - falling in love through letters."

Matthew's cheeks warmed, "We're just friends, Jean."

"For now, maybe, but I still think it's romantic."

"Yeah, what Jeannie said, when do we get to meet this Alice? You got a picture?"

Digging into his shirt pocket, he pulled out the photo Alice had given him in 1940 - it was more faded than when he first got it, slowly lightening from the Lebanon sun, and the corners were fuzzed and soft, but Alice's visage was still clear as day.

Christopher smiled and handed it to Jean, both of them teasing him about the photo and the message on the back.

"Nice, very nice, so when are we meeting her?"

"Who knows, she's busy with her studies at the moment."

"Does she have a photo of you and are you seeing her on your leave?" Jean handed Christopher his next tool as he got back to the repairs and she handed Matthew back his photo of Alice.

"Yeah, to both, she asked for a photo in the letter she sent me hers, so I thought it the polite thing to do. I'm headed to Melbourne tomorrow - gonna stay with Vera and her family until the tenth, then it's back to Queensland for me."

Jean patted his shoulder, "You'll have a marvelous time with Vera and your new friend, I'm sure. And Christopher and I would love to meet her eventually, isn't that right, love?"

"Yeah, and we can tell her all the embarrassing stories from his childhood - best prepare her for the fool she decided to fall in love with!" Christopher laughed when Matthew threw the rag at his back.

No matter their teasing, it felt good to be home and to bask a little in the thought of if around his and Alice's friendship. Maybe they'd end up together, maybe they wouldn't, but it was nice to dream.

The tractor repairs didn't take much longer and he and Christopher moved on to carpentry - much more Matthew's speed and expertise - before Jean wrangled him into helping her in the garden while Christopher took the boys out on the farm for the rest of the day. His back ached, the back of his neck felt a little too warm (he'd have to remember a hat next time), and his shirt was damp with sweat, but while Jean smiled and left him to finish up (then wash up) as the Beazley boys returned for dinner, it felt good - his dinner felt earned.

Christopher led him outside where they sat on the back steps while Jean readied the boys for bed; his friend smiled when his sons came to wish him goodnight - each bestowed with a fatherly kiss to their foreheads before they headed back indoors. His old friend was quiet for a while, seemingly lost in his thoughts as the sun steadily fell below the horizon.

Matthew wished Alice could see this - could see the beauty in his hometown - and one day he hoped she would.

"I'm scared, Matthew."

Christopher's quiet confession - his voice usually so strong, bold, and loud - startled him from his thoughts.

"What about?"

"I… I don't want to serve or go to war, but I… I think Jean would think poorly of me if I didn't."

"Nonsense, mate, she obviously loves you."

"I just… more and more of Ballarat's boys are leaving for the front - especially after December and the Darwin bombing - but I don't want to go. My place isn't there, it's here on this farm with Jean and my sons."

"And that's perfectly fine. We need people at home, keeping life going - not everyone involved in the war effort has to be a fighter, Chris. Farmers are just as important as soldiers."

Christopher sighed - not really agreeing with Matthew, but not disagreeing with him either.

"Jeannie can't take pride in that."

"'Course she can, you're doing what's needed to prevent people from going unfed, you keep industry and trade coming here to our sleepy town - that's more than enough to take pride in."

"Mm."

"Chris, Jean loves you, she takes pride in you, nothing will change that."

He opened his mouth to say more, but the subject of their talk exited the house with three beers in her hands.

"Nightcap, boys? We've earned this today, I think."

"Right you are, my love," Christopher smiled up at her and took a beer from her hand.

"Here you are, Matthew, nice and cold after a hard day's work."

Matthew smiled his thanks and tipped the bottle back - letting the cold beer slide down his throat, the bite of the alcohol kicking a bit, but it felt refreshing and welcomed. Jean settled between Christopher's legs on the step below him, the two of them tangled in a way that spoke of years of intimacy and comfort - they knew each other so well that it was apparent to everyone around them.

He envied them a little.

Matthew watched as Jean and Christopher teased each other the more all of them got into their beers; if he and Alice ever got together, would they have this? Would their life be like this? Of course, Alice wouldn't be exactly like Jean, and he wouldn't be exactly like Christopher, but the idea of coming home to her was growing in his mind. Maybe instead of Alice having a meal ready to go, he'd be the one waiting for her to get home from work with a beer in hand for her.

(Did Alice even like beer? He'd have to find out.)

"Dreamin' about your girl, Matty?"

"She's not my girl."

"But you'd certainly like her to be," Jean piped up with a wry smile.

Both of the Beazleys had a good laugh when Matthew said nothing - just downed more of his beer.

"You should tell her, y'know," Christopher nudged him. "I think she deserves to know how you feel about her."

"I don't even know how I feel about her, how am I supposed to inform her of that?"

"Take her on dates, you fool! You're already getting to know her, get to know her more traditionally."

"Yeah, getting to know her, Chris… there's still so much I don't know about her and she's reluctant to share with me. I don't want to push it and ruin one of the best things I have going for me in regards to friendship… I love our letters and I don't want to mess that up by bringing romantic feelings into the mix."

"I think it'd be a welcome shock," Jean said softly. "It might take her off guard, but any woman would be incredibly lucky to be on the receiving end of your affection, Matty."

"Any woman?" her husband interrupted - laughing when she swatted at his leg.

"It's a risk, but I think you'd like the outcome of it." she continued, "But, if you're truly worried about it all, there's no harm in waiting; patience is a virtue after all."

Matthew smiled as both Beazleys reached out to touch him reassuringly; he'd have to think on their advice, but he was glad to receive it. He wouldn't tell Alice of his potential feelings right away - after all, he wasn't sure of them himself and didn't want to rush into any sort of relationship half-cocked.

"Let's see how the rest of my leave goes, hm?"

"Solid choice, Matty, solid choice."

She normally wasn't like this.

Normally, she remained cool and collected even when an exam loomed ahead of her, or she was excitedly looking forward to something; she wasn't what she was like now: jittery and anxious, giddy and giggly, feeling like time was both going exponentially fast and glacially slow at the same time.

Never before had she fret like this; not Alice Harvey, the Ice Queen as one of her exes had dubbed her their first year of university - spreading like wildfire funnily enough, and now her reputation preceded her.

She couldn't sit still in the weeks leading up to Matthew's arrival in Melbourne; Alice had gotten his letters from Ballarat - first the bundle of his overseas visit, then another describing what he'd gotten up to in his visit back home (including the antics of one Miss Adelaide as she explored his childhood home).

It was April second now, he was in Melbourne at this very moment, and yet they weren't seeing each other until tomorrow. She wondered if he was going to take her to the cinema like he'd promised - or dancing even, but this waiting, the waiting was slowly driving her mad. Try as she might, she couldn't concentrate on any of her hobbies or chores around the house, so as she finished washing the last of the dishes from dinner, Alice knew she needed to get out of the house.

Popping her head into the parlor, she found Jack and Phryne sitting on the couch together - Jack reading his evening edition, and Phryne with a favorite D.H. Lawrence.

"What is it, Alice?" Jack looked up from his paper.

"Can I get a ride to the university library? I need to do something besides stay in this house."

"Of course, I'll drop you off and let you study for a few hours - no more than four, alright? If I don't hear from you after that, I'm coming to get you. You need your sleep."

Alice gave him a mock salute - smiling at the way Phryne laughed as she hurried upstairs to grab her notes; four hours was more than enough to distract her from her thoughts.