Ema was eyeing the forensic experts enviously as they delicately sifted through the flat looking for the vital evidence that would prove the suspect guilty. Her hands were itching to pull out her luminol and fingerprinting powder from her bag and jump among the elite team when she heard her name called…which was just as well. She didn't think she could have lived down the inevitable humiliation of rejection that she would no doubt suffer at her attempt. She looked over her shoulder to find Phoenix Wright with his hands in his pockets and a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Mr Wr — I mean, Phoenix!" Ema exclaimed and hurried toward him. "What are you doing here?"

"…I heard there was a murder. Wondered if anyone needed an attorney. Apollo has a lot of time on his hands." His eyes seemed to take on a far away look as if he was mulling over something. "Too much time, I think."

"Um…" Ema glanced over her shoulder at the forensics again. "I shouldn't really say anything but…" Phoenix wait patiently as she chewed on her lip. "We're pretty sure the suspect is guilty."

"I've heard that before," he said, amused.

"Well," Ema said throwing one more look behind her and leaned towards him. "The victim — Landon — is a 21 year old who was having an affair with the suspect's girlfriend. After murdering her lover, Gerard turned on his partner — Caz — and attacked her."

"Uh huh." Phoenix nodded for her to continue.

"But something made him stop before he could outright kill her. We suspect it was the fact that she was pregnant. However, she has suffered from the attack and is currently in hospital. There's a possibility she might lose the child. She's named him the murderer and the evidence matches her testimony."

Phoenix was quiet for a moment and then he sighed, "Sounds pretty definite to me." He looked around the crime scene. "Ah well. If Apollo can't work then I suppose Trucy and I will have to find some other way to pay the rent..."

She looked away at the cops crawling all over the place so that he wouldn't see the pity in her eyes. She didn't think he would take well to it. He acted nonchalant all the time but Ema was certain that beneath the casual appearance, he was more devastated than anyone imagined. However, it was a moment later that the words fully registered and the pity in her eyes was replaced with amusement.

"You have Apollo paying for the rent now?" She asked.

"He's a part of the agency," Phoenix said vaguely. Ema wasn't fooled — she hadn't missed the implication and she was sure that Apollo was doing more paying than the other two.

"I'll let you know of any other cases that might crop up," she promised.

"Ah… Thanks, Ema." Phoenix smiled.

"You're welcome Mr — " She stopped and sighed looking at the ground. "That's going to take some getting used to."

Phoenix chuckled. "So I see. You know for a moment there, I could have sworn you were 16 again." When Ema frowned in confused he explained, "You always had a habit of looking at the ground when you were upset."

"I did?" Ema said with wide eyes.

"Yep." Phoenix smiled. "Like someone else I know. I haven't seen her in a while either…" He looked off into the distance again and Ema was sure he was reliving some memory that involved this 'someone else'. She was going to enquire further but he spoke again and all thoughts were driven out of her mind. "Where's our prosecuting legend? He's usually at the crime scenes isn't he?"

Ema scowled. "He's probably off somewhere signing autographs." She pouted like she always did when she was displeased. "I did tell him to come but that was an hour ago…"

Phoenix didn't reply straight away; he was watching her with a curious expression she couldn't immediately identify and before she had a chance to try, it was gone. "How is he doing?"

Ema's expression softened as she recalled her boss. She hadn't forgotten that Phoenix had told her to be there for Klavier and she had tried but after his reaction to her aid, she had been very reluctant to try again. That night in his office flashed in her mind. She had her pride after all and… well, he didn't seem to want her help obviously. He'd gone out of his way to avoid her. What could she do about that? So she could answer Phoenix confidently; "Um yeah he's…"couldn't she? "...he's all right I guess. I…" she took a deep breath. "…don't really see him much."

Phoenix was silent and although she was looking away she could feel his eyes burning holes in her. She cringed inwardly at the possibility that he might be displeased with her. He had, after all, told her to be a friend to Klavier and she had barely tried — this was a fact that had become abundantly clear over the past few weeks. She had spent a lot of time around Deston but in her periphery she had also been watching Klavier… there was a lonely aura that accompanied him at all times but she just didn't know how to break through it. At first she had thought to speak to Deston about it but after she had overheard what she did at the prison, there had been no chance of that. Ever since then, she had remained closer than ever to Deston in order to find out what he was up to. He pretended he was interested in her (and for a while, she had almost fallen for it) and yet he'd never really asked her out on a real date - she knew he was playing with her.

