The Sibling Bond

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or cases from Ace Attorney. All credits go to Capcom, they own the rights to everything. This story was created for my original fanfic, Love is Like Atroquinine. Both are completely original and were created by me.

Ava was escorted by a guard to her brother's holding cell. He unlocked the cell door and held it aside for Ava. He told her that he'd be right next door if she needed him. She told him that wouldn't be necessary, it was her brother. The guard looked slightly skeptical but nonetheless walked away wordlessly.

Daryan was laying on his back, his eyes closed and his hair splayed around him. He lifted his head to see who entered, but groaned internally when he saw it was his sister. He should have known she'd be here within hours of him getting incarcerated. "Why are you here, Ava?"

Ava sat down by her brother's feet. "Answers. I wondered why you had been acting so abnormally the past month, but I never would have guessed that you were involved in the black market and murder. Daryan, why? Why did you do this? You had everything a person could possibly want in life. What was so important that you risked it all for something that seems so stupid?"

Daryan sat up and buried his face in his hands. "I can't tell you."

Ava's eyes widened. "What do you mean you can't tell me? You're my brother, we tell each other everything!" Daryan shook his head. "Not this time, I'm not. This is my burden to bear, and I'm not going to put you in danger by telling you anything."

Ava shifted closer and tried to put her hand on her brother's shoulder, but he shook her off and scooted away. He didn't want her comfort. He didn't want her touching him. He was in enough pain as it is, without her trying to be there for him. This was his pain to bear alone, never to let someone in. It didn't matter how badly he wanted to confide in his sister the entire dirty deal he concocted up. She would never know who he was dealing with, and what the stipulations of the exchange were. He knew she had absolutely no ties to the black market, so she'd never be able to track down any of his associates.

"Don't touch me. I didn't want you to come here, Ava. I didn't want you seeing me like this, in my darkest hour. I lost everything. It's all screwed up. Nothing went how it was supposed to. It fell upon me to do the last resort action, and I did it. Gavin was just the unlucky recipient in a part of my actions for this transaction. He had the unfortunate role to play in uncovering all my shady dealings. Him and that stupid attorney with the crazy ass hair."

As much of a bad mood she was in, Daryan making fun of someone else's hair was rather funny. He was in no position to be criticizing someone else's choice of hairstyle. She struggled to contain a laugh and Daryan looked at her in confusion.

"This isn't funny Ava. My whole life is messed up now, all because of one thing that went slightly wrong. I'm probably going to be in here for the rest of my life, if I don't get whacked by my accomplice or get the chair first."

Ava's jaw dropped open and her eyes teared up as she imagined her brother dying. Her jaw wobbled and Daryan realized he seriously upset her. "Ava, as harsh as it is, it's the truth. I could very well die over this. God knows my associates for this deal wouldn't mind seeing me dead, as badly as I screwed everything up and almost exposed their involvement with the cocoon smuggling. They don't want an international battle on their hands, and killing me would just wipe away any remaining connections to this deal."

Ava shook her head and choked back a sob. She wouldn't let that happen. She would never live to see her little brother die by anyone's hands. She would do anything in her power to prevent that from happening. She'd enlist everyone with ties to law enforcement she knew and have them do something, anything to keep her brother alive, even if it was in jail for the rest of his life. She would talk to Klavier first.

Then Ava's mind focused on the man who got her brother locked up in the first place. Klavier Gavin, the prosecutor. She let out a growl of rage and even Daryan looked momentarily worried. Ava rarely got visibly angry, and now she had her fists balled up and her teeth were clenched. "This is all his fault. If he had just kept his mouth shut and let the other person take the fall, you wouldn't be here right now. Damn you, Klavier!"

Daryan put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Ava, don't blame K. I don't. He was just doing his job. Klavier and I devoted ourselves to ridding the world of crime, and he was sticking by that promise. If he had known in advance that it boiled down to saving his best friend or getting a murderous criminal off the street, he would choose the latter any day. No questions asked. He'll deal with the betrayal and move on. He's got that little detective of his always at his side. She'll help him get over everything."

Ava shook her head. She didn't care what Daryan said. Klavier should have stuck by his friend and gotten him off. The Gavinner's would be in trouble without her brother. Klavier and Daryan were the frontrunners of the band, and without the lead guitarist by his side, Klavier would be lost.

