Seconds dragged by before Klavier finally broke the silence. "So much for back up generators." He mirrored her previous thoughts.
"Hm." Ema grunted. Or at least she'd like to think she grunted, but it was really more of a squeak.
"It's alright, don't be scared. It's only the lights. No cause to squeak."
"I did not squeak, and I am not afraid." Ema said indignantly, after clearing her throat and forcing her voice down a few notches.
"I'm sorry, of course you aren't. Now, fraulien, I truly hate to ask this and in fact it goes against my very deepest desires, but could you possibly loosen
your grip? It's proving difficult to breath."
"My...? Oh. My god." Ema yanked her arms back like they'd been wrapped around a cactus and brought her hands up between them.
The instant the lights had flashed off, Ema had reacted like she always reacted and grabbed onto the nearest support. This just happened to translate into her flinging her arms around Klavier Gavin's lean torso. It was purely an instinctual move and had nothing to do with him, but she could see how it could be misinterpreted as a passionate embrace. Which it clearly wasn't.
"I didn't say you had to let go completely." Klavier said, taken aback. He moved his hand up to the wall next to her.
"Well, now, I think I did have to. And I think I should really be going. It's late and dark and cold and dark and I think I'll just be going." Ema mumbled, her voice getting more and more frantic.
"Calm down, I'm sure the lights will be- whoa, be careful!"
A flash of lightning had shown Ema just how close Klavier still was and she'd made a rushed escape under his arm, pushing him back a step as she did. There was a loud crash when her leg caught a shin high metallic case sitting next to them and a louder yelp as she started to fall.
"Easy, now." Klavier's arm encircled her waist at the last possible second.
Ema was clenching her eyes, still braced for impact. She peeked one eye open, looking down at the floor that should've been much closer and exhaled heavily, clutching his forearm as he hauled her back to her feet. "Yikes."
"You should be more careful." Klavier admonished.
"Maybe you should be more tidy! This office is a hazard!" She snapped. But he had saved her from a nasty fall. "Um, I mean. Thanks. I don't know how you managed that."
"Lucky for you, catching Frauleins in the dark was a required course for my under graduate." She didn't have to see him to know he was grinning about this comment.
"Do you have an app for witty, self serving come backs?"
"App?"
"Yeah, like on an iphone? It used to be a big thing and everyone always said they had an app for- never mind." Ema said angrily. She'd thought it was clever. "It's not funny if you have to explain it."
"I agree with you one hundred percent."
"Just let go."
Klavier did so, assuring she was completely balanced on her own feet before sliding his arm out from under hers.
They stood awkwardly together, or rather Ema stood awkwardly while Klavier remained his cool, confident self. He appeared to be waiting for her to make the next move.
"I think I need to get home." She finally said, feeling the urge to get out of there before he could say something along the lines of 'now where were we?' Or move any closer to her than he already was.
He nodded. "Ja, I need to as well. Can you make it to the door?"
There was no response as Ema turned her head this way and that, squinting through the darkness.
Klavier chuckled. "Come with me." He placed a hand gently on her shoulder and began leading her across the room. "Do you have a ride home?"
"No..." Ema responded warily, having a pretty good idea where this was going.
"You're not walking." He said firmly. "I'll drive you."
"You really think I'd ride on that thing in this weather?" Ema scoffed.
He laughed. "Give me more credit than that! A lady doesn't belong out in rain like this."
"I can handle a little rain, Gavin." She grumbled, unable to fight the need to be contrary.
"Ach, I was referring to the bike. Ow!" He laughed again, attempting to fend off Ema's next well-aimed punch. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself."
After another low chuckle, Klavier opened the door and ushered Ema out.
"Whoa, it's... really dark out here." Ema said quietly, stopping in her tracks.
"Ja, it is." Klavier spoke from behind her. "Hm. Wait here."
"Wait? Where're you-" But he had already disappeared back into the office.
The long hallway had only two windows on either end and absolutely no other source of light. The huge viewing window in Klavier's office had illuminated the room to some degree, and Ema felt blind out here in contrast. "Damn it." She grumbled to herself. "It's too dark for this."
There was a violent draft cutting across, and Ema started to shiver. She wandered idly what had happened to her coat and the pile of papers she had dropped in this very spot and concluded the janitor must have made a closing sweep while she had been in talking to Klavier. That was logical, right?
Ema hugged herself tightly, rubbing her arms in an attempt to get the circulation going. Peering around, her eyes slowly began adjusting just as they began to play tricks on her.
