Epilogue

Morning came and eventually so did George, making good on his promise. Not only did George come, but Compton had arrange to have the RAAF send another plane to ensure they both made it out at once. Jack had been prepared to stay behind, but after their moment together he never wanted to be separated from her again.

A few days passed while Phryne was asked to give her testimony to the RAAF. She had visited Compton in hospital and found he was recovering well from his injuries. "You know you deserve a medal?" he had told her.

"Yes, well if I were a man. If I were enlisted, perhaps. But luckily for you I'm not otherwise you'd still be out there! Please do take care of yourself Lyle, I don't want to have to come back here and save you from yourself again."

"I'm not sure Jack would forgive you if you did. So I suppose for both our sakes I should keep my boots on the ground for awhile." He paused before pressing on with his curiosity. "So what exactly happened that night?"

"I think you recall Madagascar?" He smiled at her, "naturally" he responded. "Well something like that, and let's leave it." She smiled coyly at him. He knew he wouldn't get any more details from her, which was probably for the best.

"As long as you were the one giving confessions, rather than getting."

"Yes, something like that. Take care of yourself." She gave him a small kiss on his forehead and walked out. He knew it would probably be the last time he would see her. They had made good on their promises, nothing was left.

Jack had found them suitable lodging in Perth and was arranging their return journey home. He was worried that leaving the outback might cause the spell between them to break. In fact the opposite had happened, finding more comfortable surroundings only helped to deepen their connection. As much as they both wanted to take things to the next level beneath the remaining stars as dawn approached they'd agreed it wasn't the time or place. The last thing they needed was to complicate their relationship in nine months or so. Jack smiled as he stood out on the balcony of their room and smiled, they would have to wait another several days until they returned to St. Kilda. He was quite taken aback to find out that she had left it at home. They had no understanding, no agreement to wait for one another. He of course had every intent, as he had done for the last two years of their relationship to wait for her. But he hadn't expected nor asked her to discontinue the parade. The fact that she had done that on her own, had made the decision and went as far as removing temptation said a lot about how far they had come. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but knew that was not the moment. He didn't want her to think he loved her because she left it at home.

Jack turned back into the room and assessed the table and candles he had set out, with the help of the hotel. It was their last night in Perth and he wanted freeze time, so he planned a romantic evening in. They had spent a lot of time together, alone since their adventure in the outback. He felt a bit sad that they hadn't taken in Perth, but smiled when she said, "Jack we can come back for a proper vacation. Perhaps to celebrate."

xx

Back in Melbourne, Dot had received several reassuring telegrams from Miss Fisher informing her of her latest adventure. Dot was relieved to say the least, and even more intrigued by the cryptic mention of her and Jack in the outback together. She wasn't one to pry into anyone's affairs, and certainly not Miss Fisher's but she would be lying if she wasn't hopeful that they had finally come to the same conclusion that the rest of them had come to years ago. Dot had arranged to have Burt and Cec meet their train at the station when they arrived tomorrow afternoon.

In the time that Jack had been out looking for Miss Fisher, Dot had provided Hugh with some assistance in tracking down Miss Hazel Beck and resolve the murder at the docks and Hazel's flat. It had taken sometime to string all the clues together, but Dot's suspicious about poison had been confirmed by Mac. Mr. Deroix had gone to the docks with the intent to kill the man. He had received a letter from Hazel telling him of the danger she faced and how scared she was. He had been set-up to take the fall. What Mr. Deroix didn't know was that Hazel had always intended for both her lovers to die. She had poisoned them both and wanted them to get into a knife fight, figuring the cops would chalk it up to another scuffle at the docks.

Hazel boarded a train to Sydney after she heard that Jules Deroix had been arrested. He was a big man and she had underestimated the time it would take for the poison to take effect. She was worried that he would tell them about her, but couldn't risk going to the station to find out.