She'd never forgive Klavier for ruining both their lives. Her brother would spend the rest of his days behind bars, and she'd spend the rest of her life without her best friend. It was hard enough to see him with the five hour travel between them, and with her now being the only one able to go anywhere, it'd be next to impossible. She could only talk to him if she was physically at the penitentiary, and it'd be awhile before he'd earn any luxuries, like Internet usage, if he even got any.

It would be as if he didn't exist from now on. That was going to be a lonely way for Ava to continue her life, but now she didn't have a choice. She still had to secure her brother's future. She would rather see him behind bars until he died of old age than be killed by this mystery accomplice on the outside. She had other connections to the legal world besides her brother and Klavier.

Daryan saw the determined look on his sister's face as she was lost deep in thought, and didn't need to guess what she was thinking. "My trial probably won't be for a few months, but there's no point in trying to change anything. The evidence against me is irreversible. Nothing can help me. I've dug my own grave with this Ava. Just go home and live your life. I don't want you to think of me like this. And sis, do me a favor and take care of my stuff. Not like I'm gonna need it anymore."

Ava managed to maintain a straight and hardened face while she gave her brother's hand a squeeze. She wouldn't be able to suffer through hugging him, even if she wanted to do that and never let go. He was the person she was closest to above everyone else, and she had lost him. And she'd never know exactly why.

The drive home was even more of a surreal blur than the drive to the city. Klavier called her several times on her way home, leaving messages asking what she was going to do. She didn't answer any of the calls, or return any of his voicemails.

The next week was mundane for Ava. She called her agent and told her to cancel all her jobs for the next week, as she would not be doing anything. She spent several days on the phone, arranging an attorney for her brother when he went to trial, and getting his apartment squared away. He had all his belongings that he would no longer be needing. She hired movers to deliver several specific items Daryan had in his posession to her apartment.

Some of the music albums that her and Daryan listened to when they were locked away in his room for hours, hiding from their parents. Several photos of Daryan and Ava when they were little, so young and innocent, and so unaware of how their lives would turn out. And finally the first guitar Daryan ever owned. He had stashed away money away for months after his fifteenth birthday to sneak down to the music store and buy an electric guitar. It was a lower end model, all he could afford at the time, but Daryan kept it all these years, no matter how many instruments he acquired during his years with the band. The rest of Daryan's possessions went into a storage for now. She'd deal with it eventually.

When Ava heard the official news that the Gavinner's had broken up, she wasn't surprised. The band suffered serious damage when it lost one of its founding members, and without the guitarist, the other rockers felt the band would never be the same. Klavier tried for several weeks to get in touch with Ava, but she constantly ignored every outlet he attempted to talk to her through. She still held a grudge against him for being the one who exposed her brother to the world and got him incarcerated.

Eventually Ava went back to work, requesting that her agent look more actively for acting roles. Ava was tired of the modeling world and needed to aim for more steady paychecks.

Two months later...

Ava's cell phone rang yet again with a call. Klavier had been persistent about talking to her, and she was tired of avoiding him. She was still mad at him, petty as it sounded, but she was.

Life without her brother was lonely. She missed seeing news about the Gavinner's on the entertainment channels, seeing his face flash across the screen and her feeling her chest swell with pride, talking to her brother regularly, and just hearing his voice. She had no one to crack their inside jokes with, or just jokes in general. All her friends were so serious and uptight most of the time, a joke was lost on them. It made Ava desperately wish for things to go back to the way they were.

Ava picked up her phone and saw Klavier's name flash across the screen. Sighing and finally giving in, she picked up the phone and stepped off the treadmill. "Wasn't expecting you to call. Especially after what happened. What do you want Klavier?" She was annoyed that she was even talking to him, but she was tired of trying to avoid him all the time.

"Ava, I need a favor of you. Is there any chance you can come back to Los Angeles for a week or two? I need help with something." Ava snorted. "Yes, let me do a favor for the man who put my brother behind bars. That's a no-brainer." She couldn't believe Klavier had the nerve to ask her a favor.

"Ava, just hear me out. I'm sorry for what happened to Daryan, but he did that to himself. I'm just as sorry to see Daryan go to jail for what he did as you are, I just had the unfortunate role in bringing everything to light in court. You're pretty much the only person I can turn to for this, so please."