And she let him.

She had even accepted his hugs, his kisses and general charm to keep him nearby and for all the repulsion she bore every time he touched her, she had thought she would at least be rewarded with some nugget of a clue bringing her one step closer to the truth behind the infamous plan.

But nothing.

She had followed him, eavesdropped on every one of his conversation she could. She had visited Tessa at the hospital again and the only thing she had learned was from a promise Tessa had extracted from Ema; "Please don't mention me to Klavier. He doesn't know I'm ill." Of course, Ema had obliged and yet she wondered why Klavier, with all his minions, resources and general knowledge, did not know Tessa was in hospital. It was further obvious from this promise, Ema thought, that the two had history and that she didn't want him to know of her illness (of which Ema also knew nothing because Tess refused to talk about it) to save him from further pain. Ema respected Tessa's thoughtfulness — despite the fact that she was clearly not getting any better, she was still worrying about someone else's feelings. Ema could understand why Klavier didn't want anyone else after having been with a woman like that.

Upon meeting Tess, Ema had thought a lot about what the relationship between her and Klavier was and given the facts it became pretty obvious. They must have been in love, broken up for whatever reason and Klavier hadn't fully recovered from it — that was why he couldn't even look at Ema. In spite of this fact, Ema couldn't bring herself to feel any resentment toward her newest friend. She had few of those and the close ones she did have were males so it was nice to finally find a woman with whom she could get on with. Even if that woman was the reason why the guy she had a crush on didn't want her…

"I see him," Phoenix suddenly interrupted her thoughts and her eyes snapped back to his.

"I'm sorry — what?" Ema blinked in confusion at him but he simply nodded toward something he was looking at over her head. She spun on the spot to see someone who looked very much like Klavier… wait, it was him. Ema's eyes widened. He wasn't wearing the jacket that normally adorned him and he looked… strange. Ema couldn't quite put her finger on it but he looked changed — beyond the lack of jacket. He looked more handsome than she'd ever seen him. The black shirt hugged his body tightly and she saw the (impressive) build of his chest.

But it was more than that. He was smiling as he sauntered up to her and, for the first time in weeks, it looked…genuine. For the first time in what felt like forever, his hands weren't clenched into fists. No, one was swinging carelessly by his side while the other was hitched in his belt again and when he stopped before her, she saw the twinkle in his eye she hadn't even really noticed had been absent until just now.

"Fräulein Detective," he said with a small smile as he looked down at her. "Am I late?"

Ema was speechless. She hadn't seen this side of him since before the trial and she had never seem him less than perfect - his hair had always been immaculately styled, he was always dressed to show off and... Well, he was always presentable. Now however he looked ruffled as if he'd just got out of bed...

Ema scowled. So that's where he's been. The good for nothing —

"Fraulein?" Klavier smiled at her bending down to look into her face. This movement, of course, annoyed her even more.

"What?" she said bad temperedly. "Yes you are late you fop."

He chuckled and his eyes twinkled mischievously. "How late?"

"Oh shut up," Ema said stepping away from him and closer to Phoenix. It was then that Klavier looked at him and his expression cooled considerably.

"Herr Wright," he said inclining his head.

"Klavier," Phoenix smiled at him. "How are you?"

"Rocking," Klavier said shortly. Ema's eyes narrowed as she studied the look upon his face. There was something deeply unsettling about Klavier wearing an expression of such intense dislike especially for a man Ema held in the highest esteem. She wanted to grab him and shake him and scream to him that the man he hated was no criminal, that he was framed and that he was looking out for Klavier and, as such, did not deserve this disgust. For a split second of meanness, Ema want to run to Deston and tell him she wanted in on whatever plan he had for Klavier…

"Oh!"

Both men broke their staring competition to look at Ema whose hand had flown to her mouth as if she had discovered the answer to a very befuddling question that had been dancing right in front of her face all along. Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that before! It was so simple and so brilliant! And it would be so easy to execute because of her —

"Fräulein?" Klavier said quizzically and she frowned at him, annoyed at the interruption. Before she could snap at him and resume her ingenious plan-making, however, someone else interrupted her.

"Mr Wright!" Deston exclaimed as he walked into the dimly lit room they were all standing in. Against the gloominess of the décor, he looked brighter than ever in his yellow suit. "I was just thinking of calling you. I'm glad you're here."

"Mr Cavatin," Phoenix said with a smile. "How are you?"

