A/N: So... I'm back! Officially and everything. I'll be updating this story every Tuesday and Friday. Not like in the last chapter where I said I'd update soon and then disappear for over a year. Boo me.
Characters: Apollo / Gavin / Ema
Disclaimer: Wish I owned this but I don't.
Special thank you to rokunsan23 for inspiring me to start writing again.
Also I broke my word limit. 500 words over but this is my first in a while, so I'll allow it.
New Year's
"Wooooah. Mr Gavin's place is huge!"
"What do you expect, Polly? He is a rock god after all."
"Ex- rock god." Nick countered quickly.
Trucy rolled her eyes and grabbed her daddy's hand before entering the mansion in front of them.
Greeted by Mr Gavin himself, Apollo shook his hand and extended a thank you for his invitation.
"You didn't think to bring your plus one, though, Herr Forehead."
Apollo blushed and smoothed his hair back. "I- she's joining us soon. She told me to go on ahead. And I keep telling you to call me Apollo."
"I'm sure she is. I cannot wait to meet this illustrious woman."
"You already know her." Was the last thing Apollo had the chance to say before being dragged further into the house towards the party by Trucy, eager as always to meet new people.
Moments later Ema arrived – alone- and Gavin immediately moved to meet her.
"Good evening, Fraulein, I'm so glad you came. Your invitation?" He asked, holding his hand out expectedly and smirking.
"You know who I am." Ema bit back harshly. "And besides, I've just missed my date, so if you'll excuse me."
Gavin stared after her and took in her smile as she greeted Herr Forehead and his family of defence attorneys. How had he not seen this one coming?
He waited another ten minutes and greeted more late attendees to his new year's party before growing impatient. He strode over to Herr Forehead, grabbing two glasses of champagne on the way.
"Herr Forehead." Gavin said politely as he handed him a glass. Apollo took the drink and thanked him for it.
"This is a great place you've got, Mr Gavin, and again, it was nice of you to invite us all to your party-"
"So you brought our local grumpy detective?" Gavin cut in.
""What? Oh- you mean Ema? Yeah, I mean, neither of us had plus one's, and we're friends, so we decided that would probably be more fun this way."
"I see." Gavin answered curtly.
"Is that... ok?" Apollo asked him, unsure of what the answer might be.
"Of course it is. You're one of my closest friends; I wish you nothing but happiness."
"Well, I don't know what to say, thank you?"
"And for you to lose in court."
"Of course."
They both took sips and looked away at the hundred or so people lining the walls, the dance floor, the buffet and of course, the bar.
"Wait, I'm one of your closest friends?" Apollo asked Gavin suddenly.
Gavin looked at him and laughed in response. "That shocks you?"
"Well, yeah, I mean- I'm just-" He gulped as he nodded and moved out of the way for a passing celebrity. "I'm just Apollo. Err- Herr Forehead." He drained the rest of his glass and turned bright red.
"It shocks you that I keep company with celebrities and with people like you? People who know of my past, of what I've done, and still not only help me, but want to? People like you who have come from nothing and actually care as much as I do about changing lives? Why wouldn't I make as many friends like that as I could, Herr Forehead?"
"That was a really nice thing to say until you ruined it at the end." Apollo laughed and Gavin smiled in response, each raising their empty glasses to each other.
"What was a nice thing to say?" Ema cut in.
"Just how beautiful you look tonight." Gavin said as he smiled at her.
Ema offered him a flat stare in response and turned to Apollo. "I think I can handle a dance or two, if you want to?"
"Oh, sure." He looked around frantically for a table before Gavin offered to take care of the empty glass. "Thanks, Mr Gavin. You ready?" Apollo offered Ema his arm and led her to the dance floor.
Gavin nodded and watched as the two of them walked away, two empty glasses in his hand.
An hour later he had thoroughly taken his mind off Herr Forehead and the grumpy Detektiv possibly being more than friends when the youngest Wright ran straight into him.
