Author's note: at the request of a guest reviewer, a chapter with some angst, so it's a little different from the rest. I hope you like it!

Please review if you have the time! It means a lot to me. I am also open to other requests :)

Enjoy!

He stormed through the door, as she had known he would. She stayed calmly in her chair as he slammed the door of his office shut and strode through the room to glower at her from the other side of the desk. He did not sit down, but placed his hands on the desk and looked at her with such fury, she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. However, she was Phryne Fisher, and not easily fazed. She looked back at him innocently.

'You are completely impossible', he nearly shouted, his voice hoarse with emotion.
'And a very good morning to you, Jack', she replied with a raised eyebrow.
'Don't play games with me, Miss Fisher. I heard what you did last night. You know perfectly well that you were completely out of line!'
'I know no such thing. I was simply doing my job.'
'It is not…' his voice cracked, '… I repeat, not, your job to follow armed suspects into dark alleyways! Alone! That is something you leave to the police!'
'Oh please, it would have taken you ages to get there. I could hardly have let him escape.'
'Miss Fisher, we're talking about a man we suspect of having murdered three women!'
'All the more reason not to let him get away. He might have killed again.'
'Yes, Miss Fisher, and that is exactly my point! He might very well have killed again last night, with you going after him without so much as a thought for your own safety! You knew he was armed!'
'So was I.'

She looked at him completely unimpressed, eyebrows raised. 'You know, Jack, I feel you're being quite ungrateful, really. After all, it was only thanks to me that the fellow was apprehended at all, and that he is at present in one of your cells. He was heading straight to the docks when I followed him, and would have been far out at sea right now if it wasn't for me.'
But Jack was not at all ready to relent. 'You knew he was dangerous, yet you went after him on your own!'
'I was careful.'
He let out a bark of joyless laughter. 'You call that being careful? You were reckless, Miss Fisher!'
'Well, I'm still here, aren't I? Nothing happened.'
He looked down at the desk and spoke through gritted teeth. 'Through – sheer – luck.'
She bristled a bit at that. 'Now I resent that, Jack. I don't think I'm a vain kind of person, but I do pride myself on having some skills. In fact, it was me, and not one of your people, who managed to track the man down in the first place. In the second place, I'm an excellent shot. Honestly, I don't see why you are getting so upset. I've been in plenty of tight spots before, have always managed to get myself out of them, and in none of these occasions have you ever felt the need to berate me as if I were a naughty child.'
'Well, you have certainly behaved as irresponsibly as a child.'
'But I always behave irresponsibly by your standards, and that has never really bothered you before.' She was looking at him closely. 'So what's really going on?'

At those words, he couldn't really keep it up anymore. He dropped into his chair, one hand covering his eyes. Suddenly it all crashed down on him, the fear he had felt when he had heard that both the suspect and Miss Fisher had disappeared, his panic at being unable to find them, the relief when he heard the suspect was in custody again, soon to be replaced by unreasonable anger when he heard about the risks she had taken, and when he saw her sitting in his office, as if nothing had happened, looking not a bit sorry for what she had put him through. He noticed his hands were shaking, and took a deep, calming breath.
'Look. It's just that… I thought something might have happened to you… I was scared.'
'But you know I can take care of myself. I've been in situations like these hundreds of times and…'
He felt his anger flare again. This was exactly the kind of attitude he was talking about: she acted like it was nothing. 'And one of these times it's going to end badly!'
'Jack!'
'You don't think before you act, you rush into things without so much as a second thought!'
'I don't…'
'You are irresponsible…'
'Oh please…'
'Completely reckless…'
'I never…'
'And you are dangerously over-confident in your own abilities. You seem to think that you are invulnerable, but you are not!'
She leaned forward now, her eyes narrowed dangerously. 'Now look, Inspector, it's been a long night for me, and I will not sit here and get shouted at, even by you. I did nothing wrong, and if you're waiting for me to apologize, I'm afraid you will have to wait for a very long time.'
She started to get up, ready to leave. He felt a kind of desparation well up inside him. Why didn't she understand? Why didn't she see how unbearable it would be for him if something happened to her, now more than ever. He had loved her before, but abstractly, hopelessly, from a distance. But now… now he knew what it was like to be with her, to have his life transformed by her glorious presence, to hold her close and to laugh with her, and he had grown to love her so deeply and desperately that sometimes it scared him. The thought of losing her nearly drove him out of his mind.