"As good as can be at a crime scene, Mr Wright," he said shrugging. He glanced at Klavier. "You look like shit, K. But I'm glad you finally decided to join us."

To Ema's surprise, Klavier laughed and playfully punched the other Gavinner. She saw Deston's eyes widen too and, judging from the lack of a reciprocal response, he'd obviously noticed the change in Klavier as well. This reassured Ema - at least she wasn't imagining things.

"…Why were you looking for me, Mr Cavatin?" Phoenix broke the somewhat shocked silence. Klavier's amused expression heightened as Ema and Deston both almost jumped at the sound of Phoenix's voice. Deston was the first to recover.

"Actually, someone else is looking for you. I just offered my help," Deston smiled and, despite her dislike for him, Ema had to admire him for his immediate composure.

"Who might that be?" Phoenix tilted his head back, curious.

"Detective Gumshoe." Deston's smile broadened.

"Gumshoe?" Phoenix echoed and the surprise was evident in his voice. The sound was alien to Ema — she'd been under the impression that nothing surprised him anymore. "Why would he be looking for me here? And I thought he was on paternity leave?"

"He is," Deston nodded and then he laughed. "As for why he was looking for you here... well, his argument was 'wherever there's something wrong, is where Mr Wright is, pal!" Deston's Gumshoe impression was so shockingly uncanny that they all started laughing uproariously.

"But he knows I'm not longer an attorney!" Phoenix chuckled.

"When I reminded him of that, he said," (here Deston's shoulders rose and his face morphed into an indignant/angry expression) "Yeah, so what! He doesn't need a badge to go looking for trouble, pal! Trouble always finds him!"

Ema giggled and for a moment she forgot all her worries about Klavier's mental state of mind, her pity for Phoenix's current state and the fact that the newest friend she'd made was actually in cahoots with a man who'd tried to frame a 14 year old child for a murder he had committed. For a moment, she felt carefree enough to loosen her usually tight hold on the strap of her bag, to find reprieve from the desire to pull out her stress-killing Snackoos and just be herself. It had been a long time since she'd been that way. Her years away from her sister, in a new country and studying something as time consuming as Forensic Sciences had made her permanently uptight. She rarely had a moment to herself in which she could just unwind, think of the good things in life and indulge herself. To top off an already hectic past, she'd jumped into Criminal Affairs as a detective and therefore had further stress to cope with. So it was nice when, at times like these, she could just forget everything. Unfortunately, the moment was just that — a moment. Instantly, reality grabbed her around the ankles to pull her unceremoniously back down to Earth where trust was a commodity too precious to give to anyone.

" — a chance the baby is injured." Deston was saying.

"We can prosecute him for transferred malice then," Klavier said and Ema frowned as she focused on the conversation in an attempt to understand what they were discussing. "As well as murder, attempted murder and GBH. Put him away for a long time."

"Ema," Deston said turning to her and her eyes snapped to his. "You can go home now. I think we're about done here and you look shattered." He leaned in and kissed her cheek and it took all her will power to refrain from recoiling. "I'll see you soon."

"Come Fräulein," Klavier chipped in. "I'll take you home."

"You do that, K." Deston agreed as he and Mr Wright headed off towards one of the doors. "Make sure you take care of her."

"Achtung!" Klavier frowned at Deston as though he'd found his request offensive. "Of course I will."

Then she found herself in the room alone with Klavier whose eyes were twinkling once again. Feeling apprehensive as to what that look could mean, she turned to scurry out of the room only to find him hot on her heels as she descended the claustrophobic staircase of the building.

"I'm fine, I can make my own way home." Ema was anxious to be alone so that she could collect her thoughts and fine-tune the plan that she had thought of.

"Nein Fräulein," Klavier said good-naturedly as he followed her casually. "What sort of a man would I be if I let you walk home at night unprotected and unaccompanied?"

"I'm a detective," Ema insisted pushing the door open and stepping out onto the darkened street. "I carry a gun. I think I can take care of myself."

"Ja, but why take the risk when there is no need?" Klavier was by her side, his eyes fixed on her while she looked at everything but him. "Come, my hog is just down th — "

"Uh uh!" Ema rounded on him. "No way, José! I'm not getting on any bike!" She wasn't scared of bikes. It was the thought of the proximity riding with him would ensure that motivated this rejection. She blushed as he studied her, hoping he wouldn't catch on to why she was refusing. To her surprise, he nodded.

"We will walk then."

