No Goodbye

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters and cases from Ace Attorney. All credits go to Capcom, they own the rights to everything.

Dear Miss Skye,

It's our pleasure to welcome you to the Los Angeles Precinct. I know you'll make a fine addition to our team of detectives if your test scores are any indication of your potential.

For the first month here, you'll be assigned to one of our more experienced detectives, you'll be shadowing him to get a feel for how things are handled at the precinct. If you have any further questions before you begin on Wednesday, feel free to contact the head of Criminal Affairs or the Homicide Department.

Sincerely,

Head Detective Adam Collis

That's the letter that arrived in the mail for newly appointed Detective Ema Skye shortly after she received word that she'd passed the examination to become a detective. She hadn't even tried that hard on that exam, unlike another one she'd taken four months before, but she wouldn't be talking about that. The other exam had taken up two months of her life, countless hours staying up past midnight, skimming over time she could have hung out with friends or seen her sister.

But she'd failed the exam, missing the minimum grade by six percentage points. A mere six points. It was enough to make Ema detest the number for the rest of her life. Six points kept her from fulfilling her decade long dream of becoming a forensic scientist, and now forcing her to settle for regular detective work, or else risking eviction. The rent didn't pay itself after all and she wasn't about to ask Lana if she could stay there until she found another job. She'd already done that on more than one occasion since she came back from Europe after graduating college.

Ema skimmed over the letter one more time before refolding it along the creases and placing it back in the envelope. She wondered who she'd be shadowing for the first month. Obviously it was a detective who had years of experience under his belt if he was training someone new. She was tempted to call up Criminal Affairs and find more out about her temporary partner, but she refrained. She'd find out in a day and a half, Ema could wait until then.

Wednesday morning, Ema got up at 7:30, not daring to risk being late the first day as a detective. She couldn't afford to lose another job, she barely made the month to month rent payments as it is. The pitiful savings she'd acquired between graduating college up to the present could only support so many months, between car repairs, food, electricity/utilities, clothing, and the like.

She didn't dare to entertain the thought this was her last chance before she was facing eviction notices. There had been whispering among the tenants that the owner of the building was quitting from the real estate business to retire to Florida. Ema seriously hoped that was only what it was now, a rumor.

Ema got a good deal with her apartment, $500 a month, and that included utilities and electric. It had a decent sized bedroom, an adjacent full size bathroom, a hall closet, a small living room, and a smaller dining room on the way to the regular kitchen with all the standard appliances. For a woman living on her own, it was the perfect size. The living room was large enough to have a sofa, a coffee table, a television stand along with a corner big enough to house her home forensics laboratory. In all honestly, she did like her apartment, it was exactly right for her.

With her messenger bag waiting to be slung over her shoulder, her pink tinted sunglasses perched on the crown of her head, and her red scarf tightened just right around her neck, all Ema needed was her lab coat and she'd be ready to face her new job. She slipped it on, feeling the scientist she knew she was.

When the lock clicked satisfyingly behind her, Ema tucked her house key into one of the many pockets in her messenger bag and went on her way out to her small little blue sedan.

It was a simple car, enough to get her from A to B. She'd had the car for several years, and it was a decent little car, she just wished she didn't get so many repair bills from B to C. But it was cheaper to pour money into this car every once in awhile versus getting a brand new car; that was completely out of her budget.

The car started with a loud sputter, a noise Ema had become accustomed to; it meant she could drive on the main interstate without having to worry about the engine dying on her.

She turned left onto the main highway and flipped on the local hits radio station. It mostly played Top 40 music, whatever was current and hip among her age group. She turned it up loud enough she could hear the track playing, but she could also hear the noises outside her car. Ema was a very safety conscientious driver, and she preferred to be able to hear something if God forbid an accident were to occur.

The station progressed smoothly from a techno song to a modern rock song, one that was slightly familiar in the recesses of Ema's mind, but not something she cared to keep at the forefront. She listened to the song, listened to the melodic voice of the man singing, as well as the harmonious instrumentals she heard, especially from the guitar. The band was familiar, she knew that much, but it wasn't one she listened to often.

When the song ended and the deejay talked in his annoyingly cheery voice, he gave the listeners the name of the song and band.

"Okayyyyy all you fine boys and girls out there, that song was one of the Gavinner's first ever hits, My Boyfriend Is The Prosecution's Witness, a song that withstands the test of time, still making our radio's request lists, among other aweeeeesome hits from the Gavinner's. The next song of theirs played is dedicated to all the ladies out there, so keeeep listening to your favorite morning hits station, a-"

The deejay was cut short as Ema hit the off button with more force than was probably necessary. Hearing someone who was overly peppy is an easy way to get on Ema's nerves, especially early in the morning. Getting up before 8 was not something Ema cared to do, but she'd be doing it Monday through Friday now, up by 7:30 to be on the road by 8:15, to be there at 8:30.