He tried to explain. 'It's just that… You can't behave like this anymore. Now that I have you, I can't lose you.'
He knew immediately that he had said the wrong thing. She drew herself up and gave him a very cold look. 'Have me, Inspector Robinson? I beg your pardon, you do not have me. I don't know how you see this relationship, Inspector, but there certainly is no having involved. Don't think for a moment that I am yours command, that you have the right to demand anything of me. It is not because we are… involved… that I am in any way beholden to you. I owe you nothing. I am not obliged to make any changes in my lifestyle simply to please you, and I don't plan on doing so. You are not to tell me what I can or cannot do. I am my own woman, Inspector. And you are the last person in the world that I thought I would ever have to say that to.'
And with one last look of hurt and cold anger, she turned around and left his office in a whirl of silk and feathers, head held high.

The rest of the day passed in a haze of misery and regret. He performed his duties perfunctorily, not really paying attention. In the evening, he volunteered for the late shift, relieving the constable on duty. He had no desire to go home to his cold and empty house and drown himself in whiskey, so he stayed at his desk as the station quieted around him and his office grew dark, except for the one lamp on his desk. He knew it was very improbable that anything would happen in the city tonight, so that allowed him plenty of time to think and hate himself. Because, however he turned over their conversation in his mind, he could only come to one conclusion. He was an idiot.

Now that he was calmer, he could look at the situation and his own reaction more objectively. He realized now that he had only been angry as a result of his earlier fear and panic, and the knowledge that those emotions could have been avoided if only she had behaved differently. But of course, he did not want her to behave differently, not really. As he had said once before, he would not change her for the world. Now that he was calm, he realized that she really hadn't done anything wrong, that she really had been doing her job, even if she was the only person in the world who felt that this was actually part of her duties. He cringed in shame as he remembered how he had shouted at her. Of course, he had been venting his emotions, his fear, his frustration, his relief – but that did not excuse his words.

He sat for a long time with his head in his hands. So this was it. This was how it ended. He knew she would never stand it if she felt trapped, knew she wouldn't stay with him if she felt even for a moment that he was being too possessive, that she was not free. And that was exactly what he had done. He gave a wry smile as he realized the irony of it all. He had been so afraid at the thought that he might lose her through some dangerous action of hers, and now his reaction to that fear was actually what had driven her away. He had lost her because he was afraid of losing her. He really was an idiot. He had no trouble admitting to himself that the last few weeks had been the best, and happiest, of his life. She had reawakened a joy for life inside of him that he had almost forgotten he had. His stomach clenched painfully at the thought that he might never see her again.

It was long after midnight when he heard the door to the station open. He looked up, surprised. It was very unusual for any trouble to happen this late on a week night. He got out of his chair, but before he could reach the door, it flew open, and there stood Phryne. She looked simply wonderful, as always. He realized that she must have slept and bathed and changed clothes, and he was suddenly very aware of the fact that he had done none of these things. He must have looked terrible, because a soft look came over her features as they stared at each other without speaking. Then, at exactly the same time, they both said: 'I've been selfish.' They looked at each other in amazement for a moment, then both gave a small smile. Phryne was the first to speak again.

'You were right, Jack. Not about everything, but about the fact that I don't really think about what I'm doing. I mean, I know perfectly well what kind of situation I'm getting myself into, but I don't think about what that might mean for… the people around me. I still don't think I did anything wrong, but I will apologize for not understanding your outburst earlier. I should have realized you were only angry because you care for me. I should have understood that my actions impact you, whether I want them to or not. I won't change, mind you. But I will not get angry if you show concern for me.' A smile lifted one corner of her mouth. 'In whatever way you wish to express it.'

He couldn't believe it. He knew that this must have been a, for her, highly exceptional effort to see things from someone else's perspective, and he was grateful. But some things still rankled with him.
'I will not stop trying to protect you, Phryne.'
'And I will not stop trying to get around that to do whatever I like.'
'Fair enough.' He smiled, then became serious again. 'I'm sorry, Phryne.'
She held up her hand and softly said, 'It's alright, Jack.'
'No, it's not! I shouldn't have…'
She came closer and softly put her fingers against his lips. 'It's alright', she whispered.
He didn't move for a moment, looking into her eyes, which were full of love and understanding. The next thing he knew, she was in his arms, and he was gripping her tightly, burying his face into her hair. He knew he must be hurting her, but she didn't complain, only gripped him back.
'Oh God, I thought I'd lost you', he groaned.
'You're not getting rid of me that easily, Inspector.' She tried to sound light-hearted, but he noticed that she was also holding on to him rather tightly. After a moment she asked, in a rather timid voice: 'So you still want me? Despite the danger, the recklessness, the…'
He looked at her in disbelief. 'How can you even ask that? I just spent the most miserable afternoon of my life, thinking I'd never see you again. I still can't believe you're here… you're back… Oh Phryne…'