Ava heard the apologetic tone in his voice, and saw he was really trying to reconcile. She knew he had to have been as blindsighted and betrayed by Daryan's actions as she was, and she hated to admit she was being immature about the situation. Ava had a change of heart and sighed heavily. "Fine, what is it that you need? I suppose I can take some time off and come up."

"Well there's this girl at work. She's been at the precinct with me for several months. You know how I am, I don't usually find myself interested in one woman for a long period of time. But there's something about her that has really intrigued me. I want to get to know her better, but she is so grumpy and irritable whenever I try to talk to her about anything. All she ever does is fling snacks at me and declare me a 'glimmerous fop'. I have a feeling that she does harbor some kind of attraction for me, but she won't let me inside her mind. I need some outside help to get an answer. If I'm right, then my plan can benefit everyone. And even if I'm wrong, everyone will walk away better off than they started."

Ava nodded. She was already concocting a plan in her head. If she was right in what she thought Klavier was implying, then she might be able to work it to her advantage. Klavier's connections to Daryan's upcoming trial would be invaluable. She had been in constant contact with the lawyer she hired to defend her brother, pointless as it was, but she was determined to see him live his life, even if it was carried out in the Los Angeles Penitentiary. "What exactly did you have in mind for me?"

"An acting job. Posing as my girlfriend. Ema may be smart as a whip scientifically, but she can also be naïve, and I'm going to hopefully use that to my advantage."

"Alright, I'll do it. But you owe me big time. And I think you can guess what I'm getting at." Ava waited to see how much Klavier interpreted from that sentence.

"Daryan. What is it you want me to do? I'll do whatever I can in my power as a prosecutor to get what you want."

Ava took a deep breath. "Secure my brother's future behind bars. I'll live with visiting him in jail for the rest of our natural lives, just spare me the torture of watching my brother get the electric chair. I have spoken with his lawyer, and with all the charges against him, a death sentence is more than likely to be what the prosecution wants. But not if his sister has anything to do with it."

"Ja, of course, Fraulein Ava. Again, my sincerest thanks. If you could be up here the day after tomorrow, and plan to stay for two weeks maximum, I'll get you whatever you need." Ava nodded. Her chest felt lighter after finally relenting and talking to her brother's friend, and also getting one step further in saving her brother.

Two days later...

Ava knocked on the office door and Klavier called for her to enter. As she walked through the door, she smoothed the top over her sides, hoping she looked alright. Klavier had specific instructions on how he wanted her to look, and she worked with what she had in her wardrobe. She wore her favorite white skinny jeans with a pink halter top and her highest wedge heels. She slept with her hair in curlers so that they would drape over her shoulders perfectly.

Klavier looked over her outfit and gave it a nod of approval. Excellent, you're here. You look perfect." Ava blushed from the compliment.

"Alright, what is it you wanted me to do?"

"Just act in the manner that a typical fangirl girlfriend of mine would behave, but mature at the same time. We're not teenagers anymore." Klavier and Ava both laughed. They both knew how everyone acted back when they were younger, much different from their present selves. "Just go with the flow according to how Fraulein Skye reacts. I imagine it will be between shock and jealousy."

Ava giggled. "You really like this woman don't you? I've never seen you go to such lengths to find out if someone simply likes you or not. Must be one hell of a woman." Klavier nodded. "Ja, she is."

Klavier dialed Ema's extension number. After four rings, Ema picked up. "What do you want fop? I'm working on the report from the last case, but I'll still be 20 minutes." Ema's voice was muffled, as if she had a mouthful of food. Klavier's voice was steady, comfortable, but still had a slight hint of flirtatiousness. Ava expected nothing else from him.

"Nein, that's fine. Just bring it up as soon as you're finished and then you can leave." Ema answered immediately and sounded happier than she did with the previous sentence. "Really? That's awesome, I needed to head over to Apollo's soon anyway."

Klavier's eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. "Ahh. Herr Forehead." He grumbled. Ava giggled quietly and mouthed "Who's Apollo?" and Klavier waved her off, indicating he'd explain later. "Just call me when you're on your way upstairs, Fraulein." Ema gave a monotone, one-word answer. "Yup." She immediately hung up.