Was something moving at the end of the hall? She felt sure there was movement down there, a darker patch than the surrounding area. She dropped her arms to her side, staring hard at the suspicious spot. A ghostly glow came from the window, adding nothing to the situation apart from yet another element of spooky. She focused on that; if someone were down there, they'd have to move in front of it eventually.
There was a low, muffled howl; wind forcing its way around the outer edges of the building, furiously assaulting the shelter that blocked its path, accompanied by the constant, rhythmic drumming of relentless rain coming from all around, swelling in intensity, throbbing through the air and against Ema's eardrums. "What's taking so long, Gavin?" She threw over her shoulder before remembering about the sound proofing of his office. Useless fop.
The distant square of dull blue light that had become the object of Ema's scrutiny abrubtly vanished, thunder cracked and lightning flared up the end of the hallway.
Ema gasped. There was no mistaking the obscured silhouette standing in front of the window, blocking it from view. The following flash showed its position had moved. It was closer.
She jumped back, fumbling desperately at the handle behind her, finally getting a solid enough hold and pushing it down. Locked. Klavier had locked it. He'd left her alone and locked her out. "Gavin!" No, she couldn't do that. She wasn't a Fraulein in distress, as he'd already implied.
Ema swallowed, trying to calm herself. She must've imagined it. That's it. She was tired, it was late, she hadn't really seen someone. And she'd almost convinced herself of this. Then, through the perpetual drone of the weather outside surfaced a new noise. A sharp rapping, slowly repetitive against the tile floor. And it was getting closer.
Pressed against the door, Ema tried to clear her head.
Clack, clack, clack...
Something was out there.
Clack, clack, clack...
Something moving in the dark. (Shameless pop reference, anyone?)
Clack, clack, clack...
Joe Darke was coming for her.
For the second time that night, the door gave way and Ema tumbled backwards, only this time she fell right into Klavier's open arms. Yet another second for the night.
"Ema!" The surprised prosecutor exclaimed. He dropped the two flashlights he'd been holding and threw an arm around her, her momentum catching him off guard and causing him to stumble a few steps, nearly tripping himself before regaining his balance and keeping them both on their feet.
The door snapped shut.
"What are you-"
"Klavier!" Ema yelped, straightening up. "I mean, uh, sir- Prosecutor Gavin- damn it! Klavier, why did you leave me alone out there?"
"It was only for a moment..." Klavier sounded thoroughly confused.
"Why did you lock me out?" She demanded.
"I didn't- ach, I did. On the way out, out of habit. I apologize, I didn't mean-"
"There's someone out there!" She interupted.
"What? In the hall?"
"No, on the roof." She sniped. "Yes, in the hall! Or..." Ema hesitated thoughtfully. "At least I thought there was. I heard something and thought I'd seen someone..." It was easy to see how she might've imagined some shadows and turned the pitter patter of rain into footsteps, especially now she was away from the harsh breeze and barrage of noise, with warm arms wrapped around her.
Warm arms.
His arms.
Oh boy.
"It was most likely someone returning late for something they forgot, liebe." Klavier was telling her. Before she had to decide what to do about his arms, he removed them himself. "If you wish, I can check for you."
Embarrassment kept her from saying anything to this proposition.
Klavier took her silence as a yes. "Alright, I'll do that." He moved carefully past her. "And here, you're freezing cold." He grabbed the coat he'd had folded over one arm and draped it over her shoulders.
"I don't-" Ema started stubbornly.
"You do." Klavier assured her, bending to retrieve the dropped flashlights. "Much as I'm sure you entertain the thought, you aren't actually invincible. You're just as susceptible to the cold as the rest of us." He pressed a light into her hand.
"By your own reasoning, you could use this coat just as much as I could." Ema debated even as she pulled it tight around herself and struggled to keep her teeth from chattering.
"Ja, but I'm not sopping wet and chittering my teeth."
"Chattering." She corrected absently.
He looked over his shoulder, casting her a deprecating look but remaining silent. He pushed the door open and headed out.
"Wait! Don't leave me!" Ema said after little thought, rushing forward.
Klavier smiled to himself. He held a hand out behind him, which she promptly ignored, and proceeded the rest of the way out.
"Could you possibly light the way, Ema?"
"With what?" She said shortly, pondering unhappily on the frequency with which he had decided to use her real name. It was much easier when he was using stupid nicknames that annoyed her.
"You could use your sunny demeanor, I suppose, but I was going to recommend the flashlight I just handed you."
Ema frowned. "Oh. Right." A turn of the handle and the light blared to life, the florescent shockingly bright for such a small bulb. She shone it around full circle before settling it on the corner she'd watched earlier. Unfortunately, it fell drastically short of the far wall. "Why can't you use your light?"