"Little Miss Wright." Gavin said, intending to excuse himself.
"I'm not little! I mean Polly needs you, he's in the downstairs bathroom."
Gavin regarded the girl in front of her and wondered if this was some sort of trick, magic or otherwise.
"What with...?"
"Ema. She's passed out or something." She replied breathlessly.
Gavin took off straight away, not bothering to ask which of his many downstairs bathrooms it was.
He finally found them on the third try. He found Apollo slumped against a wall while holding Ema's dead weight.
"What did you do?!" Gavin yelled at him.
"I didn't do anything! I was waiting for her, and when she was gone so long I came to see if she was alright, and when there was no answer I got Trucy to pick the lock."
"Ok, I'm sorry for accusing you. Has she had a lot to drink?" Gavin asked.
"Not since she's been here with me, and she didn't look like she'd had anything to drink before we came out, not enough to make her pass out, at least. She must have been really tired." Apollo shot at Gavin accusingly.
Gavin ignored the dig because after all, they had all been working long hours during the holidays. He looked outside the door and down the hallway to find Trucy standing by. He turned back to Apollo. "I have a plan. You will take Ema up to one of my guest rooms, pick any on the first floor up from here and I will make a diversion so you can carry her past the party unnoticed, ok?"
"OK." Apollo looked pale but nodded in agreement and rearranged Ema in his arms.
"Give me two minutes and then go." He instructed Apollo before leaving the overcrowded bathroom. He stalked down the hall to Trucy, ignored her queries and grabbed her hand lightly.
"I trust you have a few of those tricks up your sleeve?"
Trucy smiled brightly back at him, already understanding his plan. "I always have a few tricks up my sleeve."
Apollo waited until he heard all the noise die down and Gavin calling for everyone's attention. After he had introduced Trucy as an unscheduled treat he bundled Ema tighter into his arms and left the bathroom knowing that all eyes would be on his little sister.
He walked up the stairs cautiously and headed to the furthest room down a long hallway quickly to get away from the commotion and volume of the party. Nudging the door open with his foot, he almost dropped Ema at the sight in front of him. If this was how Gavin's guests lived, the man himself must live like a king.
He spotted the bed and placed her as gently as he could on the pillows. Once she appeared comfortable he smoothed her fringe out of her eyes and took her heels off, all the while not knowing he had an audience.
He looked up as he was holding both her shoes and stared directly into Gavin's eyes in the darkness.
"Jeez, Mr Gavin, you almost gave me a heart attack!" Apollo shot at him in a hushed tone.
"She likes you." Gavin told him.
"I think she's too tired to know what she likes, Mr Gavin." Apollo told him as he rolled the comforter from the bottom of the bed over her gently.
"I'll stay with her." Apollo added.
"She is my guest, I will stay with her." Gavin retorted.
"And she's my date. And- and its your party and you can't miss it." Apollo said, much to the annoyance of Gavin because he was right.
Gavin placed his hand on the door handle and turned away from Apollo. "You are right, of course. But if anything happens to her, you will tell me straight away." He told him before leaving quietly, not giving Apollo time to respond.
Hours later, Ema arose to the sound of distant popping. She opened her eyes and looked around the unfamiliar room. Her eyes immediately spotted Apollo in one chair in the left corner of the room, and Gavin in the right, both fast asleep. Ema smiled when she realised where she was. She picked up the comforter and placed it gently over Apollo, and then did the same for Gavin with the sheets she had slept on.
She picked up her shoes as she left the room quietly. She started descending the stairs as the countdown began and thought that perhaps this new year, next year, she'd make more of herself. Maybe she'd take the forensics test again. But then she thought, she was already a homicide detective, and that was already better than she thought she'd get in the police force. So if she failed again, this time she wouldn't take it so hard on herself. And, she thought with a small, secret smile on her lips as the room at the end of the hallway rose out of her view, she had some great friends, too.
Woo. So. Hope you liked it. Let me know. I'll see you chaps Friday.