Ava laughed and leaned toward Klavier. "So who is this Apollo person? And why are you so angry after her mention of him?" Klavier leaned back in his chair and grumbled. "Apollo is a defense attorney who I've seen a few times in court. Ema is friends with him, but lately I'm beginning to think that they have been seeing each other. If she starts seeing him...I don't know.." Klavier grumbled again and pulled the guitar propped up against his desk and strummed a few chords from 'Guilty Love' to distract himself. Ava placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. This plan should work if you really think this girl feels this way. I almost can't wait to see the look on her face.

At that moment, Klavier's office phone rang again, and Ema's extension number popped up. Ema simply said she was on her way up with his report, then hung up. With the call as her cue, Ava took her position on Klavier's lap. She saw in the corner of her eye Klavier eyeing her hair, then mentally shaking himself from whatever thought was crossing his mind.

Ema heard an unfamiliar giggle on the other side of the door and was shocked to see the fop with a beautiful woman perched on his lap. Ava purposefully clung to Klavier to gauge the detective's reaction to whatever she did. Ava watched Ema give her a once-over and have a self-loathing look cross her face. Ava was guessing Ema was intimidated by the designer outfit she had picked out for today's charade.

"Uhm, here is the report that you needed, Mr. Gavin." Ema kept her eyes on Ava the entire time, not knowing what to make of her presence."Thank you, Fraulein Detective. Oh sorry, this is Ava, my new girlfriend." Klavier took the report from Ema's outstretched hand and the detective's eyes were wide as saucers with that last statement. His emphasis on the word 'girlfriend' only made Ema's disappointment more obvious. Her face betrayed a combination of jealousy, sadness, and embarrassment. Ema stared at her feet as she contained her emotions to a stone-cold mask. "Hi, I'm Detective Ema Skye. I work with the fop-I mean Mr. Gavin."

Ava gave Klavier a big hug and buried her face in his neck. "Hi, so nice to meet you! Klavier has told me so much about you! I hear you're a scientist." Ema shook her head vehemently. "Oh no, I'm not an actual scientist. I'm just a detective who Mr. Gavin lets do forensic work occasionally. Actually, I forgot to tell you fop, I'm planning on taking my forensics certification exam again, so I may be a bit scarce for a couple weeks."

Klavier nodded. "Ja, that's fine Fraulein. Anything I can do to help you prepare?" Ema protested immediately. "NO...I mean um, thanks but no thanks. I have people lined up to help me out." Ema's eyes darted back and forth between Klavier and Ava like she was watching a tennis match. "I mean, that is, ah, I-I don't know!" Ema shouted and rushed out the door. In her haste, Ava watched her grab a bag of some snack out of her bag.

Ava looked down at Klavier and smirked widely. "Oh yeah, she's very upset by this. She coudn't have gotten out of here fast enough. So what do you have planned for her next?" Klavier shook his head and rubbed his chin. "Not sure, just hanging around here and seeing how she reacts. If I could keep you around for another week that would be great." Ava stood up and grabbed her purse. Right before she reached the door. "And remember, you will be called back on your favor when Daryan goes to trial. We talked about the stipulations of that."

Klavier nodded. "Of course, I would not go back on my word, and I will do everything in my power to get you your wish." Klavier walked over and gave Ava a farewell hug and promised to call her later with the next step of the plan.

Ava walked down to the parking lot wordlessly. As she unlocked the door and got in, her phone rang. It was her agent. All she had to report was she was working on getting her an appearance in a sitcom, and the chances of her getting the part were looking good. Ava thanked her agent and said she'd be in touch in a couple days. As Ava put her car in reverse, she saw the detective staring at her. Ava waved, but all Ema did was lift her hand and nothing more. Ava giggled to herself as she saw the green eyed jealousy monster run through the woman's veins. It was very obvious that Klavier's plan would go exactly how he wanted it to.

Over the next few days, as Klavier and Ava implemented his plan several more times, Ema's irritation and jealousy became even more and more prominent. Klavier and Ava would pretend to go out to lunch every single day, and he would walk her down to her car when she left in the afternoon. It was visibly obvious that Ava's presence grated on Ema's nerves, given the constant blush on her face and the way her eyes narrowed slightly whenever the two women made eye contact. But Klavier said it was time for one last show to gauge Ema's reaction to something a bit more radical.

One morning, when Ava came in, Klavier explained the final parts of the plan to her. They were going to kiss in front of Ema. And in a couple days, they would 'break up'. Ava knew she didn't have much time left to be staying here. Her agent had been persistent in trying to get her to return to San Francisco for more work, but Ava continued to hold her off.

