Wow, thanks for all of the lovely feedback, everyone! It helped me get through a long, very frustrating day, and I so appreciate it. Here's chapter 2…at least I didn't make you wait too long! For some reason I'm not quite as pleased with this chapter…after Jack took over Chapter 1 with his speech about regrets, it seemed to flow quite naturally, and this part was a bit harder. It was originally intended as one longer chapter, but I couldn't resist a bit of a shocker ending! Besides, I have to make the positive reinforcement last as long as possible this week! Enjoy!

Telling Jack, Part 2 of 2

"Yes, I would regret the loss of a child. Of course I would. But having to regret a dimming of your spirit, I don't think I could bear that. If you were to feel trapped, or burdened, or resentful…please, I can bear the loss of the child, if that's what you want, but please don't make me regret you, too."

Oh. Phryne found herself dangerously close to weeping…to think he could put her first in such a way! His words couldn't have been more perfectly chosen, for they reassured her beyond a doubt that she truly had made the right decision.

"Oh, Jack." She smiled tremulously. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that."

"You want to terminate, then," he murmured.

"No. No, I think we should get married."

"What?" He reared back and very nearly goggled at her, the expression on his face best described as flabbergasted. In any other circumstances she would find amusement in the disintegration of all of his usual self-possession, but at the moment she rather sympathized, for goodness knows she could never have imagined those words coming out of her mouth either.

As he simply continued to stare, she pulled him down to sit on the chaise, then elaborated. "At least for now, Jack. If, either of us finds we can't bear it, well, marriage need no longer be a permanent state, as you well know."

"But, surely…"

"What, you don't want to marry me?"

"That's not it. That's not it at all. It's just…I know it's never been something that you wanted."

"It's not something I would choose in any other circumstances, no. But now it's really the only thing to do. Well, the best thing to do, anyway."

"You could go away, couldn't you? Overseas?"

"What, and bring the child back claiming I'd found it on the doorstep? That would never work for someone in my position, or with my reputation, I'm afraid. At the very least I'd have to leave the baby behind with someone for a few months and then ask them to bring it back here. The only person I'd really trust to do that would be Dot, and I could never ask her to be away from Hugh for so long. She might well be expecting herself by that time, in any case."

"No, I suppose not." He blew out a breath. "I'm sorry, Phryne. I suppose I'm still rather stuck at the fact that you want to have the child at all. I was so sure…"

"It's not simply a child, Jack, it's your child. I have regrets too, darling. And as much as I worry what further regrets this child might bring with it, I believe I would come to regret denying myself the chance to see you as a father much more. Besides, the thought that I would be able to give the world a bit more of you, well, I can't deny that that seems rather splendid. And to watch the child grow, and change, seeing bits of you, and perhaps even dear sweet Janey…"

"Don't forget you, too," he said hoarsely.

"Yes, even that," she acknowledged with a wry smile.

"And you're certain, about getting married?"

"It's not a question of certainty, Jack. It's a necessity."

"I'm sure we could come up with something…"

"Jack, I want you to be this child's father, not an acquaintance who joins us for tea every other week. If we didn't get married, that's all you could be. There would be a scandal otherwise."

"Since when are you, the indomitable Phryne Fisher, afraid of a little scandal?"

"I don't care a jot for myself, Jack, and I never will. It's you I worry for. You've only just settled back in at the station after a lengthy absence. If it came out that you were the child's father, your career would be finished. Oh, you might not be dismissed outright, but… And what about when our child asks us why his friends aren't allowed to stay, or when there's no invitation to the event of the season, or…or…he isn't appointed as Premier, for God's sake!"

"Phryne…"

"Dot might even be ostracized at church, and you know how important church is to her; I couldn't bear for her to have to leave me now. Aunt Prudence's standing might suffer as well; it's one thing to employ unwed mothers to work in your kitchen, but quite another for your titled niece to actually be one. And Mr. Butler! Imagine his standing amongst his peers. Not even his famed discretion could conceal this. Oh, Jack, can't you see? For once I simply can't afford to put myself first, and it's taken me so long to thrash it all out, and all you seem to be doing is trying to talk me out of it!"