"I sai — "

"Fräulein," Klavier interrupted holding up a hand. "Let's not spend any more time arguing when we both how what the result will be, ja?" Ema glared at him before spinning on her heel and marching off down the road with Klavier chuckling behind her. For the first 10 blissful minutes, Ema was gifted with silence and she almost fooled herself into imagining he wasn't there. Alas, 10 minutes proved to be too long a time for the prosecutor.

"Fräulein, do you know that the coat makes you look…" he trailed off and much to her annoyance Ema found herself wanting to know the rest of that sentence. She didn't say anything however and took a hard right straight into People Park where she walked swiftly and silently across the grass. "…sexy."

She stumbled. "What?"

Klavier stopped just short of bumping into her. Where most men would have ran for their lives (for her expression was fearsome to behold), he smiled and repeated himself. With a German accent.

"Sexy. Attraktiv."

Ema stared at him, her mouth wide open. Maybe her and Deston had misunderstood the change in Klavier — he wasn't better. He was worse! The few marbles he'd managed to hold on to had finally rolled away from him.

"Have you taken any illegal substances?" she demanded. "Because if you have, I'll arrest you right now."

"Maybe just one," Klavier murmured as he stepped closer and Ema stepped back. "It is not illegal but… it probably should be." He took another step toward her and she took another one back. "It is to be blamed for loss of sanity, impulsive behaviour…" He moved closer still and in her bid to get as far away from him as she could, Ema found her back pressed against something hard and bumpy as his body moved in to make contact with hers. One hand rested gently on her waist while the other moved to brush the hair out of her wide eyes. "Even murder." He leaned in and she felt his cool breath fan her face. His lips were close enough to touch her skin and through the thin fabric of his shirt, she could feel the hardness of his chest as it brushed against her. She shivered. "Do you know what it is, Fräulein?"

"Er… t-tri-trinitrotoluene?" she stammered. What? What the hell are you saying? Push him away and RUN!

Klavier chuckled. "Nein," his fingers ran down her cheek and tapped her lips gently. "When you partake, you will know the answer." He stared at her, his blue eyes scanning her face as if searching for something and then he sighed and stepped away from her. Ema stayed where she was for several seconds simply staring at him, unable to understand what had just happened. Why couldn't he be normal! She was afraid to move just in case he decided to attack her again in some strange way. The guy needed help. How could he stand there and stare at her like that! What was wrong with him!

"Let's go, Fräulein." He smiled and sauntered past her. She remained still for another nanosecond before her eyes narrowed and she finally gathered the courage to move from her spot. She caught up to him in no time but she didn't stop — instead she sped right past him in her haste to get to the safety of her home where no lunatics could corner her and offer her unwanted kisses or riddles. He tried speaking to her a few times but she outright ignored him, pretending he wasn't there and hoping he would take the hint, lose interest and get lost!

When she reached her apartment building, a deep sigh of relief escaped her. She was practically running now and just as she made to open her door and escape inside (still pretending she was not being stalked), a hand yanked on her wrist and she found herself pulled backward into a pair of familiar arms. She looked up at him to find the smile gone from his face. His eyes were two intense orbs of icy fire and her breath caught in her throat. Silently, he placed a kiss on her forehead and whispered something she didn't catch before letting her go.

"Gute nacht, meine liebe." Confusion overtook her as he turned away and walked off. The air grew chilly suddenly and the night seemed to envelop him, his hair riding the wind and in that instant, Ema knew something had definitely changed. Her mind was blank as she watched him walk back the way they'd come and when she saw the way nature's element whipped his clothes around him, while unable to affect his stride, he looked stronger than ever before. His retreating back was proud and straight, his walk sure and steady and his head was held high. He didn't look back once and he didn't stop.

It wasn't until he was out of sight that Ema regained some piece of her mind; enough for her to race inside, up the stairs and fumble with the keys as she attempted to unlock her door. She practically jumped over the threshold and slammed the door behind her leaning against it as she took deep lungfuls of air, holding a hand to her chest in a bid to stop her pounding heart from breaking through the barrier.

It was a long time before Ema felt calm enough to move without collapsing. She didn't understand what she was feeling — was it fear? Elation? Or something else? She didn't care right now. She would work through it when she was strong enough to deal with it. So she crawled into bed and hid under her covers hoping to find some peace… but every time she tried, there was an image that haunted her — the sight of Klavier walking away from her. He had looked so formidable, like a soldier marching onto the battlefield with the intent to survive. There was one thought on Ema's mind as she was dressed by the garments of sleep… What war had she just gotten herself into?