Today Ava wore a yellow sundress and a different pair of wedge heels. Klavier did paperwork while they waited for Ema to give them their cue. She called Klavier's cell, but he purposefully didn't pick up. They knew that meant she was looking for him and would be up any time now.

Ava was already standing over by the bookcase that held all Klavier's guitars and Klavier walked over to join her. He stood right behind her and placed his hands on her waist, ready to move at a moments notice. They both waited in silence for the sound of Ema's footsteps. Her wedges made a distinctive noise when she walked. They heard someone coming down the hallway toward them, Klavier listened carefully and nodded once when he knew it was Ema. Not many other people stomped down the hallway at the precinct. Ava turned around slightly and Klavier leaned down to press his lips to hers. It was a slow kiss, nothing erotic, but had a little movement. Nothing over the top, but over the top enough to extract a gasp from Ema after she opened the door and discovered what they were doing.

They heard her footsteps retreat back down the hallway rapidly and they knew she was out of earshot. Klavier pulled away and smiled. "I must say Fraulein Ava, you know how to put on a performance. This whole week has been rather entertaining. Watching Ema go insane with jealousy was amusing to me. Every other time I've seen her she's been grouchy and bossy, but this emotional and scared Ema was quite a change."

Ava raised her eyebrows. "Is she really that bad? I mean, I know you tell me a lot how she can be rather irritable, but it is really how she is all the time? I mean is she never happy?"

Klavier shook his head. "Ja, she is like that most of the time. The only time she's not like that...is when she's doing her science. There is nothing more important to Ema than her science. She only took the detective's job in hopes of becoming a forensic scientist here eventually. When she's doing experiments, her eyes light up, her smile gets so wide it takes up her entire face, and her cheeks get this beautiful glow to them. That is the Ema I care about. I know she's like that when I'm not around. This charade we've done has certainly brought out a new side of Ema that I wasn't sure existed. But this has to be the final straw for her. I don't think she can take much more of what we're doing to her. I'm almost positive it was her that came in through the door, judging by the reaction we heard." Klavier mused.

Ema had been particularly hesitant about spending more time with Klavier than she had to, more so than usual, especially with the addition of Ava's presence and what Ema thought she was.

Neither of them heard Ema creep back down the hallway and stop right outside the door to overhear their current conversation.

"I heard the door open and a gasp. It could have only been her. You told everyone else to leave you alone until lunch. I didn't hear the door shut, but I heard her running down the hallway. You think she saw us? I'll bet her jaw about hit the ground in surprise." Ava laughed as she imagined the look on the detective's face when she saw the last little show they did.

Klavier nodded, then leaned back in his desk chair and grinned at Ava. "Ja, I imagine her face was a sight to be seen. I purposefully left her work from yesterday so that she would be up here as soon as she came in today. This has worked out even better than I had hoped, and it's all thanks to you Fraulein Ava. You have my deepest gratitude. I have my answer without a shadow of a doubt. And I believe it is almost time for our imminent breakup. I hope the Fraulein Detective will be pleased to hear of out 'separation'."

Ava nodded and flipped open her beeping cell phone. Yet another message from her agent that required quick attention. "Yes, I agree it would be hard to keep up the charade much longer. Your co-workers are beginning to become suspicious. Not to mention your boss has been on your case about my being here so frequently. And speaking of bosses, mine is pressuring me to return home. She probably wants me to go audition for another role soon. She claims I've been away for too long. I should have told her I was at an 'acting seminar' to improve my skills, which actually isn't far from the truth. Maybe it would have kept her at bay a little while longer. You know Daryan's trial is in four days right? You know what you have to do as part of our agreement?" Ava's thoughts turned to the business at hand. Daryan's trial was right around the corner, and Klavier needed to contact the necessary people and change what she needed him to change.

Ava found out talking to Daryan's lawyer that the prosecution was going to seek a death penalty, with the high count of violence related charges against her brother. It still made her tear up at the thought of her brother killing anyone. She just didn't understand it, and it cut her to the core. When she learned that they were going to seek the death penalty, Ava almost had a mental breakdown. When she broke the news to her parents, they were livid. They insisted Ava return home immediately and stay there. But she refused, and was back on no speaking terms with her parents. She tried to convince them to go and visit their son, but they refused.

So once again the Crescend family was split down the middle, with not much chance of blurring those lines.

