A/N: It's been a while. I've been busy with school and writing other things, but have been very slowly working on this chapter at the same time. It probably seems really short for having been over a month since the last one, but I'm hoping the next one will be quicker. I already have some of it written so that's a start. I haven't given up and am still very much obsessed with Ace Attorney, so no worries on me abandoning this.

So for this chapter, it kind of gets a little Klapollo-ish at times. Sorry if that's not your thing.


January 8th, 2029, 10:00 AM
Unknown Apartment

Apollo woke with a pounding headache and a hazy memory. He was squished onto a couch somewhere instead of in his guest bed back at Trucy's house. His vest and his tie were on the floor, but otherwise he was still fully dressed. He sat up, holding his head while he looked around and tried to discern where he was. He'd really gone overboard the night before. He hadn't been that drunk in a very, very long time. Maybe not ever.

The room was large and decorated with a weird assortment of things. The couch he was on was black leather, and a soft but heavy fur blanket was draped over him. The carpet was red and sort of ugly in Apollo's opinion, even as a lover of the colour red. There were strange paintings on the walls and even stranger statues standing in seemingly random spots. Whoever owned this place really needed to hire a new interior designer.

He spotted a glass of water and a bottle of ibuprofen on the glass coffee table in front of him, and he reached for them desperately. He popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it down with a sip of water, silently thanking the person who left them. He was slowly sipping the rest of the glass when Klavier opened the door and stepped into the room with a tray of food. Of course. Only Klavier Gavin could have such a terribly ugly apartment, and who else could it have been anyway? As far as Apollo could remember, Klavier was the one footing the bill for all the drinks the night before.

"Herr Forehead! You're awake!" Klavier grinned at him, already showered and dressed for the day. He looked a little different, more at home and comfy than the leather wearing rock star Apollo was so used to. His hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail instead of the normally neat twisted braid he always wore, and he was in jeans a black button up. It looked a little strange, but Apollo kind of liked it. It was nice to see Klavier laid back for once, and not channeling the Gavinners front man.

He brought the tray of food into the room and set it down on the coffee table, then sat down beside Apollo on the couch. "Breakfast in bed for the sleeping beauty. I thought you were never going to get up."

Apollo looked down at the food. It looked surprisingly delicious, and he was hungry. He picked up a piece of perfectly browned toast and began buttering it. "Is this your place?" Apollo asked.

Klavier nodded. "Ja. I didn't know where you were staying and you were so drunk that I couldn't even understand you when you kept trying to tell me, so I brought you home last night. You were, well, how should I say it? Smashed. You're not much of a drinker normally, are you?"

"Heh. I guess not. I hope I didn't give you too much trouble."

Klavier waved a hand. "Not at all. How much do you remember?"

Apollo took a bite of his toast and thought. "Not much. I remember telling you practically my entire life story at the cafe, and then we went to that bar downtown and you bought us some shots. Everything is a blur after that."

"Ah, so you don't remember."

"Remember what?"

"Nothing of importance," Klavier said, taking his own plate from the tray and cutting up his egg whites.

Apollo wanted to ask again what he'd forgotten, but he heard a whining noise and looked up from his plate. "What was that?"

"Hm? Oh. That's Vongole."

"Who's Vongole?"

"My dog. She's probably out in the hallway begging to come in because she knows there's food."

"You have a dog?"

"Ja. She was my brother's dog. I took her when he went to prison."

They both heard scratching at the door, and another high pitched whine. "Why don't you let her in?" Apollo said. "I don't mind dogs."

Klavier shrugged. "If you're sure." He went to the door and opened it up, allowing the yellow lab to enter the room. She bounded inside, tongue hanging and nose sniffing the air. She spotted Apollo and the food right away, and padded up to him. She stopped before jumping on him and sat down, keeping a nice distance from the food but staring at Apollo as if expecting something.

Apollo reached out a hand to pat her head. "She's really well behaved, Klavier. I thought she'd at least try to jump up on me."

"My brother had her trained well," Klavier said as he approached. "Normally she wouldn't even have whined at the door, but I let her get away with more than my brother ever did. She's just too cute to get mad at," he said, kneeling beside her and squishing her face in his hands. He made a smoochy face at her, and her tongue flicked out to lick his cheek.

