A/N: Okay I know. I'm officially an awful person. I'm officially the person I bemoan about – that person who starts writing a fic and then lets blockages/life get in the way of updating and just strings all my loyal and wonderful readers along by updating often enough that I'm not officially on hiatus but not so often that the story flows. I'm sure you all haven't read this fic in a while so I am going to begin with a recap to get us all back on the same page: Thank you all so much for sticking with me and I hope this chapter is worth the wait!

Recap: Jack's family surprises him with a visit and soon after hear mentions of a certain Lady Detective from those close to Jack. They begin to suspect there is more then what Jack has told them going on here but before our dashing detective inspector can set the record straight, Phryne is kidnapped by a disgruntled man who one employed Phryne and Jack to find his "missing" wife (more like philandering wife). Also Jack doesn't know who kidnapped her just yet. Jack begins to go crazy when he is unable to find her for nearly a month until a sneaking suspicion tells him his ex-wife may have something to do with Phryne's disappearance (she doesn't). Jane comes to him with a different suspicion but Jack brushes her off, not wanting her to get involved. (Now may be a good time to mention that Jack and Jane have gotten even closer after Phryne's disappearance and she often stays with him and his family – seeing him as something of a father figure for her.) Of course Jane has been living with Phryne for a while so 'not getting involved' isn't something she understands. She rushes off to save Phryne and gets caught up in the whole mess.

As far as recapping what this whole mess is: a fisherman named Jimmy thought his wife had been kidnapped and so he enlisted the help of Phryne and Jack to find her only to find her in the arms of her lover. Jimmy goes a bit crazy and somehow has blamed our dear Inspector and his Lady Love for this turn of events and now he seeks retribution for Jack's supposed 'nonchalance' in regards to the events that took place. (We know that Jack keeps his emotions close to his chest and maintains a professional demeanor but Jimmy took it as Jack didn't care.) Now Jimmy has Phryne and Jane and has a convoluted plan to convince Jack (or something like that) that Phryne has run off and is cavorting with another man. He has bought Phryne's complacency by threatening Jane. As long as Phryne plays along, Jane is safe.

Jack has now come to the realization that Jimmy is in fact the culprit (not Rosie – sorry to everyone who hates her…) and is off to find them. Whew! Okay here we go!

Jack

Now that I had more proof, some of the others had gotten back on our team and were hunting down Jimmy Thompson. Collins and one of his young friends had traced the fisherman to a neighborhood a mile north of the fishing docks. I would knock down every door until I found her. Until I found them. He had Phryne. He had my daughter. Any thoughts he had about getting out of there unharmed were purely the dreaming of a madman.

"Johnny!"

"Beth? What are you doing here?"

"Mum said you had a lead, that you were going after someone for this." I nodded sharply, strapping a gun to my hip. "Johnny don't do this."

"What? Beth, it's not just Phryne anymore, it's Jane too. They've taken my family, Beth. And you want me to sit back and let him go?!"

"Not let him go! Just, let someone who has a clear head handle this, Jack. This man clearly wants to get to you. Don't play into his hands, you're going to get yourself hurt. Let someone else handle this Jack."

"Beth,"

"She's right, Jack." I spun around to see Constable Johnson standing beside me with pursed lips. "You're too close to this one. You need to sit it out, let the rest of us do our jobs."

"Not a chance in hell." I growled. "I can handle myself. You think I wasn't just as close to the issue when she was taken by the man who murdered her sister? What about the time Mrs. Stanley's friend's son tried to silence her after she found out the truth when we were investigating those murders on the beach? I can do my job."

"This is different. Those were one off events that happened during the line of investigation. They happened before any of us had the chance to think about it. This is been going on for weeks, Jack. You can't think clearly. And we can't risk you doing something stupid."

"Like what?" I snapped at him.

"Like killing the bastard before he's had his fair trial, mate."

"Johnson,"

"Don't bother, Jack. The Commissioner has already given the order. You're to stay here." He turned his head. "Constables Smith and Avery. You will stay with Detective Inspector Jack and are allowed to use any force necessary to keep him here."

"Johnson!" My heart was pounding fast. Too fast. This was it. This had to be. It had almost been a month of living in my parents' hotel room which I knew perfectly well they only stayed in so that I wouldn't be alone here in the city. Almost a month without seeing her smile. Almost a month without hearing her laugh. Almost a month without a sharing a drink. Almost a month since I'd been happy. Dear Lord, I don't deserve you to hear my prayer, I know that. But please, let them be safe. Let them be alive. Let them come home to me. And God, let me love them for the rest of our lives. Le my family be together again. "Johnson, please." I begged him, too worried to be embarrassed about how my voice cracked.

"This is non-negotiable Jack. Fire me tomorrow if you wish but tonight I'm going to fetch Miss Fisher and Miss Jane back. And you're going to come out of this alive."