She would never pretend to understand, or attempt to understand, what exactly was going through her brother's mind when he became an international smuggler, and then a cold blooded killer, while trying to pin the blame on someone else, and a child no less. Though she could never forgive what Daryan had done, nonetheless, he was her brother and she would bend over backwards to keep him around.

Klavier nodded and pulled out a few paper-clipped papers to show Ava. It had the official court documents for Daryan's trial. It had the prosecutor and defense attorney listed, as well as the judge and the people presiding in the jury. Klavier pointed to a specific name. "Ja, I know. They would not allow me to prosecute the case because of my relation to Daryan, but I have left a message for Herr Edgeworth, and I hope to convince him to push the original penalty they were going to seek against your brother. It's my hope to obtain a life sentence, and with the staggering evidence against him, including a confession, an acquittal is beyond unattainable at this point. I am with you on this Fraulein, I would rather see my best friend stay behind bars for the next seventy years then see him get executed."

Ava nodded. "I understand. Thank you for doing what you can to help my brother. I have to go now, Klavier. I promised my agent I would call her with an update regarding my return to San Francisco." Klavier looked around the room, and laughed when he realized something. "Ema forgot to leave the report I needed her to finish for me. I'll have to track her down." Ava smiled widely at Klavier and walked out the door. She walked down the empty hallway, not knowing she was about to get cross examined by one very upset detective.

As Ava entered the parking lot, she glanced at her latest text message from her agent, describing the next role she hoped to book Ava for. She didn't even see Ema standing next to her sedan until she was a few feet from her. "Hello, Detective Skye, wonderful to see you again! Klavier was actually looking for you, something about a report he needed." Ava pasted a smile on her face, playing up the role of cheery fangirl rock star girlfriend.

Ema wasn't buying it. She knew the truth now. She was done with acting strictly professional around this woman now that she knew the relationship was a charade. "Ava, I know about the stunt you and the fop pulled over on me. I heard everything and I want the truth." Ema raised her eyebrows expectantly and waited for Ava to respond.

Ava's mouth dropped open, as she never expected to hear Ema demanding a confession. She honestly believed that Klavier and her had been acting genuine enough and didn't anticipate the detective overhearing them discussing their secret. "Well since you know, I guess there's no point in denying anything. It's true, Klavier hired me to pose as his girlfriend so he could see how you would perceive the relationship, and act as a result. He was hoping to get a certain reaction out of you, and did he ever. I told Klavier the condition for my presence and he accepted my terms. We planned this to go on for no more than two weeks. I'm guessing you heard that we were planning to 'break up' soon, so I guess that's a moot point now, huh?"

Ema's eyebrows were so high on her forehead they practically disappeared into her hairline. "So this whole relationship was a fake? But why did you agree in the first place? If you're Daryan's sister, which I never knew he had so that set to shock me even more, I'd think you wouldn't have talked to Klavier, much less agree to help him." Ema looked confused.

All of a sudden, Ava's memory clicked and she realized she had met Ema before this whole weeklong incident. During the concert that started the mass chain of events, when Ava went backstage to see her brother, she had passed Ema in the hallway, but hadn't stopped to talk to her. She found it ironic that she had actually met someone she'd be interacting with a few months down the road.

"Yes, I'll admit I was reluctant at first. But Klavier apologized to me, even though technically it was hardly his fault. I just had a chip on my shoulder since it was my brother. I told Klavier that he had to secure Daryan's future, even if it was one behind bars, and he agreed immediately. He was too anxious to move things along between the two of you to negotiate anything different. He told me about the kiss between you two, that day, and pretty much everything he knows about you, I suppose. You do realize just how crazy this man is for you? And if I'm not mistaken, you feel the same way?"

Ema's eyebrows went up even further, if it was scientifically possible. She did a double take as she comprehended Ava's very last statement. "No, no you've got it wrong..." Ema trailed off as she realized how vague she sounded and could practically see the lying vibes coming off her body. Ava mashed her mouth in a hard line and nodded in a 'sure, sure' kind of way.

"Ema, listen to me. My instincts told me the second I met you officially that you have an intense desire for Klavier that you deny yourself far too much. It's pretty obvious to me that you hold your boss on a very different level than your colleagues. And the way you look into his eyes, I can tell you're thinking of something very specific when you do." Ava's brown eyes bore into Ema's green ones and Ema looked shocked that Ava got everything spot on, after only seeing her a couple days. Ema hung her head in surrender.