Apollo chuckled at the sight and picked up a strip of his bacon. "Can I feed her?"

"Sure, why not? Just not too much."

Apollo broke the bacon in half and held out a piece for the dog. She sniffed it, and took it gingerly from his hand. Her tongue barely touched his fingers, let alone her teeth. Apollo smiled and patted her again while she munched.

Klavier took his seat again. "Herr Forehead, are you going to go see your mother today?"

Apollo sighed. He'd been hoping to avoid that topic of conversation. "I don't know."

"You should. You're going to have to eventually. Don't do what she did to you and put it off because you're scared. Whether or not the outcome is good, you have to get things out in the open. You have to talk about it, give her a chance to explain and then decide whether or not her explanation was good enough." He looked away. "That's what I did with Kristoph. I gave him a chance to explain why he did what he did, except his excuses weren't good enough. I hope for your sake, Lamiroir has a good reason and you can forgive her. It's much easier to forgive someone than to have to cut ties with them." He shook his head and smiled again, though it looked a little forced. "Not to mention, I'm sure Fräulein Wright is waiting for you to come home now that you know you're siblings. She'll want to spend more time with you before you go back to Khura'in."

Apollo nodded. "I know… I will go today. I have to anyway, since I'm supposed to go back to Khura'in at the end of the week."

"Oh. So soon?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. I mean, I love it there, but after this week I feel like I need more time here. I can't stay any longer though, I have to go back. I've been away long enough. I took on a huge responsibility when I decided to stay there, so I really have no choice." He popped his piece of bacon into his mouth and chewed. "I guess I should go back to Mr. Wright's house first," he said once he'd swallowed. "That's where I was staying, by the way."

Klavier nodded. "I guess 'I'm going to Mr. Wright's house' does make more sense than 'I'm going to fight that mouse'."

Apollo snorted. "Yeah. He recently bought a house with his girlfriend, and Trucy lives with them, so I was staying in a guest room there." He smiled playfully. "It was nicer than this place. I thought you were a rock star, Gavin. Where's the lavish guest bedroom I should've had here?"

"This is also downtown Los Angeles, Herr Forehead," Klavier shot back. "Even for a former rock star, apartments in L.A. are expensive and small." He leaned forward and lowered his voice ever so slightly. "But if you really want to stay in a lavish bedroom, I could show you mine sometime."

Apollo almost choked on his next bite of bacon. He never really understood why Trucy would sometimes giggle after a trial and say something like "Prosecutor Gavin was flirting with you again today, Polly". He knew Klavier liked to tease him and make remarks that could maybe be construed as suggestive if you looked too much into it, but Apollo never really got the impression that he was actually being flirted with.

At least not until now. Hell, combined with the look Klavier was giving him, that sounded like a bona fide offer. Perhaps he was just completely clueless, and all those times he brushed Klavier off as trying to get a rise out of him, Klavier was legitimately trying to get his attention? But that was ridiculous. Klavier Gavin was a very good looking man, a famous celebrity who could get any woman or man he wanted. Why would someone like Klavier ever be interested in him that way?

Apollo leaned back to put some distance between them and cleared his throat, blushing despite himself. "N-No thank you."

Klavier sat back too. Apollo hardly ever reacted to his flirtations, but he was suddenly very flustered. "Sorry, Herr Forehead. I'm only kidding. You know how I like to tease you."

"Y-Yeah… You always have."

Klavier held out a piece of his own bacon for Vongole, who took it happily. "If you want to shower, I can show you to the bathroom."

Apollo shook his head quickly and pushed away his plate, which was only half finished. "That's okay. I'll grab a taxi back to Trucy's and just shower there. Thanks for the offer though." He stood up and picked up his vest and tie from the floor. "Really, thanks, Klavier. I might not remember much of last night but it was nice to tell someone on the outside about what's going on. I appreciate you making sure I was okay last night, too."

"It was my pleasure, Herr Forehead."

Apollo shifted. It seemed like there was more to be said, but Klavier wasn't offering anything up, and neither was he. He reached into his vest pocket and found his cell phone, still charged about half way. He opened up his contacts and held the phone out to Klavier. "Here. Can you enter your phone number? I don't have it."

Klavier raised his eyebrows and reached for the phone. "What for?"

Apollo shrugged. "In case I need someone to hang out with next time I'm in town. I also have an international calling and texting plan now, so you can call or text me whenever, even when I'm in Khura'in. You know, if you ever just want to talk."

Klavier smiled. "Alright. I'll be sure to do that." He handed the phone back to Apollo. "I hope things work out between you and your mother, Herr Forehead. Have a good flight back to Khura'in when you go."

"Thanks. I'll be going now. Um… which way do I go?"

Klavier chuckled and stood up to walk Apollo out.


January 8th, 2029, 11:30 AM
Fey-Wright Residence

Due to traffic, the cab ride back out into the country where his boss now lived took a little longer than usual, but everyone was still home when he walked in the door. In fact, the entire family was seated in the living room watching TV and turned around to look at him as he walked in. He felt awkward, walking in like he'd just taken a walk of shame home from a rock star's apartment after a drunken night out, especially with Pearl and Maya there, two people he wasn't exactly used to spending a lot of time with yet.

Trucy was the first to move. She jumped out of her chair and ran up to him to wrap him in a hug. "Polly! I was worried! Where were you all night?!"

"Please tell me you slept at the office and didn't waste money on a hotel room, Apollo," Phoenix said.

"No, I stayed with a friend."

Trucy stepped back. "What friend? We called Athena and asked if you went back to the office to stay with her and she said she hadn't seen you."

"It wasn't Athena," Apollo said, sitting down in Trucy's vacated seat. She pouted when she realized he'd stolen her seat, but quickly made herself comfortable by plopping herself in Phoenix's lap. He rolled his eyes, but he made no attempt to make her move.

"Well, who then? You don't have any other friends," she said.

Apollo looked away. He didn't know why he felt so embarrassed admitting it. Nothing happened. He didn't want anything to happen either. Of course not. Never. Not with Klavier Gavin. "I met Prosecutor Gavin last night," he finally said. "We kind of went drinking. And I went back to his apartment after because he didn't know where I was staying and I was really drunk."

Trucy giggled behind her hand, but caught the look Apollo was giving her and stopped. She cleared her throat. "Ah. I see."

"You went and got drunk last night?" Phoenix said. "I guess I don't blame you but really. You could've called."

Apollo felt himself getting annoyed. "Sorry, Mr. Wright. You might be my sister's dad, but you're not mine. You're not my boss anymore either, so I don't need to report everything I'm doing to you."

Phoenix closed his mouth and patted Trucy's knee. She hopped off of him and he got up. "You're right. Sorry, Apollo. I don't know what your plans are, but if you want to see Thalassa today, she's staying at the Gatewater Hotel across from the office. I have some paperwork to finish from the trial the other day, so I'll be in my office." With that, he left.

Maya and Pearl felt suddenly out of place without Phoenix there with them, so Maya stood up as well. "Well, Pearly and I have to go to Kurain for a meeting with the Elders this afternoon. We should probably get going now that we know you're safe, Apollo."

Pearl nodded. "I'm glad you're back too, Mr. Apollo."

The two of them practically ran to the front door where they threw on their coats and left the house to walk to the closest bus station. Apollo sat back in his chair and sighed. "I chased everyone out."

Trucy pursed her lips. "It's okay, Polly, I get it. Really. I know my circumstances aren't the same as yours, but Thalassa hurt me as well by admitting she knew about us for the past three years and didn't say anything. I just decided to forgive her."

"How can you forgive her so quickly though, Trucy?"

She shrugged. "I figure, why bother being angry at her for the past when she's here now? She seems to genuinely regret her choice not to tell us sooner. We should just use this opportunity to get to know her. We've been given a second chance that a lot of kids don't get."

He rubbed a hand over his face. "You're right. I should be happy."

Trucy smiled. "It's fine to be upset, Polly. But you should at least go talk to her yourself. And…"

"Yeah?"

"Try not to be too mad at my Daddy. He feels bad. He's already apologized to me about ten times since last night. He's looked out for you, hasn't he?"

Apollo crossed his arms. "I suppose, after he got his badge back. Before that he was kind of an ass, no offense."

Trucy giggled. "None taken. He was having a hard time back then, juggling his investigation into his disbarment, taking care of me, and his relationship with Maya. It got to him, I think, so he was a little on edge all the time, and he tried to hide it by acting all aloof like nothing bothered him."

Apollo's look softened. Back then Phoenix had been no more than an acquaintance who showed up at random intervals to spout some strange nonsense at him only to disappear again, so Apollo had no inkling of what was happening in his personal life. It wasn't until Phoenix became a lawyer again that Apollo began to think of him as a friend. "I'll apologize to him."

She shrugged. "You don't have to. He'll probably just tell you he deserved it anyway. I would just try not to be so hard on him from now on."

"I guess I can do that." They were quiet for a few seconds, until Apollo heaved a sigh. "Alright. I'm going to go shower. Then I'll go see Thalassa."

"I'll come with you, if you want."

He shook his head and started to stand. "I think I need to talk to her alone right now, but thanks for offering."

Trucy smiled. "Okay. Hey, Polly? Can I ask you one more thing?"

He turned back around. "Sure, what?"

"Did you have fun with Prosecutor Gavin last night?" she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Apollo flushed. "Don't start that! Nothing happened!"

Trucy got up and ran after him as he headed towards the bathroom. "Come ooon, Apollo, tell me! I'm your sister, you can trust me! I know he likes you!"

"Truce, I'm serious. Nothing happened, and I was drunk anyway. He was just… being nice, is all."

"Hm hm hmmm, nice, huh?"

"Shut up!" he said, slamming the bathroom door behind him.

He could hear Trucy giggling out in the hall. "At least tell me you finally got his number," she called through the door.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I got his number."

"Good going, Polly! I'll high five you later!" she said, giggling some more as she headed down the hall to her room.


January 8th, 2029, 1:15 PM
Gatewater Hotel, Room 415

Thalassa turned the page in her book even though she couldn't have told someone what she'd just read on the previous page. Her mind was occupied only with her children. She was beyond lucky that Trucy forgave her so quickly, even though she felt like she didn't deserve her forgiveness. But it had been so nice to go out to dinner with her knowing full well that she wasn't just dining with a friend she met on a murder case a few years ago, but with her mother. They were still in an awkward stage where Trucy wasn't sure whether to call her 'Thalassa' or 'mom', but Thalassa didn't mind that. Trucy could decide for herself when she was comfortable enough to call her mom again, if ever. Thalassa now knew about Phoenix's other half as well, and she wasn't exactly sure how close this Maya Fey and Trucy were. She was happy Trucy had another woman to look up to, even if it wasn't her, and she didn't want to intrude on their relationship if she could help it. She hoped to meet this Maya someday. Phoenix had talked about her at great length during their dinner the night before and he made her sound like quite an interesting woman.

Thalassa had been more than happy to have Phoenix join them for dinner if only because it made conversation a little easier, though she had a feeling that even if he wasn't invited, he would have invited himself. It was always clear to Thalassa how much Phoenix loved Trucy, and that he was rather protective of her, even with her own mother. She couldn't blame him for that. She was glad Trucy had ended up with someone like him to take care of her after Zak's disappearance and subsequent death. Overall dinner had been nice, and she and Trucy now had plans to go shopping within the next few weeks.

Now she was worried about Apollo. She completely understood his anger, and she wouldn't blame him if he never spoke to her again. She only wanted to know that he was safe. She had no idea where he went the night before, and the last time she spoke to Phoenix, he hadn't heard from him yet either. She just needed to know that he was okay and hadn't done anything reckless because of her. She didn't truly believe he would, for Trucy's sake, but she couldn't help worrying.

She placed her book down on the table in front of her and looked around the hotel room. There wasn't much to do, but she didn't know the Los Angeles area enough to go out and do something on her own, and she didn't want to contact Trucy again so soon. She had to let her set the pace and not try to force herself back into her life.

She picked up the photo she'd set on the coffee table to study it yet again. It was the copied photo of Jove Justice that Phoenix had been nice enough to give her. It was framed now, and she brought it everywhere with her. Apollo had grown into such a handsome man, just like Jove. He looked just like his dad. She missed Jove terribly. She still felt like he was her one true love. Zak Gramarye had been a fine enough man, her father certainly approved more of Zak than he ever had Jove, but she never felt the same way about Zak as she had Jove. Now they were both gone, and her children were the only proof she'd ever been tied to either of them.

She was still studying the photo when there was a knock on her door. She got up expecting someone from the hotel walking around giving away free bottles or water or something similar. When she opened the door she was instead greeted by a smiling face.

"Are you Thalassa Gramarye? Otherwise known as Lamiroir?"

"Um, yes?"

The smile dropped from the man's face and Thalassa looked down as he raised his hand, just in time to see the shiny metal glint of a gun. All she managed to do was gasp before a gunshot rang out in the hallway of the Gatewater Hotel.


January 8th, 2029, 1:34 PM
Gatewater Hotel

Apollo nervously made his way into the elevator and hit the button for the fourth floor. Trucy told him it was room 415 and had given him a keycard that Thalassa let her borrow in case she wasn't there when he arrived. It was better than standing out in the hallway waiting for her, he just hoped she wouldn't mind that he let himself in while she wasn't there.

After a few stops to let others off on different floors, he finally made it to the fourth. He headed down the hallway towards number 15 and stopped outside the doorway. He lifted a hand to knock, taking a deep breath as he did so. He knocked twice and waited a few seconds, but there was no answer or noise from the other side of the door. It figured she would be out once he'd worked up the nerve to see her.

He looked down to take his wallet from his back pocket in order to grab the keycard, but his eye caught something on the floor. It looked like something dark was spilled on the other side of the door and was seeping underneath into the grey carpet in the hallway. He bent down and tentatively reached toward the wet mark, his hand already shaking. Someone must have spilled wine, or grape juice, maybe when they were delivering it to the room? He told himself that even though he knew before his finger even touched the sticky mess what it actually was. When he pulled his finger back and looked at it, it was red.

His heart immediately leapt into his throat, and he scrambled for the keycard in his wallet to unlock the door. He pushed on it, but there was something on the other side keeping it closed. He managed to push it open far enough that he could peek inside. Someone was on the floor in front of the door, their body like a weight keeping it closed. He pushed a little harder, the adrenaline now coursing through him making it easier, and managed to squeeze himself into the opening. He stepped over the body and turned around, knowing full well who it was but not wanting to believe it.

Thalassa was lying on her side, her brown hair tossed over her face, and her white dress soaked through with red. Apollo dropped to his knees and pulled on her shoulder to roll her onto her back. "No. No, no, no. This can't be happening," he mumbled, his eyes blurring with tears. He brushed her hair from her face and pressed two shaky fingers to her neck, hoping and praying that he'd feel a pulse.

There was one. It was faint, but it was there. "Oh god, mom. You can't die. Please don't die!" He got up and ran to the bathroom, grabbed all the towels from the towel rack, and sprinted back into the room to fall to his knees beside her again. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialled 9-1-1, then set the phone to speaker and dropped it beside him. There was a lot of blood, but it looked like it was originating from the lower half of her body, and when he felt around a bit he found the wound. He grabbed a towel and pressed it against her, holding it down and adding as much pressure as he could.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

"I need an ambulance and police at the Gatewater Hotel, room 415, right away! Someone's been shot!"

"Alright, sir," the operator said. "We're sending someone your way. Are they still breathing?"

"Yes, barely. She has a pulse, but it's faint, and there's a lot of blood already. I'm applying pressure to the wound but it's already soaked through one towel," he said, adding the second towel on top. "Please just hurry. She's my mother!"

"Okay, sir, just remain calm. Paramedics are on their way, just try to keep that pressure on the wound."

Apollo could hardly see through his tears as he added a third towel to the wound and pressed down even harder.