"Phryne, no. Of course I'll marry you, if that's what you really want. I just…it's only…" he faltered, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gathered himself. "You have no idea what it means to me that you're willing to do this, truly. But so many compromises…you might come to resent me, or the child, and I couldn't stand either."

"Jack, you know me. I can't promise that I'll welcome all the changes this child brings…I suspect I'll be downright churlish about some of them, frankly. But I've thought long and hard, and altogether this is something that I want, even though I'm less than thrilled about some of the details. Please, trust me. Besides, I have no intention of bowing completely to convention."

"Perish the thought." At this, she glanced up sharply, expecting to see a wry tilt to his lips, but his expression was earnest, his eyes so gentle.

"I'll keep my name, and retain control of my own finances. I know you'd never take advantage, of course…of course I know that, but…it's just something I have to do, for myself. And I don't want any fuss, so perhaps a registry office? Dot and Hugh could stand as witnesses, and Aunt P., of course, she'd never forgive me otherwise, especially as this is likely to be my one real foray into respectability, and…" She stopped, and bit her lip, an anxious line appearing between her brows. "Would you mind all that?"

Now his look was amused. "A marriage of our own making, rather than one of convenience, then?"

"I should hope so, for I intend to inconvenience you every chance I get, Jack Robinson!"

"Oh, the horror!" he said, smirking.

"Don't jest…it might well be a horror, when I'm eight months along and simply enormous with child!" she grimaced.

He caught up her hands in his, bringing them to his lips. "One thing I can promise you for certain, love, is that you will never be a horror, and I will always be damn well thrilled to be inconvenienced by you, because you are my magnificent, 'peerless' Phryne, and 'even the falling of empires cannot alter that.'"

She had no choice but to kiss him, then; it was a tender kiss between them, gentle with gratitude and promise. When they drew apart Phryne saw apprehension chase away the anticipation on his face. "So. What do we do now?" he asked.

"We'll have to tell everyone, I suppose."

"Shall we have a toast first? Just between ourselves?"

"Mac did suggest I limit my indulgences, but I suppose a small one is permissible in the circumstances," she agreed. "We'll have to make do with whiskey, though."

He fetched the decanter, pouring a small amount into each of the empty tumblers already on the table. "What shall we drink to?"

"Why, to 'a marriage of our own making', of course, as you put so eloquently."

"And to braving uncharted territory," he added, raising his glass

"And to the only man I'd ever want to brave it with."

They smiled, clinked their glasses, and drank to their future.

So there you have it! As I said in my opening note to Confirmation, I'm still not entirely satisfied with my answer to this "dilemma." Every possible quibble/conflict/vague dissatisfaction you can imagine, I've probably cycled through at some point over the past six months, from "No! Phryne's narrative would/should never include marriage and babies" to "okay, maybe a baby, but marriage? Really?"...to "Do they have to be quite so cautious and rational about this? Can't they just be happy, for goodness' sake?" I still kept coming back to this, though, so finally I just went with it. Hopefully Phryne and Jack communicated my reasoning sufficiently. And although it seems as though pretty much "anything goes" in "Phryne-land," I wanted it to be realistic for 1930, and really, it seems as though the only way for Jack to be an acknowledged, full-time father at that time is if he and Phryne are married. As both Phryne and I really want to see Jack as a father, "a marriage of [their] own making" it is!

Anyway, I'm rambling. Blame the long day. I also hope it's clear that I don't want to paint Phryne as making some sort of "great sacrifice" for Jack, for which he now has to be indebted, etc. On the other hand, neither will they be riding off into the sunset of domestic bliss…there's still plenty of drama, passion and fun to come!

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Oh, also Jack quotes/paraphrases the following from Antony and Cleopatra:

Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch
Of the ranged empire fall! Here is my space!
Kingdoms are clay! Our dungy earth alike
Feeds beast as man. The nobleness of life
Is to do thus, and when such a mutual pair
And such a twain can do't, in which I bind,

On pain of punishment, the world to weet
We stand up peerless.

Thank DrinkwaterDrinkwine for that, because I would have had no idea, frankly. :) An explanation can be found here: