The Next Morning...

Hazel stirred awake, mostly from the sounds of her phone vibrating. She groggily picked up her phone and checked the time.

"8:30 am..." She said, with a groan. "God damn it..." She looked towards Jacob, who was still asleep. "Sigh... Of course he's still sleeping." Hazel noticed there was a slight mess from the last nights food, so she decided to kill time and awaken herself a bit more by cleaning up the mess. She quickly began tidying up, accidentally waking up Jacob in the process.

"Up already?" Jacob asked, just barely waking up.

"Not by choice." Hazel responded. "Want tea? I'm gonna make some coffee myself."

"Please." Jacob responded.

"Sure thing," Hazel replied. "Time for a wake up call." Hazel walked towards the kitchen, softly singing to herself.

Jacob got onto the floor, and continued to clean the mess from yesterday's food. "You should hopefully remember my preferred brew of tea."

"Milk and no sugar, yes?" Hazel asked.

"Bingo!" Jacob replied.

"I've still got it!" Hazel exclaimed, with a hidden fist pump

As Jacob finished cleaning up, there was a knock on the apartment door. "Allow me, Hazel." Jacob quickly stated.

Jacob went to the door, and was once again greeted by Athena on the other side.

"Good morning, Jacob!" Athena exclaimed. "Sleep well?"

"Well enough" Jacob responded, with a yawn. "Bonus points for remembering my name, Athena"

"I can't stay for too long, but long story short: I called Phoenix last night, and he said he'd be happy to have you in for an interview."

Jacob woke up within seconds. "Wait really?!" he exclaimed.

"Yep!" Athena responded, excitedly. "Just show up to the agency whenever you can, and Phoenix will be happy to speak with you. I can't stay much longer, so I guess I'll see you there." She added, before having to run off.

Jacob rushed back inside. "Hazel, put our drinks in your to-go cups. Athena's just scored me an interview at The Wright Anything Agency."

Hazel almost dropped the empty mug she was holding. "Seriously?!"

"Yes!" Jacob replied. "I've hit the jackpot!"

"Hey! It isn't just "your" jackpot! I'm coming with you too, Jacob!" Hazel replied. "You'll need a legal assistant, right?"

"Of course!" Jacob replied. "But before we get to that point, I need to shower!"

"And I need to change!" Hazel added.

Approximately 30 minutes later...

"May the courtroom heed my warning, Jacob Sholmes is taking the defense!"

"Alright, fun bit..." Hazel said, cringing at Jacob. "But you've gotta get the job before you can make these comments."

"Noted." Jacob replied.

"By the way, you've cleaned yourself up nicely." Hazel added. "Plus, you're embracing your family history!"

Jacob had picked out a typical business suit, but decided to wear a tween jacket in place of a suit jacket, complete with an old fashioned detectives cap.

"Thanks!" Jacob replied, feeling much more confident. "You look pretty... 'Legal Assistant' yourself..."

Hazel on the other hand, had gone for something simplistic. Her attire was similar to Athena's except her suit jacket was black, along with long black trousers and black suede heeled boots.

"...Although, you didn't need to make me feel so small with those boots."

Hazel gave Jacob a sympathy laugh for the comment. "Sorry, I'd have gone for my basic heels, but these are much more comfortable, plus it's still winter, so my legs will be warmer!" She said, giving Jacob a small kick in the leg. "Besides, as you so elegantly put it, I'm taller than you in these boots. So, Ha!"

"That's the issue!" Jacob responded, faking pain in his voice. "Trucy won't let me live this down."

Hazel immediately looked at Jacob. "Every time, It always goes back to Trucy..."

"Nonononononononono! It'snotlikethatHazel!" Jacob said defensively, blushing at the comment. "I...I...I've not seen her for months, is all. Is it really that much of a romantic cliché that I missed one of my closest friends?"

Hazel laughed. "I know, I know..." She said, walking into her room. "It's just easy to make you blush, and It's funny."

"We've lived together for a few hours, and you've found ways to annoy me." Jacob said defeated.

"Get used to it, we'll be living together for a while!" Hazel responded from her room, before walking out wearing a large black coat. Seeing this, Jacob grabbed a brown tween overcoat an put it on.

"You ready to go?" Hazel asked.

"Let's do this!" Jacob exclaimed, as he pointed at Hazel.

"You're getting way too into this..." Hazel said, as she and Jacob walked out of the apartment.

Hold It!

Jacob stopped, surprised from Hazel's sudden outburst. "Yes, Hazel?"

"Have you got your attorney documents and badge?" Hazel asked.

"...Well spotted!" Jacob said, running back in to grab them all. "Got them here!" Jacob added, as he returned with a folder of files, and his attorney's badge on his lapel after just under 2 minutes.

"Good!" Hazel said. "Don't forget them next time!"

"Noted." Jacob replied.

Jacob pulled out his phone, and used a navigation app to find the agency's building. Surprisingly, it was closer to their apartment than they were expecting.

"A 5 minute walk away?" Hazel thought aloud, as the two entered the building and began to walk up the stairs to reach the 3rd floor. "That was unexpected."

"Same, but it was welcomed." Jacob replied. He then looked down at his badge. "I'm happy to have this thing, but it's making me a little bit nervous."

Hazel threw her arm around Jacob's shoulder. "I've got faith in you, I hope this goes well. Good luck!"

"Thanks." Jacob replied.

The two eventually reached the door of The Wright Anything Agency. Jacob looked at Hazel, and then at his badge. "It's now or never, let's do this!"

Jacob knocked on the door, and waited. The door opened, revealing Athena on the other side.

"Oh hey! You're here!" Athena said. "Just head straight through here, and through those doors there."

"Perfect! Thank you, Athena." Jacob responded, as he and Hazel walked through the office, and entered the next room.

Phoenix was sat at his desk in the other room, reading through old case reports. Eventually, he looked up, and saw Jacob and Hazel.

"Jacob Sholmes, correct?" Phoenix asked.

"Correct." Jacob replied, holding his hand out.

"Nice to meet you." Phoenix responded, accepting Jacob's handshake. "Please, make yourself comfortable." Phoenix then addressed Hazel. "Hello, Hazel! If you came to see Trucy, she's at work at the moment."

"Ok." Hazel replied. "Actually, Phoenix. I'm here with Jacob. If he gets the job, I'll be his co council."

"Understood." Phoenix responded. He then turned back to Jacob. "Do you have your required documents and C.V?"

Jacob passed over his folder to Phoenix. "It's all in here." He responded.

Phoenix read over the documents. "Ok... Looks good so far" He softly said to himself. "Bar Exam results are here, everything looks legit..." Phoenix looked back to Jacob. "Everything is looking good, and accounted for. You're good in that department."

Jacob nodded. "Thank you, Mr Wright."

"As for the CV..." Phoenix began, as he read through Jacob's CV. "I see you've had experience in your high school's law class. I suppose this is when you decided to become a lawyer?"

"Yes." Jacob responded. "I was inspired by you. Your comeback especially."

"You're the first person to say my comeback specifically inspired you." Phoenix said. "But, it does make me happy when people say that I inspired them."

"I hope I'm not too clichéd..." Jacob said, awkwardly brushing the back of his head.

"No, don't worry." Phoenix said with a laugh. "You aren't the first to say this." Phoenix read over the CV one last time.

"I knew it." Phoenix said.

"Knew what?" Jacob asked.

"Are you the Jacob Sholmes, who resides in the the same class, and is friends with my daughter?" Phoenix asked.

"Yes." Jacob replied. "Hazel is in my class too, so she can confirm this."

"That settles it then." Phoenix said, closing Jacob's folder. "I still owe you for what you did for Trucy..." Phoenix then held his hand out to Jacob. "Welcome Aboard, Jacob Sholmes."

Hazel was surprised. "Wait, that quickly?!" She exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I've looked over everything." Phoenix began. "And Jacob has everything that I want and need in an employee."

Jacob finally processed what Phoenix said, and returned the handshake. "Thank you, Phoenix." Jacob said, gratefully. "Thank you, so much."

"It's not an issue. I still owe you one." Phoenix replied. He then pulled out a case file. "Plus, this enticed me into hiring you."

Jacob picked it up, and noticed a particular name.

"Detective - Herlock Sholmes." Jacob read aloud, a small grin on his face.

"I'd also recommend that you look at the name of the attorney for that case" Phoenix added

Jacob obliged. "Defense Attorney - Ryunosuke Naruhodo." As Jacob read the name aloud, it suddenly clicked.

Hold It!

Jacob suddenly found himself pointing at Phoenix, as he delivered his statement.

"This clearly proves that our ancestors worked together." Jacob exclaimed.

Take That!

He suddenly realised what he was doing. "Ah crap, sorry...!" He quickly stammered out.

Phoenix ignored the apology. "That was a fine attempt, but it's needs a little bit of work."

"Noted." Jacob responded. "I'll bare it in mind"

"May I interject?" Hazel asked, raising her hand" what specifically does this all mean?

"Well..." Phoenix began. "This relates to something that happened about... seven years ago now?"

"Ah yes, that situation." Jacob said. Knowing exactly where Phoenix was going with this. "Allow me to tell the tale."

Seven Years Earlier...

An 11 year old Jacob was sat alone on a bench at recess, heavily invested in his Spider-Man comic. As he finished the comic and went inside to put it in his bag, he heard something from across the playground. he couldn't make out exactly what it was, but the tone indicated that is was said in a mean way. After putting it in his bag, he went to where the voice came from. What he ended up seeing, was something he didn't expect.

The class bully was picking on Trucy, who had tears streaming down her face, dirt on her clothes and a cut just below her left eye.

The bully got into her face. "Your father is a fake!" The bully yelled at her. "Both of them are! You're just as much of a fake magician as he is!" The bully had a shit eating grin on her face the whole time. Trucy's cries indicated she was getting a reaction out of her, and that's what she wanted.

Jacob noticed that that the bully was about to punch Trucy. Suddenly, and without thinking, Jacob ran towards the two, pushing Trucy out if the way and taking the punch for himself. Trucy fell to the ground with a surprised scream, drawing the attention of a teacher. Who turned around just in time to witness the bully's fist connect with Jacob's face.

The pain was immediately present. He felt blood start to flow from his nose, Trucy saw that his mouth was red, and seemed to cut from the bully's uncut nails.

The bully was about to run away, but the teacher who witnessed it caught her before she could run.

"I'll be honest, I couldn't remember much else from the next few minutes after that little bastard got caught" Jacob said. "So, I'll cut to what I can remember when the parents where involved.

"Go on..." Hazel said, interested in the story

Flashback...

Jacob, Trucy and the Bully were sat in the principles office. All 3 had family members in the room. The Bully had tried to explain that Trucy and Jacob had ganged up on her, but was quickly shut down by the two explaining their side of the story.

The principal was busy on her computer. "It's clear to me that you went out of your way to protect Trucy, Jacob." She said. "You're very brave." She complimented.

"Pardon me?" The bully's mum asked. "What evidence have you got to sustain this claim?"

The principal then turned the screen of the computer around, and played a CCTV video. The video captured the moments described by Jacob and Trucy almost perfectly.

"I rest my case." The Principal said. "Mr Wright, Mr and Mrs Sholmes, you and your children may leave." She added before turning to Jacob's parents I have something to sort out now, so I'll have to call you later on to talk about this a bit more. "Thank you for your time."

"Understood." Jacob's dad replied, before he, Jacob's mum, Phoenix, Trucy and Jacob left the room.

As Jacob left the room, he looked back at the Bully and her parents. To say her parents were fuming would be understating it. He didn't particularly want to hear a room of screaming adults, so he was speed walking out quickly.

"Wow..." Hazel said, stunned. "At eleven years old, you took a punch for someone?!"

"Yep" Jacob replied. "Even better, I took down that bully by taking her punch."

"Ah yes, I remember the principal calling me to say that little bastard got expelled." Phoenix said. "Goddamn that was a satisfying ending."

Jacob responded with a nod. "Honestly though, if there is one thing that will stick me from that entire situation, it's what Phoenix and my parents said to me as we left."

Flashback...

Phoenix and Jacob's parents walked out of the building. Realising that Jacob and Trucy were walking slower. As they waited for the two children, they struck up a conversation.

"You've raised a good kid." Phoenix said to Jacob's parents. "Of course, I would've preferred if no one had to take a punch."

"Same." Jacob's mum replied. "I'm so sorry to hear that Trucy's been bullied. She seems like a such a nice girl."

"She's a strong girl." Phoenix added. "She'll never let anyone like that bully bring her down."

"And people say you're a cold hearted fraud of a lawyer?" Jacob's dad asked. "You're a good father! And your sense of justice still seems to exist!"

Despite the mention of his attorney past being a sore spot, Phoenix genuinely appreciated what Jacob's father said. "Thank you... It's nice to have a detective believe that."

Phoenix felt genuine happiness that he was still thought highly of. Before he could add to his statement, Jacob and Trucy finally emerged from the building, chatting away happily about the Steel Samurai. Trucy noticed that Phoenix was waiting for her, so she ran over to him.

"Hey Truce, How are you feeling?" Phoenix asked, enveloping her into a hug.

"It still stings a little, but it's ok." Trucy replied.

Phoenix turned his attention to Jacob. "You're definitely a child of the Sholmes name. You've got a very brave sense of justice. Thank you, for protecting my daughter."

"T...thank you, Trucy's dad." Jacob replied.

Phoenix laughed. "You can call me Phoenix." He turned his attention back to Trucy. "C'mon you, Let's get you home. We can stop at Eldoon's if you want?"

Trucy perked up. "Please!"

Phoenix nodded. "Gotcha." He turned his attention back to Jacob's parents. "I'll have to leave now. I hope to see you all again in the future."

"No problem, Phoenix." Jacob's dad said, as Phoenix began to leave. "Bye for now."

Jacob and his parents walked off in the opposite direction. As they got into their family car, Jacob's dad said something to Jacob.

"Let me tell you, you've done a very good deed." He began. "While you have unfortunately have suffered an injury for your deed, your shall bring you good karma in your life."

"Ok." Jacob responded.

"No matter what happens, both your mother and I are incredibly proud of you." Jacob's Dad said.

"Always remember that."

End flashback...

"That one punch, that one act of kindness I showed, has stuck with me ever since." Jacob said. "It started the most important friendships I've ever had."

Phoenix nodded. "You've been a great friend to her for a while now." He said. "By the way, does she know you're back?"

"No. I'm waiting for her to arrive her to surprise her" Jacob replied.

Phoenix smiled. "I like your thinking."

Before Phoenix could say anything else, the front door opened.

"Like, good morning, Athena!" The voice of Norville "Shaggy" Rogers said.

"Well then, looks like you've got some colleagues to meet." Phoenix said, holding out his hand one more time.

"Welcome to the team, Jacob Sholmes and Hazel Brown"

To Be Continued...