A/N: Ok, so I know I already have two GH stories that are incomplete and I know that I should be working on chapter three of AYWE however over the past few days I have had a little plot bunny running around in my head and kind of annoying me. I know it won't go away until I write it down so here it is. (Wow, I think that's the longest A/N I have ever written). ENJOY!
Disclaimer: I do not own GH. I only own Emiko.
PS: This is a Lin/Mai story.
- Flashback -
Mai looked at the clock on her desk in surprise. She'd been so focused on doing the paperwork and filing before moving onto her homework she'd received that week. She was glad Michiru and Keiko were her friends. They'd been nice enough to deliver her schoolwork to the office although she had a sneaking suspicion that it was because they wanted to Naru again, even if it had been two-three years or so since they first met him. Needless to say, Naru was unimpressed when they did show up and distracted Mai from her work. He'd managed to get her attention again by ordering her to make him some more tea.
It was getting late and Mai looked out the window quickly, sighing as she noticed that it was now raining and she had to walk home in this miserable weather. She quickly stood and headed to the kitchenette to make Naru and Lin a final pot of tea before informing them both that she was going to head home. When the tea was ready she placed the cups onto the serving tray and delivered it to Naru and Lin.
"Naru, it's getting late so I'm going to head home now." She said as she left his office.
"Be here at 8am tomorrow." Was all he said as the door closed behind her. Mai sighed, Naru certainly was a workaholic. He was a little bit of a slave driver too. Mai quickly packed her bags and headed to the door, grabbing her coat from the coat rack as she did so.
Click.
"Do you need a ride home?" Lin asked, making Mai turn around at the sound of his voice. She blushed slightly and looked at him, thinking about her reply.
"I was going to walk." She told him, shrugging her coat on.
"I can give you a lift if you'd like." He offered with a twist of his lips. Her light blush deepened slightly at the small smile on his face.
"I'd like that very much Lin-san. It'll save me from getting soaked." She responded, taking him up on his offer. It wasn't like she needed a cold, as it would only hinder her from work and school. A pissed of Naru was not a pretty sight, nor was falling behind in school because she was sick. Lin quickly informed Naru that he was taking Mai home before the duo walked down to the car park. Instead of heading to the company van, Lin led Mai to a sleek black car a few spaces over.
Ten minutes later the duo arrived at Mai's apartment.
"Would you like to come inside for a cup of tea, Lin-san?" Mai asked quietly as they approached her door. Lin remained silent for a moment, thinking before he responded.
"Yes, thank you Taniyama-san." He said as she unlocked her door. She stepped inside, flicking on a light before removing her shoes and coat. Lin followed suit. Mai gestured for Lin to take a seat before heading to her room to deposit her bag. She walked down to the kitchen and prepared some tea, grabbing some biscuits in the process. She knew it wasn't good to eat sweet things before dinner but right now she was too tired to cook.
The evening progressed and before long, Mai and Lin were embracing each other in a heated and passionate kiss that would result in an unexpected gift.
A new life.
- Flashback End -
It had been two months after that fateful night that Naru had found what he was looking for and closed down the office. Two months after that night and the whole group found out who Naru really was. Both he and Lin had returned to England with Gene's body.
"Mama, do you think Papa will return soon?" A little voice asked, as small hands tugged on Mai's t-shirt. Mai looked down at the little girl, love and adoration in her cinnamon eyes.
"I don't know, Emiko. He might." Mai replied, a soft smile on her face. Just then a knock sounded on her door right before her phone rang. Mai sighed before turning to her daughter.
"Emiko will you get the phone, please. Mama needs to answer the door." Mai asked. Emiko smiled and nodded, skipping off to get the phone as Mai walked towards the door and opened it.
"Ayako? Bou-san? What are you doing here?" Mai asked surprised.
"Tell me you or Emiko didn't answer the phone." Ayako said, pushing Mai aside and walking into the apartment.
"Emiko just did. Why?" Mai asked, frowning when both adults groaned. Before either of them could explain Emiko came bouncing into the room with the phone in hand.
"Mama, the phone is for you." She said happily. Mai grabbed it, dreading who was on the other end.
"Hello, Mai speaking. Who is this?" she asked, carefully.
"Mai." Came the response.
"N-naru? Why are you calling?" she asked.
"Are Matsuzaki and Takigawa there?" He asked, getting straight to the point.