Phryne

"There's a cop car down the street." Jimmy's voice was filled with glee. "Here comes your prince, Miss Fisher." Jane was locked safely downstairs. Say what you would about Henry but he had a soft spot for children and I knew he'd keep her safe from Pots. At least she didn't have to see this. Jimmy had all but forced me into a night gown that, based on the size, had belonged to Emily at one point. White, clinging, fake silk hung off me awkwardly. The shoulder was torn causing the dress to sit lopsided, the top of my breasts clearly on view. My makeup was long since gone, and not that I was the kind of woman who needed to hide herself or had no confidence without her powdered courage, but it made me feel strong, it made me feel like me. It was my armor. And I was without it.

My wrists were tied tightly together. Jimmy knew me well enough to know that I was resourceful, that I would take any chance I could to get Jane to safety. The ropes that held my hands together also tied me securely to the ends of the chaise lounge (if one could reasonably call it that) I was seated on. It could have been worse. He could have tied me up on display like a common whore for all to see. My cheeks were flushed. If he was right and Jack was here, he would have this image of me fixed in his mind. I didn't want that. I didn't ever want him to see me as helpless, as needing his saving. I didn't want him to see me as weak. I sighed. I didn't know how I could face Jack Robinson if he saw me like this.

"They're going to come in here. He's going to see us. And then he will be ruined. Just like me. Then he will understand."

"Your logic makes no sense. None of this makes sense!" if I could have I would have thrown up my hands in frustration. "How is this supposed to prove anything? How is this supposed to avenge your feelings? Emily left you. And it hurt you and I'm sorry for it. But none of that is Jack's fault. None of that is my fault. How does hurting us fix what happened to you?" SLAM. The knuckles of his hand made harsh contact with the side of my face as he backhanded me. I tasted blood as my lip split, but to be perfectly honest, it was a good thing he had hit me. It grounded me. It held me in place. It reminded me that I was brave. That I was strong. That I could do this. Jimmy sat next to me, a glower fixed on his face.

"Shut it, whore. And wait. Your lover will be here soon and then it will all be okay. Everything will be right again." He reached out slowly and caressed my face. Never have I been so revolted. His skin was like acid against mine and I only just held in the urge to vomit.

"He's not my lover. But I can say this for Jack Robinson." He snorted in laughter.

"What?"

"He's going to chew you up and spit you out before you've had the chance to say 'sorry'." Jimmy snarled. My heart was beating fast. Too fast. I hoped to God that someone other than Jack would be the first one through the door. That Jack wouldn't be the one to confront Jimmy. Because I knew Jack. And even though there was nothing romantic between us, though I wasn't his woman in the sense that everyone seemed to assume, I knew that he was very protective. Not only of me but particularly so of Jane. And I didn't want him to do something that he would regret, something that would put him in prison or worse. I couldn't live without Jack. And I would have to stop him before he did something stupid. Oh Lord, I don't deserve to pray. I don't deserve you to hear me, I know that, but if you could, keep Jack away from here, away from Jimmy. Let someone else come.

"You act as though he's the innocent party here. As though he's victim in all this. I am the victim, Miss Fisher. It was my heart that was broken. It was my life that was destroyed."

"And tell me how any of that is the fault of Jack Robinson? Tell me how he is the guilty one in any of this?"

Beth

"Mum, you'd better come down here. Johnny's about to wear a whole through the floor he's pacing so hard and I don't know how to calm him down. The Constables they've left to watch him aren't helping a wit and I'm afraid he's actually going insane." I held the phone tightly to my ear, my hand shaking as I watched my brother's own hands shaking like leaves during a storm. He held a photo in his hand, that was clear, though what it was of I didn't know.

"Sit tight, Beth. We are on our way over. A nice lady is going to watch the kids so as soon as she's settled in with them we'll call a cab." I nodded.

"Thanks, mum. I don't know what to do."

"Elizabeth Ann Robinson, yes you do. You have known that boy your entire life and he's more like you than anyone else I can think of. You can do this. We will be there soon but in the meantime, you can do this." I nodded again, knowing full well that she couldn't hear a nod over the phone and yet unsure of what to actually say. "Now hang up this phone and go talk to your brother." Click. At least mom was acting like her usual self. I walked over to Johnny and peered over his shoulder. The picture was of a woman with cropped, sleek black hair, her fingers held up to her eyes like glasses and her lips pursed in what could almost be described as a kiss.

"Is that her?" I ask. He jumps a bit but pursing his lips tightly together he nods curtly.

"I arrested her and these were the poses she made as we took her photo for booking." He holds out a few more, each of a vibrant, smiling, laughing. This was a woman as unlike the proper and properly boring Rosie as could be possible. This was a woman who brought life to each room she entered This was a woman who was unlike any other my brother had been interested and given the way he'd been the last month, this woman was something more than the love of his life. This was a true soul mate. This was the woman who brought my brother back from the dead. The woman who saved him. And with that, I started a silent prayer that she return to him safely. God, bring her home. Today. Now. Bring this woman back. I've never met her, but I already love her for what she's done for Johnny. Please God.