The drive to the precinct was an easy one, she'd lived in the city long enough she knew where it was by memory, but she'd not had a reason to stop in here until today. She assumed that the detectives had to park in the back part of the lot, and she drove around until she saw a cluster of other older cars that had definitely seen better days. The joys of a detective's salary.

She parked her sedan next to the one car in the lot that looked like it was fresh off the lot that sold Ferrari's and Jaguar's. It probably cost more than all the other cars in the small lot combined. Ema glared at the car, and by association, whoever drove the car.

Must be nice to be able to drop money on something so needlessly. I bet that car costs more money than I've made in the past five years...

Ema grumbled to herself as she got out of her car and pushed the lock down before slamming the door shut behind her. She stomped up the walkway around to the front and looked around the lobby, trying to figure out who it is she had to be talking to in order to be introduced to her temporary detective partner.

A man who looked to be in his fifties walked toward her, seemingly planning on passing her, until he looked up and noticed the young woman giving him a grumpy look.

"You wouldn't happen to be Detective Skye, would you be?" He asked her.

Ema put on her most professional face and nodded. "Yes, that's me. I know I'm a little early, but-"

The older man raised his hand and shook his head. "Not a problem, better early than late. A detective should be available at any time of the day. Crime doesn't take a few hours off to rest, so it's good to see you're beyond punctual Miss Skye." He extended his hand to Ema, and she took it to give him a firm handshake. "Head Detective Adam Collis. I was the one who sent you the letter a few days back."

Ema nodded sleepily, keeping her professional face in place. "So the letter I got said I'm going to be partnered with someone for the month?"

Detective Collis nodded and motioned for her to follow him back down the hallway she saw him enter from.

"Yes, you'll be partnered with the department's best detective. He's been with us going on seven years now, and his records have been outstanding since he joined the force. You'll be with him until the month is up, then you'll be assigned a prosecutor to work under."

At the word 'prosecutor', Ema's eyes lit up and a genuine smile slid onto her face. "Would it be possible for me to work with Prosecutor Edgeworth, Detective Collis?"

That would be Ema's dream, to work under her favorite prosecutor. He'd been her idol since she was 16, back when she met Mr. Wright. When she'd returned to Los Angeles and set her sights on working at the precinct's forensics lab, her imagination had wandered to lunch breaks spent discussing academic topics like history, science, and law. But that dream was shattered when her superior shook his head and gave her a disappointed look.

"I'm sorry Miss Skye, but Prosecutor Edgeworth is actually out of the country for the time being, and he already has a detective assigned to him, Detective Gumshoe. I'm not sure who you'll be working with at this point in time, but I'll let you know as soon as I hear word."

Ema's shoulders visibly slumped as they continued down a hallway and they stopped in a bullpen that had several people scattered throughout it, all of them Ema presumed to be detectives as well. The bullpen was cluttered with desks, chairs, and computers, among other things.

One woman looked like she'd spent the night at the precinct, since her clothes was wrinkled and her ponytail was sagging heavily to the side. A man was standing next to her, his appearance not far from his reading partner, both of them looking through the same manilla folder. A second woman was talking animatedly on her cell phone, yelling something about unaccounted for evidence that ran the risk of contamination.

And the forth and final person in the room was a man who looked to be about Ema's age. His long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck, and Ema's eyes widened when she realized it was probably longer than hers was. He was sipping from a Starbucks cup and looking over something on what looked to be a smartphone. His black jeans and cobalt t-shirt both fit him snugly, even across the room it was easy for Ema to tell the man was very fit.

Detective Collis spotted the man and called for him. The young man looked up from the phone and his face clouded over when he spotted the aging head detective and the young woman by his side.

Ema's and this man's face were identical ones of disdain. She looked over him, finding it hard to believe he was a respectable detective. He looked like a grungy rocker who'd just come home from playing a late night show.

The man on the other hand, surveyed the woman he presumed was his 'temporary partner' for the next month. At a first glance he immediately dismissed her, then when he looked up again and saw who she was standing with, his eyes darkened and the realization dawned on him. This was who he was stuck babysitting for the next month, the greenhorn detective he had to 'show the ropes'.