He kissed her fiercely, desperately. He was suddenly overcome by a need to feel her warm skin, to be as close to her as he could, to take her, to possess her as fully as possible to prove that she was there, that she was his. His hands ran feverishly over her body, down her spine, over her buttocks, back up over her stomach. He cupped a breast, pinching a nipple to hear her moan. 'Jack!' she gasped, laughing, trying half-heartedly to push him away. 'Really, here? I thought you were Mr. Propriety, right time and place and that kind of thing?'
He stopped kissing her neck for long enough to look dangerously into her eyes and whisper huskily, 'Not always, Miss Fisher.'
The next moment, he had turned her around, lifted her, and planted her firmly on his desk. He pushed her legs apart so he could stand between them and continued to kiss her throat, leaving small bite marks with his teeth. 'Jack!' she pretended to protest, but he didn't pay any attention. He didn't just want her. He needed her. He pinched a nipple again and she gasped, gripping the back of his shirt as a sudden wave of desire washed over her. His hand moved hungrily down to her thigh, and he pushed her skirt up to her hips, running his fingers over her silk underwear. She leaned against him, arms around his neck, sighing longingly as his hand moved between her legs. When he noticed a damp patch, he couldn't resist. He pushed the fabric aside, and with one quick movement, pushed a finger inside. She moaned sharply, then bit his shoulder.

That was too much for him. She gasped as he suddenly pushed her down onto the desk, scattering papers everywhere, and pulled her hips close to the edge. He leaned over her to whisper in her ear, 'You have no idea how much I want you. Right here, right now.'
She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him close so he was pressed tightly against her. 'Well, I certainly won't object, Inspector', she said, and he noticed how flushed she was, her eyes dark, her lips swollen and slightly open. With a groan of desire, he stood up to remove her slip and unbutton his trousers. She reached up and grabbed the edge of the desk as he firmly took hold of her hips and pushed in with one hard thrust. She cried out and wrapped her legs around him again, and he pressed into her deeper, enjoying the sight of her sprawled out beneath him, eyes closed, while involuntary moans escaped her lips every time he pushed himself inside of her.
Suddenly he felt that there was too much distance between them, and he leaned forward, his elbows on the desk on either side of her, putting the weight and warmth of his body on hers. Somehow, she got her hands under his shirt, and suddenly she was digging her nails into his back. He gasped, but the pain was exquisite, and only served to spur him on as he took her harder, with a kind of desperation, a release for the anguish he had felt. She was here, she was real, she was his, her body trembling underneath him, her voice crying out as he moved faster, and when he felt her clench around him, he allowed his own release with a cry that was almost a sob, and he gripped her tightly as their bodies convulsed together.

Afterwards, he did not let go of her, until she softly started stroking his hair, his neck, his back. Gradually, his emotions subsided, and he released her enough to look at her. She had a soft, glowing look in her eyes as she rose up slightly to kiss him, ever so gently. 'It's alright, darling', she whispered, and he felt his worries melt away at last, to be replaced by that deep, warm feeling of happiness that only she could give him. Gentler now, he bent back down to hold her, and nuzzle her neck. She giggled, and then couldn't resist anymore.
'Well,' she said, amused, 'All those times I sat on your desk, Inspector, and I really never thought I would ever be in quite… this position.'
His eyes suddenly flew open in alarm as a realization of where they were returned to him, along with the knowledge that the door to the station had been unlocked the entire time. Anyone could have walked in. Moreover, it was far from professional to conduct… personal affairs… in his place of work. He quickly withdrew, stood up, and started to make himself look decent again, but she laughingly sat up and caught him by his tie, pulling him close again.
'What does it matter, really?' she smiled up at him, and wrapped her arms around his neck for another kiss. As his lips touched hers, the concerns of the outside world miraculously seemed to disappear again. He was so grateful she was still here. Anything else… yes, what did it matter really?