"Tell me about her. That way when they bring her home today I will already know her." he looked up into my eyes.

"Do you believe that?"

"She's coming home, Johnny. So don't worry about that. Just tell me about her." His shoulders dropped a bit as he took a deep breath and relaxed just a bit.

"I met Phryne at a crime scene. A friend of hers had just killed her husband though neither of us knew it at the time, she played the grieving widow quite convincingly. Phryne was fascinated by murder, by mysteries really. She tricked her way into the crime scene, right past my constable. Constable Collins, you've met him, yes?" I nodded and he continued. "She worked her way right past him and into the bathroom the man had died in. When I accosted her she flirted with me, though I didn't notice at the time." I smirked. Of course he didn't. That was so entirely Johnny. "I gave her my card and she left. I thought I would never see her again but she involved herself so entirely in the case, solved it before I did, in fact, thought in my defense she got in my way with every step I took. Got herself in some trouble with the murdering friend though, I had to run in and break her out. She was almost dead when I got there but within a few days she found herself near another murder. Used my name and the card I'd given her to pretend I endorsed her helping the police solve murders. By the time I'd gotten there she'd convinced the victim's daughter and the girl who had not only stolen the victim's jewels but who wouldn't tell us a damn thing though she was present at the time of the murder making her a bit of a suspect – I'm sorry I've gotten off on a tangent." He was all but grinning now. "Anyway, she'd convinced them to come stay with her so that if I planned on questioning them I'd have to do it in her house. She also solved that one a bit before I did. By flirting with one of the murderer's best friends I might add, something I couldn't have done, but still. She was incredibly talented. She is incredibly talented. Of course, that case was the tipping point. Not only did I realize that I was going to be stuck with this Lady Detective but that's when we met Jane."

"When you met her daughter?" I questioned, confused. What did he mean when we met Jane? Wasn't Jane Phryne's daughter?

"Jane was the little girl who had stolen the jewels on the train."

"You're joking!"

"No. Miss Fisher took her in after that and while she couldn't outright adopt her, she's more of a mother than that girl's own flesh and blood. She's a brilliant girl. Picks up on languages like they're nothing. It probably helps that Phryne sometimes decides she's sick of English and speaks only French, or Italian, or Arabic, or one of the other languages she speaks." He grew quiet. "And she solved this case before I did. If I had just listened to her Phryne would already be home."

"Stop it Johnny. Now is not the time for guilt and blame. She will be home soon enough. No use trying to change the past. Let's simply get ready for the future." I grinned at him. "When am I to wish you happy?"

"She's not the marrying kind." I stiffened.

"I understand she's unconventional Johnny but listen to yourself! You're clearly in love with this woman to the extent that most people are never so lucky to experience! To say she isn't the kind of girl you marry just because she's a bit flirtatious or has been around the block a time or two."

"That isn't what I meant at all, Beth. I'd marry her tomorrow if she'd have me. I simply mean that she isn't the kind to tie herself down, that she doesn't believe in marriage." Quite the unconventional woman indeed.

"My brother Johnny, living in sin. I don't know whether to be shocked or proud!" I grinned.

"I'm not, we're not…" he trailed off and ran his hand through his hair. "We aren't together."

"What? I've never even met her but from what everyone around here says, how they treat you, how you talk about her, what else was I supposed to presume?"

"I love her Beth. But she's also my best friend and the mother to a girl I consider every bit my child. What if we messed this up? What if something happened and I couldn't see Jane anymore? What if I lost her? Too much ballast for lift off Beth."

"There's more. What aren't you saying?"

"She likes men. Lots and lots of men. I have met a large number of her 'old friends' so to speak."

"And that bothers you? You've been married, Jack."

"It's not that. It's just, she doesn't fall in love. She doesn't find one man that she wants to spend the rest of her life with. She loves them and then moves on. I don't think I could survive that Beth." He looked up at me with such pain in his eyes. "I love her. I love them both so much. And I can't be a part of their family only to be usurped. It would kill me."

"How do you know she doesn't love you back? How do you know you aren't the exception to her rule?"

"You should see these men, Beth. They're all fascinating, an adventure. French aristocrats, Russian dancers, Chinese mobsters, communist anarchists, painters, fighter pilots – oh, she flies planes by the way, did I mention? One of her lovers taught her to fly a plane – my point is that the list goes on each more interesting than the last. I don't hold a candle to a damn one of them."

"Then she's a fool." He snorted out a laugh. "I'm serious Johnny. If she doesn't see how incredible you are, than she's a fool." Just then a voice cut in from behind us, raspy and low. Johnny froze at the sound, his face paling and his hands gripping the counter before him tightly. All she said was a single word.

"Jack."

A/N: Read and Review! Hugs and kisses to all! Xoxo - E