He'd argued with the Head Detective on several occasions, not wanting to work with anyone, no matter how temporary. In his seven years as a detective, he'd always been one to work solo, and he didn't want that to change. The Head Detective however, fought his tooth and nail with drill and hammer, telling him he was the best detective Criminal Affairs had, and that he didn't have a choice in the matter. Detective Skye would be shadowing him for the month.

He'd been in a good mood earlier that morning, stopping at Starbucks and getting a cup of strong coffee was always welcome. But suddenly it felt like lead in his stomach as he realized his month of coddling the new recruit was about to begin, whether or not she was a woman, and a good looking one or not.

He pushed himself to stand upright from the desk he was leaning on, tucked his phone into his tight jeans and sauntered over to Ema and Detective Collis. To Ema, that was the walk of a man who was confident in everything he did, and she was immediately distrusting. He also looked like someone who would lazily sling pick up lines at her whenever the mood struck him. The smirk of his just rubbed her the wrong way.

The man took another sip from his cup and nodded to Detective Collis.

"Morning."

Detective Collis gave a bright smile, unaware of the distaste flowing between the two new colleagues, the scrutiny they were putting each other under. "Detective Crescend, this is our newest addition, Detective Ema Skye." He looked eager for the veteran detective to greet the rookie, and a lazy sigh escaped the man's lips before he held out his free hand to Ema, which she took with a purse of her lips.

The purse of her lips was immediately replaced by her mouth opening in surprise. Normally she had a firm handshake, but hers had nothing on Detective Crescend's apparently. His large hand engulfed her tiny one, and she felt the warmth of it from all angles. They let go at the exact same moment, both of them giving each other another unpleased once over.

"Detective Skye, if you've no further questions from me, I'm going to let Detective Crescend take over from here, anything you need you can go to him for." Detective Collis gave them both a bright nod, the strode off toward the Homicide department.

"He didn't give a first name of yours, so what is it? I should probably know the name of who I'm working under." Ema asked, trying to keep her voice polite but there was a sour undertone to it.

A silence met her in response, it lasted for all of a moment before her 'mentor' opened his mouth and addressed her verbally for the first time.

"It's Daryan Crescend, Criminal Affairs. Guess you're the one I'll be watching for the next month."

Ema rolled her eyes and reached into her messenger bag to retrieve a handful of Snackoos and shove them in her mouth. She deliberately chewed them slowly, as if wanting to make him stand there and suffer waiting for an answer. It worked, and his eyes grew angrier as the seconds ticked on.

"Will you just finish the damn snacks already?"

"Try to contain your enthusiasm for meeting the new recruit, I can feel the joy radiating off of you. Just tell me where my desk is, I'll leave you alone for a while since that's clearly what you want."

Daryan nodded grudgingly and waved his hand for her to follow him back toward a room attached to the bullpen, it was another room similar to that. There were two empty desks among occupied ones on either side of the room, and his finger wagged to tell her the choice was hers.

"Either one of those, it doesn't matter. I'm in another section of the department anyway. Come find me if you need me, ok?" And without waiting for an answer, Daryan strode off, draining the rest of his coffee and tossing it into a trash can as he sauntered off down the hallway. He could feel a hole being burned into his back by the new detective, and it was simultaneously annoying and amusing him.

Ema strode over to the nearest desk and angrily dropped her messenger bag on it before pulling out a couple desk supplies she'd brought from home to leave there. She put them where she wanted, then swiveled in her chair, wondering what she was supposed to do now.

She idly reached into her bag and pulled out another mouthful of Snackoos, and the familiar crunching sound was calming, it gave her a small outlet to get out some of her irritation. She could feel this partnership was going to be a tense one, if the other moment was an indication of what was to come.

He might have left her without so much of a word besides 'get your desk ready', but she wasn't going to sit around and be idle doing nothing. She didn't want to be known around the precinct as the lazy detective, even if she didn't care all that much about her detective work. She still had a job to do, a job to keep. Even if it was a young detective who had that 'I'm good looking and I know it' aura to him, with a simultaneous 'Don't bother me' atmosphere.

Author's Notes: Well I can finally say I cracked open this story and I'm one step closer to knocking it off my to-write list. I'm very proud of how this chapter came out, considering I wrote a majority of it in the wee hours of the morning laughing my butt off, so it was a challenge to write a semi-serious tone in to this chapter while I was giggling every minute or so, but I think I pulled it off.

As far as length goes, this is probably going to be similar to the length of Love is Like Atroquinine, maybe a bit smaller, but we'll see once we get much further into the storyline I have planned out.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter, and hope you're excited for what's to come with this story! :)