The sound was unfamiliar to Jack. It sounds like an alarm… He turned to the source of the sound. He didn't recognise the clock, even through his blurred vision. Apollo! I'm still at Apollo's!...ugh…my head… He waited for his vision to clear. He could hear the gentle breathing of another person behind him.

"Shit." He whispered to himself. "Please tell me I didn't…" He rolled over, to see Apollo, naked like himself, curled in the sheets. "Oh no. No. No. No. Jack you stupid drunk bastard." He cursed. "Apollo." He shook the boy.

"Huh?" Apollo's eyes fluttered open. "Ow my head." Apollo groaned.

"Uh…Apollo. Did we…do anything last night?"

"I…don't remember." Jack ran his hand over his chest, closing his eyes he tried to remember what had happened.

"I think we…I think we did something." Apollo was trying his best to remember after taking some aspirin.

"I asked you for sex?" Jack seemed to remember something. "Did you give me it?"

"I was drunk Jack. I tried to stop you…"

"Apollo." Jack and him were both dressed and sat beside each other on the couch. The way Jack said Apollo's name caused him to feel tense and nervous. "Last night was a mistake. I-I'm so sorry, I know you tried to stop me but…"

"But?" Apollo felt tears behind his eyes.

"I love Klavier. No matter what he does – I love him." Apollo's bracelet reacted slightly again – not that he noticed. "I think it's best we don't tell anyone about last night and that we keep our distance from each other." Apollo just sobbed. "I'm sorry." He kissed Apollo before rising. "I should leave now." With that he left. Apollo tried to catch him but he had already gone.

Apollo sank back into his seat, a sobbing wreck.

-x-x-

"Look we've both drifted. I think it's about time we both called it quits." Jack sighed heavily.

"Ja…"

"Is that all you can say?" Jack tilted his head. Klavier pulled Jack into his arms, kissing his messy hair.

"There's not much I can say, there's plenty we can do though." Klavier moved towards his office door and locked it tight.

-x-x-

"Ema, I think you should talk to Polly, ask him what's wrong." Trucy was in her room, talking on the phone.

"Why, what's the matter?"

"I'm not sure, it's just…he looked like he was crying, he won't eat or anything…"

"Maybe he's just not hungry; he was out drinking last night. I'm not hungry when I've had a lot to drink." Ema tried to assure.

"Well, what about his crying? He looks so sad Ema."

"Where is he?"

"He's in the office, I'm watching him through the door now."

"What's he doing?" Ema asked.

"He's... just staring at his coffee. He's not drinking it, it went cold about twenty minutes ago."

"That's not right. Well I'm at the office all morning. Try and get him to come over here." Ema seemed more concerned than Trucy was.

Unfortunately, Trucy never managed to prise him away from his chair.

-x-x-

"Why did you get back with him you idiot!?" Ema screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Ema, Ema calm down." Jack chuckled softly. "We're kind of even now, time for a clean slate, ya know."

"Wait a minute, who did you?"

"I never had sex, just kissed a few people." Jack lied. He looked to the blond man in the doorway. "I have to go now Ema."

"Sure…bye Jack."

It was the following morning now, Ema had hoped Apollo and Trucy would have gone in yesterday but there was no such luck. Ema glanced up as another shadow overcast her desk.

"I heard you wanted to talk?" Apollo asked.

"Yeah, take a seat Apollo." Ema offered. She noticed he was pale, his voice wasn't like normal – it was hoarser. "You aren't looking to good. You ok?"

"Yeah." Ema studied him again, his eyes were red and puffy.

"You've been crying?" It came out as more of a statement than a question.

"A little."

"Why?"

"No reason…" Apollo locked eyes with her as he told her the lie.

Jack had come back down from Klavier's office. He noticed the brunette boy sat at Ema's desk and chose to take a seat at the chief's desk – a few desks away.

"Hey pal." The chief laughed.

"Hey…" Jack glanced over his shoulder to Ema.

"Apollo, I'm not stupid. Something's wrong." Ema urged him to tell her.

"Nothing."

"You don't cry over nothing."

"Ema, nothing's wrong!" Apollo shouted. "I'm gonna go home…"

"No Apollo! Wait!"

Jack glanced down to his lap. His hands were trembling.

"Chief, do you mind if I borrow your cellphone? Mines out of action."

"Huh? Oh sure pal." The scruffy detective handed his cellphone to Jack.

He sat on the stairs to the next floor as he dialled the number he hadn't called for years.

"Hey, it's been a long time." He began.

"Jack…" The person on the other end seemed to explode with joy. "It's been so long!"

"I know, I know. Look, I need to talk to you and it's urgent. I've made a bit of a mess which I think you can help me clear up."

"Sounds like you haven't changed." The person chuckled.

"Can I go over to your place, tomorrow afternoon? I'll pick the kids up if you want."

"Sounds good."

-x-x-

"Jack!" The teenage girl leapt into his arms as soon as she saw him.

"Hey!" He let her drop to the floor. "Surprised to see me Melanie?"

"I can't remember the last time I saw you big brother!" The thirteen year old declared.

"Where's Jennifer?"

"Oh, she'll be getting a lift home with her boyfriend."

"Ah ok. I gotta go pick up Lexi next don't I?"

"That's right."

Jack's family consisted of himself, the oldest child, his sixteen year old sister Jennifer, his thirteen year old sister Melanie and ten year old brother Lexi. The three younger children lived with Jack's mother in a house in the suburbs of the city.

"Run along now kids." His mother hadn't changed, a fairly young woman with experience in relationships.

"Did dad never come back?" He scoped the room and noticed nothing of his father's had been replaced.

"No. It appears using your sexuality was an excuse to leave." She sighed. His mother was married to a man who had left her five years before, claiming Jack's sexuality to be a shame upon his family. When Jack left to live with Klavier he had hoped his father would return.

"So what's this problem?" His mum placed a mug of black coffee in front of him. "Other than the fact you're dating a control freak who treats you like dirt?"

"Klavier's Klavier I suppose…" He stared at the black liquid before looking up. "He did something to one of my students, you'll probably remember the name – Apollo Justice?"

"Sounds vaguely familiar."

"He went to school with me." Jack tried to clarify. "Well, Klavier started to accuse me of having an affair with him."

"That bastard!"

"Anyway, he gets my friend trapped in his office and practically rapes him!" Jack had to resist banging on the coffee table, in case he knocked something off.

"My god is he ok?"

"Yeah he was a little shaken up but other than that, he was ok." Jack loved his mother's concern for others. "Anyway, I'm so mad I stay at Apollo's house to cool off for a while."

"Makes sense."

"Then I was stupid enough to invite him down town for a drink, I got drunk and I came onto him."

"Is this boy even gay?" His mother cut in.

"Yeah…Apollo confessed a short while ago. He…he's still a little unsure of himself…"

"Well…hey hold on! Brunette boy, loves red. That's Apollo!"

"Yeah, that's him – the attorney." Jack smiled. "He tried to stop me…" His face dropped again. "…I couldn't help it, I wanted him so bad…I couldn't…"

"You did something to him?"

"I was so desperate. I really love him but…I had to turn away from him, now he hates me!" Jack cried out.