Klavier put his hands in his pockets and smiled. "Obviously I need both hands free so I can heroically deal with whoever is terrorizing meine little detektiv. Ow! Don't do that!" His laughter was cut short when Ema directed the beam of light right at his eyes.
"Don't do what?" She asked innocently.
"Shine that right in my eyes." He told her, holding a hand up to block the light.
"Aw, but how will I see your pretty face if I don't?" Ema said sweetly.
"If you want something to look at, I'm fairly certain I have some publicity photos in my guitar case." Klavier replied, pleased by her reaction. "I'll even sign it for you. That way you can just stare at me all day. No charge."
"That depends, does the picture have to be of you or can I get one of the hottie on the drums? I think I'd prefer him."
"Ouch! And you call me immature!" Klavier pushed the flashlight down, laughing.
"That's not the- There it is!" Ema jumped as a sharp clack interrupted their light-hearted banter.
Klavier's expression evened out. "I hear it." He grabbed the light and turned around, peering ahead. "I don't see anyone."
"You're not looking hard enough!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Do you see someone?"
Ema bit her lip. "No, but they have to be there. Where else is that noise coming from?"
Klavier recognized her poorly masked fear and decided to take the situation seriously, for her sake if nothing else. "Achtung! Is someone down there?" He called, his raised voice echoing weirdly down the corridor.
A loud thud came back to them.
"Ach, Ema, calm down." Klavier said. "And maybe relax your grip a bit. I'd hate to get this shirt ripped."
"Sorry." She said, letting go with both hands and smoothing down the now rumpled back of his shirt.
"Where did you think you saw someone?"
"The far corner." Ema whispered. "Where that noise came from."
"You don't have to whisper. We're not intruders."
"I'll whisper. You can call all the attention to you. That's fine."
Klavier shook his head, smiling. "Do you want to wait here while I go investigate? No? Alright, follow me." One hand in his pocket, the other casually supporting the flashlight at waist height, he strode slowly down the hall.
Ema shuffled behind him, wanting nothing more than to just turn around and leave but was, she had to admit, too curious to do so. And maybe too scared.
Abruptly, the earlier noise started again. Clacking like sharp high heels on tile floor, much faster than before. Ema stopped, eyes wide.
Klavier noticed immediately that she was no longer following him, had been anticipating as much, and stopped himself. Again, he held a hand out behind him, waiting expectantly while keeping his attention directed ahead of them.
This time, Ema regarded the hand with trepidation, winced as the noise sped up even more and finally compensated by lightly grabbing Klavier's forearm.
"It's cold." Klavier commented, and sure enough the breeze in the hall was getting stronger.
"It's less the cold and more the unknown prowler stalking the halls that has me concerned." Ema replied, grumpy despite her efforts to remain calm.
"Ach, I meant it as a clue rather than an obvious statement. Look." He gently grabbed her arm with his free hand and pulled her forward, wrapping his other arm around her slim shoulders. He directed the light she was holding to the window.
His tight, shielding grip and ridiculously comforting body heat caused Emma to stiffen, if only to defy her first response of poetically melting against his manly frame. She had to whisper a quick mantra of 'spoiled, glimmerous fop! Spoiled, glimmerous fop!' before she was really able to focus on what he was pointing out.
"Oh." She finally said. "That window's open."
There it was; the window that had allowed for the dull back lighting earlier was thrown completely open, the luxurious floor length curtains billowing off to one side while the thick deluge from outside coated the surrounding floor with slick rain water. The curtain adjuster was bouncing about madly, tossed against either wall in the corner by the furious wind and producing a dull rat-tat-tat.
"That window's open." Klavier agreed. There was no condescension in his tone, just factual acceptance. Sliding his hand from her shoulder and lightly placing it on her back, he leaned forward, grabbing the bottom of the window and slamming it home in the frame.
Ema bit the inside of her lip slightly, squinting her eyes in thought. "That's strange. I really didn't think the window was open before."
"Nein, no worries. Everyone get's jumpy in the dark." Klavier assured her.
The hand on her back slid down to her waist as he turned towards her, hooking the thumb of his other hand in his pocket while he regarded her with those blue eyes from under messy, blonde bangs. Ema had an immediate, almost uncontrollable urge to reach up and brush those bangs back. She widened her eyes at the thought, unsure of where it had even come from. She rationalized that it had to be a result of it being so ridiculous and in his face all the time. Someone needed to sit him down and give him a proper hair cut. Inexplicably nervous all of the sudden, Ema folded her arms, grasping either elbow and frowning as thoughts of hair cuts turned into thoughts of simply running her hands through long, platinum blonde hair.