Dot was the one that broke the case wide open. Hugh was working late again, filling in for the departed Inspector, and she spent the time reviewing her case notes and flipping through the book Miss Fisher had left for her. It turned out to be a thallium poisoning, very uncommon and not one that was high on Dr. MacMillian's initial list of compounds to test. In any case, Dot found the case to be quite fulfilling, if not tragic, but she enjoyed working closely with her husband on the case and how they dove into things with Mac. She figured that had Miss Fisher been there they would have figured it all out sooner, but nonetheless she enjoyed the opportunity to take the lead on an investigation.

xx

The train ride was as long as Jack remembered, but infinitely more enjoyable. He couldn't help but chuckle at her restlessness, at every stop she practically bolted off to walk around the platform and stretch her legs. When the train first left Perth they looked like a couple of newlyweds returning from a honeymoon. Their hands intertwined. Bodies close. In constant private conversation. To anyone on the train these were two people madly in love with one another. Phryne was actually surprised with how much public affection Jack was comfortable in sharing, he always seemed such a private man. Despite their close proximity during cases they rarely shared any touches, intimate or otherwise. She noticed however, that the closer they got to Melbourne the less affectionate he was becoming, returning to his reserved self.

The train had one more stop before they reached their final destination. Miss Fisher knew that Dot had made transportation arrangements for them upon their arrival, she was looking forward to seeing everyone again but mostly she wanted to be home. She wanted to sleep in a bed that didn't move, take a hot bath, and perhaps convince Jack to relax in the parlor with some whiskey for the evening. Mostly she wanted more time with Jack, more time to explore this new intimacy.

"Jack."

"Hmm."

"Is everything alright?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Well it just seems like you've been tensing up the closer we approach home." She grabbed his hand and held it tightly and stared deeply at him. "Are you concerned?" She looked down at their hands seeing his eyes follow hers.

"Concerned by us? No, never. I just want to protect this." He kissed her hand. "I want sometime for us to enjoy being us, without prying eyes or cameras."

She knew he was speaking of Barnes. Her position in society meant that keeping any relationship quiet would be a challenge, but she understood what Jack meant. She too wanted to enjoy being the two of them. The thought of that made her smile.

"So what do you want to do when we arrive in Melbourne?"

He kissed her hand again before responding, "Well outwardly let's just continue with business as usual. Privately though things can be a bit more personal."

"Personal indeed. I will hold you to that. You may have a lot to make up with after a long day working on a case together."

"Don't I know it." He said chuckling. He knew resisting her flirtations now would be an even greater challenge. He also figured she would up her game. Well two can play at that.

xx

The train finally pulled into the station and came to a stuttered stop. Phryne stood and gave a good long stretch while Jack grabbed their small set of luggage. When they got off the train Phryne turned to Jack to give him one last kiss before they returned to their unattached public personas. She gave a quick look around taking in the crowds of people disembarking, figuring they were safe.

Burt, Cec, Dot, Hugh, and Mac all showed up at the station to give their friends a warm welcome. As the crowds began to clear out Dot was the first to spot Miss Fisher climbing onto the platform. She waved her hands and began to shout, but the noise from the train was still too loud. The others noticing that Dot had located their intrepid travelers, also began to wave. Jack was setting the luggage down when Phryne grabbed his lapels and pulled herself closer to him.

"One for the road." She said softly before placing her lips on his. The kissed deeply for several seconds.

Hugh being the tallest of the group was the first to catch the kiss. "Dottie are you sure that is Miss Fisher and the Inspector?"

"Of course I am Hugh! Why would you say such a thing?"

Before anyone else could respond they saw what Hugh was seeing, a long passionate embrace. Their cheers for their return quickly turned into a low "oh" with Dot putting her hands over her mouth fighting back a loud squeal that might break the spell.

"One for the road indeed," he smiled at her cheekily. He then peered around her to see a mostly emptied platform and their friends staring at them.

"So much for trying to keep this under wraps."

Phryne spun around and saw what Jack was seeing. She quickly composed herself and whispered back to Jack to pretend like nothing happened, just smile and nod.

"Dottie! Mac!" She exclaimed while waving. "So wonderful to see you all, I wasn't expecting such a robust welcoming party." She glanced back to Jack who was smiling and nodding vigorously.

Burt and Cec were shaken from their stunned state by Dot who was gesturing towards Jack's bags. "Ya let me help you with that Inspector."

"Thank you Cec."

Phryne sensing a barrage of questions began to move forward tugging Mac with her, hoping the others would follow. She didn't want to create an even larger scene on the platform that she and Jack had already done.

"You're blushing." Mac whispered in Phryne's ear. She shot a glare that quickly turned into a smile, "am not."

"Right. Right. You're just flushed from all the travels."

"Yes of course."

"About time." Mac squeezed onto her friends arm as they walked to the cab together. Phryne turned and smiled again, this time she was beaming.