"You're right. I do have feelings for the fop, but I've been telling myself for awhile now that I'm crazy just for entertaining those kinds of desires and fantasies. Even since he kissed me in his office, the realization has been slowly coming to me. I can't believe you figured me out so easily. But for my sake, please don't repeat any of this conversation to him. If I ever consider thinking about telling him what I think, I want him to hear it from me, and not from someone else."

Ava nodded in agreement. That was something you wanted to tell someone in person, with them hearing it for the first time from you. Ava extended her hand to Ema, and when they met each other's eyes, a friendly connection was made. Now that everything was out in the open and Ema knew the truth, she no longer felt animosity toward the woman. She had no reason to.

"If I'm not being too forward, Detective Skye, I'd like to say that I think you and Klavier are an excellent match. He's going through a rough time right now, with his best friend ready to go to trial for murder, and his brother on death row, he could really use a friend. I think you could be that friend, and I think you also want more than just a friendship with him." Ava looked at Ema knowingly, and Ema blushed and fiddled with the bubblegum pink sunglasses sitting on the top of her head.

"I don't know exactly myself, but he seems to know what he wants. Do you care if I go talk to him right now? I think I need to hear it from the fop's mouth before I really believe it's all true." Ava nodded once again. "I wish you both nothing but the best, Ema." Ava raised her hand in farewell, got into her car, started the engine, and drove off.

She wanted to go visit her brother now. She had only gone to see him twice in the two months he had been in jail, and Ava wanted to see him one last time before the trial. Ava was shocked to see when she walked into his cell to see Daryan's hair, that used to hang down to the middle of his back, now barely grazed his shoulders. It was a sloppy cut job that was jagged and uneven. Ava guessed he did it during a moment of self-loathing.

Every time she tried to get him to open up and tell her everything, Daryan always refused. But Ava didn't want to give up hope that her brother would eventually open up to her.

As usual, Daryan told her nothing. The only thing would tell her is that she would be in danger if the people he had been involved with knew of her connection to him. They could use their sibling relationship as a reason to get him back for royally screwing up the plan. He knew they wouldn't bat an eye killing her for revenge. These people had been depending on him to securely bring them a Borginian cocoon, and he'd failed. His business partners had been livid that the deal had to fall through. For once Daryan was glad he had the safety of the penitentiary on his side. It was hard to murder someone in jail by the hands of someone on the outside.

Ava walked out of the penitentiary disheartened, and scared of how the trial would turn out. She never imagined in her twenty five years of knowing her brother that in a few days, she would be walking into a courtroom to see her brother sit in the defendant's chair, being charged for murder. The whole situation was absolutely heartbreaking. When she got back into her hotel room, tears of mental exhaustion and anguish came forward for the first time in awhile. Ava had a feeling that watching the trial would only bring on more tears, but she knew she had to go.

These past three months had been as difficult as the miserable four years she spent with her brother trying to avoid feeling the wrath of their parents. She almost wished she could transport herself back to those years, just because that was before everything happened.

But most importantly, because back then, her brother was still with her. They didn't have five hours and a holding cell separating them. Back when they were teenagers it was just ten feet, a wooden door, and a parent nagging them to go study separating them. She'd take that any day.

Author's Notes: Comments and reviews are gratefully accepted. This chapter was difficult just because I had to have 2 documents up at the same time so I could be sure that the story and dialogue was matching up perfectly with the events in Love is Like Atroquinine (although I did add a couple lines in here and there just so you could tell that this was from Ava's POV and not Ema's that we've seen before). The next chapter is going to be the last, I can't believe I'm even finishing up this story already. It's hard to believe that three short weeks ago this story didn't exist at all and wasn't even a figment of my imagination yet. I very much enjoyed writing this chapter because while these events happened in LILA, I was incredibly vague with them because we were watching everything from Ema's point of view, and not Ava's. Seeing it from someone else's perspective gave new dimension to the events, and made it more interesting. I laughed at finally giving what was said behind closed doors a voice, so to speak. It was fun, and I look forward to writing the final chapter of this mini-fic. I hope you guys have enjoyed it so far, and have found it interesting to the grand scheme of LILA. Final thoughts after I upload Chapter 5 would be fantastic.