"Yes they are. Why? How did you get my new number?" Mai demanded, suspiciously eyeing the pair who stood in front of her with guilty looks on their faces.
"They gave it to me. I'll call you back later and let them explain." He replied coolly before disconnecting the call. Mai could practically hear him smirking. He obviously knew well enough that Mai was going to interrogate the duo that was trying to sneak out the door. Mai put the phone down and glared at both of them.
"Stop right there. Take a seat and kindly explain what on earth is going on and why Naru has my new number." Mai told them, icily, gesturing towards the couch in her open plan living area.
"Fine, fine. Could we have a cup of tea?" Bou-san asked resignedly as he and Ayako sat down.
"Alright." Mai replied, grudgingly. Emiko smiled at her mother before joining her aunt and uncle on the couch, a book in her hands. Although she was intelligent for a four year old, she still didn't quite understand what was happening but that was to be expected. Mai quickly returned to the living room with a tray of tea and some biscuits, placing it on the low coffee table in front of said couch. Mai looked at the couple with a meaningful glance.
"Ok, spill. I want a full explanation." Mai demanded. Ayako and Bou-san smiled sheepishly before beginning their explanation. Needless to say, it was rather short.
"Naru and Lin are back. Naru wants to re-open SPR and is asking all of us to come back." Ayako said.
"When did they arrive? How long have they been here?" Mai asked.
"About two weeks. We've known the whole time because we met them at the airport." Bou-san replied.
"Why did no one tell me that they were back? I know I have a responsibility to my daughter as her mother but who do you think has a responsibility to Emiko as her father?" Mai demanded, a frown adorning her face.
"Naru?" Bou-san asked cautiously.
"Really? You think Naru is her father? I wasn't able to thaw him out the entire time I worked for him no matter how hard I tried. So I got over him and fell in love with another. Sadly both left two months later, neither of them knowing I was pregnant." Mai ranted angrily.
"You mean, Lin-san is Emiko's father?" Bou-san asked incredulously.
"You managed to figure out who Naru really was but never figured out who Emiko's father was?" Mai asked in disbelief.
"Obviously not. He's just a brainless old man." Ayako commented, dryly. Bou-san just glared at her instead of rising to the bait like he usually would, which was mostly due to the fact that Emiko was sitting between them. Mai sighed and stood.
"You should go. I have things to think over. Especially since Lin-san doesn't know he has a daughter." Mai told them, walking to the door and opening it. Ayako and Bou-san nodded and left without a fuss. Mai closed her eyes and sunk to the floor cradling her head in her hands. A soft thud was heard and soft footsteps pattered over to her.
"Mama? Are you ok?" Emiko asked, placing her small hand on her mother's hair and smoothing over it gently. Mai looked up, eyes watering and a small, weak smile on her face. She gathered Emiko into her arms and held her close to her chest as she tried to calm down. Not long after, Emiko was fast asleep in her mother's arms. Mai smiled at the sight and gently stood, taking Emiko to her room.
Mai woke late morning the next day after staying up late to think about the situation she was suddenly thrust into. She heard a low humming and smiled. Emiko did love to hum her favourite tune. Mai stood and changed quickly before heading to the kitchen and finding Emiko rummaging through her personal cupboard and pulling out some crackers. Mai smiled at the sight before swooping in and grabbing her daughter around the waist, hugging her from behind. Emiko squealed in delight and giggled, turning around in Mai's embrace to return her mother's hug.
"Good morning Mama." Emiko said in fluent English. Mai had learnt to speak English during school and had John's help with pronunciation. She'd also learned Chinese, secretly, by herself. When Emiko was born, Mai taught her to speak both languages as well as her native Japanese.
"Good morning, sweetie." Mai replied a smile on her face.
"Are we going to see Papa today?" Emiko asked, switching to Chinese.
"Yes. I need to call him and let him know." She replied, also switching to Chinese.
"Yay. Mama, I'm hungry." Emiko said, switching back to Japanese. Mai smiled again and put Emiko down, before walking to the cupboards and pulling out the ingredients for egg omelettes. Although she'd never been to England she had learnt to cook meals from China and England so her daughter would have a wide range of food to choose from.
"Omelettes for breakfast, Emiko?" Mai asked, chuckling when she received an enthusiastic nod.