"You're still cold." Klavier interrupted, making her jump.
"No, it's..." She trailed off, looking up at him.
"Perhaps if you wore that jacket like a jacket, it would help?" He suggested. Placing a hand on either shoulder, he rubbed up and down slowly, under the viable pretense of warming her up. His expression held tight to her eye contact, one of his eyebrows raising ever so slightly when no negative reaction was taken. "Better?" He asked quietly.
Ema didn't know what to do with her hands. They felt in the way and unnecessary. She could no longer hear the raging storm outside, her blood was pumping too loudly in her ears. When she closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to clear her head, the visual she'd saved like a .jpg of Klavier reclined in his office playing his guitar was there waiting for her. When she reopened them, it was that Klavier Gavin she was looking at. Not the immature braggart who put on a show for all of his fans and got a kick out of annoying her like a little brother; the quiet, thoughtful Gavin who cared more about justice and what was right than he did winning a case or writing a chart topping hit. The Klavier that sang 'Atroquinine, my love' as a slow, meaningful love song.
His hands came to a stand still on her upper arms and Ema felt herself being pulled ever so gently forward. Her hormones and over active imagination almost had her convinced that this wasn't such a bad thing, and she took one small step forward. But the analytic, calculating side of herself that she'd cultivated so carefully all of her life surfaced just in time.
"Wow, Gavin-" Ema shrugged his arms off and took a quick step back, tearing her eyes away from him and looking at the wall.
Unfortunately the one step back was directly into a puddle of accumulated rain water, and her strappy heels, cute as they were, did not come with the amount of traction needed to stay upright on slippery tile.
"Scheiße, Ema!" Klavier snapped, possibly frustrated for reasons other than her inability to remain standing. He grabbed for her, catching her forearm, but his own balance wasn't enough. She fell hard on her rear, and this time Klavier went down with her. He managed to keep one foot grounded, and landed on his knee next to her. The flashlight she'd been clutching went flying, skittering across the floor, casting wavering light everywhere before coming to rest against a wall.
Despite the flash of pain that went through Ema, she couldn't help feeling resentful about the fact that he even falls over composed; looking as if he had just knelt over her.
With one arm on the floor next to her head, Klavier glared down at her. "Scheiße, Ema!"
"You already said that." She said, grumpily.
His expression softened immediately. "Entschuldigung, I'm sorry. Are you alright?"
"Yes. Get off me."
Instead of chuckling as she would have anticipated, Klavier sighed and leaned back. "Ach!" He frowned as he held up his arm and water dripped from the soiled, black sleeve. "Too bad the janitor's already come through by now; this water is a hazard. And this shirt is dry clean only."
"The janitor..." Ema said slowly. "Shit! My files!" She pushed Klavier back and jumped up, almost falling again.
"For god's sake, Fraulein! Be careful!" Klavier reeled slightly before catching his balance and standing up himself.
But she was already down the hall, fanning the area in front of his office door with the retrieved flashlight. She swore quietly under her breath.
"What's wrong?" He asked with concern, although a great deal of his attention was admittedly now directed at getting as much of the floor water off his shirt as he could.
"My case file! I need that! He must've thrown it away!" She folded her arms and stamped a foot. "I have to go back to my office so I can reprint it."
"Ja, we can do that."
"You don't have to-"
Klavier grinned sideways at her and began playing with his stupid hair again. "Okay, you want to walk through the entire PD by yourself with no lights and then walk home during a huge thunderstorm while there's at least one serial killer on the loose?"
Glaring at him, Ema blew her own bangs out of her face with an annoyed huff of breath.
"Shall we?" He walked up to her and offered his arm.
"I'm not holding that." Ema said flatly. "It's soaking wet."
"You're soaking wet, liebe." Klavier laughed, putting his arm over her shoulders without further discussion. "I guess we're taking the stairs"
Ema rolled her eyes, but proceeded along with him. Out of practicality. It was cold and he was so warm...
The thick metal door to the stairs clanged shut after the two went through, mingling with the peal of thunder and flash of lightning that roiled down the empty hallway. Or nearly empty.
The thick, heavy curtains pushed to one side of the window rustled despite the still air before being thrown violently aside. A dark figure made its way to the same door Klavier and Ema had just used, a sharp 'Clack, clack, clack' accompanying each step. The severe, violent noise embodying the ominous intentions seeping from the lurking intruder.