It didn't take long for the omelettes to cook and then be practically inhaled by the four year old and Mai. They both had a cup of tea with their food before finishing. Mai placed Emiko on the couch and let her read the book she had started the previous day. It wasn't the usual book that a four year old might read because Emiko was highly intelligent, mostly due to her father's genes. Emiko was reading the English version of The Christopher Robin Story Book by A.A Milne (A/N: This is an actual book I read when I was growing up. If you don't know what it is then look it up online. It is a very good book for young children although I have never come across a four year old that could read it, lol). Emiko found the book to be rather enjoyable. While she was doing that, Mai walked to the phone and called Ayako.
"Hello?" Ayako asked, answering the phone.
"Ayako? It's me. I wondered if the number to contact Lin and Naru is the same." Mai asked, with a sigh.
"You decided to tell him then. Yes the number to contact Lin and Naru at SPR is the same." Ayako responded. Mai could almost hear the smug look she knew would be on Ayako's face at the moment.
"Ok then, thank you. Bye." Mai responded, not wanting to deal with Ayako and Bou-san for too long. She disconnected the phone call before dialling the number for the SPR office. The call was picked up after two rings.
"Shibuya Psychic Research, Lin Koujo speaking. How may I help you?" Lin's deep baritone came down the phone line. Mai shivered, remembering that fateful night almost four and a half years ago.
"Koujo, it's me. We need to talk." Mai said, getting down to business.
"Mai." Lin breathed softly. More chills assaulted Mai's spine as her name rolled off his tongue.
"Yes. Can you meet me at the café below the office? I'll be there in ten minutes." Mai said, trying not to let him affect her.
"Of course. See you soon." He replied, before disconnecting the call. Mai sighed before turning to her daughter.
"Emiko, go and put your coat and shoes on. We're going to see your Papa." Mai said, causing the little girl to grin before quickly placing her book down, closing it and running off to her room. Mai shook her head in amusement before heading to do the same and grab her satchel. She was glad she had put on jeans this morning, especially since it was raining outside. After doing a quick search for her bag she joined her daughter by the front door.
"Did you want to take your book, Emiko?" Mai asked before picking up an umbrella. Emiko nodded and quickly ran to the couch, grabbed her book and handed it to her mother to place into her satchel. Grabbing her daughters hand she walked outside, locking the door behind her and put her umbrella up before moving out from under the porch.
The mother/daughter duo walked at a moderate pace towards the café. Mai knew that Lin would already be there since the café was directly below the office. It didn't take them long before they arrived and found Koujo sitting in a booth at the far corner of the café. As soon as they entered, he looked up and regarded them intently. Butterflies fluttered in Mai's stomach when she saw him. She knew his Shiki had notified him of their arrival. Emiko had a huge grin on her face and was looking around the café for a few minutes before her eyes finally rested on the man that Mai had shown her photographs of. Steeling herself, Mai gripped her daughters hand a little tighter before walking over to him.
"Hello Koujo." Mai greeted as she slid into her seat, next to her daughter.
"Hello Mai. Who's this?" Lin greeted, turning his attention to Emiko.
"I'm Emiko Lin." She told him happily in Chinese. Lin blinked in surprise, turning to look at Mai for an explanation.
"Why does she have my last name?" Lin asked cautiously.
"She's your daughter." Mai replied, sighing slightly.
"My daughter. She's my daughter. How is this possible?" Lin asked in disbelief, earning a glare from Mai.
"You know very well how this is possible, Koujo. I expect you to take responsibility." Mai replied, her voice frosty.
"Of course. I just don't understand why you never told me." Lin replied, recovering and levelling Mai with his own glare.
"I-I apologise for not informing you. I didn't think it was right to tell you over the phone or via email. I figured this was something that needed to be done in person. Aside from that Koujo, I knew the Davis' needed your support in their time of grief." Mai replied, her voice shaking slightly. Lin sighed softly before standing up and moving round to the side to pull Mai into his warm embrace.
"It's alright. I'm angry you didn't tell me but I can forgive you. You're right, this sort of thing did need to be done in person." He whispered in her ear, brushing her long hair behind her ear. He released Mai and smiled at Emiko before folding her into his embrace.
"I missed you Papa." Emiko whispered in Chinese, making the usually stoic, silent man smile. He was happy. He had a daughter and loved the woman who birthed her so much so that he intended to marry her before the year was up.
'Now how to break this to Naru.' Mai and Lin thought simultaneously.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this story. It was intended as a one-shot but if I get enough reviews I may add another chapter. If I do continue this then I don't think it will be any longer than five chapters. Please Review! :)