January 8th, 2029, 2:30 PM
Hospital Waiting Room

Apollo was pacing the waiting room when Phoenix finally arrived with a tearful Trucy in tow. As soon as she laid on eyes on him, she sprinted to him to engulf him in a hug. He hugged her back as Phoenix approached. Apollo had managed to dry his eyes, but seeing Trucy's tears was making it hard to continue keeping his at bay.

"How is she, Apollo?" Phoenix asked. Apollo noticed his eyes flick down and widen slightly, before looking back up at him.

Trucy let go of him and stared up, hoping for good news. "She's in surgery," Apollo told them. "Apparently she was shot in the lower left abdomen, so they're hoping the bullet didn't hit any major organs. They did say if I had been any later, she would have bled out." He squeezed his eyes shut. "If I hadn't been so stupid and stubborn and had gone to see her earlier she wouldn't have been alone."

Phoenix placed a hand on Apollo's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. "Don't say that, Apollo. This isn't your fault. Never think that."

Apollo looked back up. "Did they find the person who did it?"

Phoenix shook his head. "I'm sorry, they didn't. Not yet. Detective Gumshoe said they're going to keep looking."

Apollo clenched his fists. "Why didn't anyone help her?! There was a gunshot inside a hotel and no one else called the cops before I got there?"

"They were probably scared," Phoenix explained. "People tend to mind their own business when it comes to crime, especially in this city, so that they don't end up hurt or involved somehow. And no one likes to be a helpful witness in our courts, we both know that."

Apollo led the still sniffling Trucy to the chairs and they sat down together. Phoenix sat on the other side of her and glanced worriedly at Apollo again.

"Will she be okay, Daddy?" Trucy asked through her tears.

He looked down at her. "I don't know, Truce," Phoenix told her honestly, wrapping an arm around her. This only made her cry harder, and she turned to hug him, burying her face in his chest. He patted her back comfortingly and looked back at Apollo over her head. "Apollo… Your hands."

Apollo looked down and swallowed at the mess. He'd never washed his hands after arriving at the hospital, he was so worried. They were covered in dried blood, and the knees of his pants were darker with red stains where he'd kneeled in the puddle of blood beside Thalassa in the hotel room. His eyes began to swim with tears again.

"Apollo." He looked back up, finding the steadiness of Phoenix's voice somehow comforting. "Go wash your hands. I'll stay here with Trucy, in case something happens."

Apollo nodded dumbly. "Okay, Mr. Wright. I'll be right back…"

Phoenix watched Apollo walk slowly down the hallway in search of a bathroom. When he was out of sight, Phoenix reached into his pocket to grab his phone. Trucy pulled away. "What are you doing, Daddy?"

"I'm just going to call Maya to let her know what happened."


Once inside the bathroom it was impossible for Apollo to hold in his tears any longer. He'd cried at the hotel room, cried in the ambulance, and cried in the waiting area before telling himself he needed to stop before Trucy arrived. But it was hard. What if Thalassa didn't make it? She would die thinking he hated her, that he wanted nothing to do with his own mother. After his father, after Clay, and after Dhurke, Apollo wasn't sure he could handle another death. Not to mention Trucy had been so happy and she'd been through enough already. When was it going to stop? Thalassa just couldn't die. She couldn't.

He managed to yank his bracelet off in order to rinse it under the sink, then set it aside to go about washing his hands. He pumped a handful of the antibacterial soap into his palm and began scrubbing, practically up to his elbows, then watched the red water swirl down the drain as he rinsed his hands. He slipped the bracelet back on when he was finished. There was nothing he could do about the blood stains on his pants until he got a change of clothes.

He turned the sink back on and splashed some water on his face, then leaned against the counter to take some deep breaths. He couldn't go back out there yet.

He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket as he stood there. He didn't feel like he even had the energy to answer it, but reached into his pants pocket to retrieve it anyway. One look at the screen told him it was Klavier Gavin. Normally the fact that the prosecutor was texting him only a few hours after he left the other's home would have annoyed Apollo, but now he found it was a welcome distraction. The message was just a bunch of silly emojis to confirm that the numbers they exchanged were correct, and it made him feel slightly better for at least a few seconds. That was better than nothing.

Apollo tapped out a reply. He took his time. Klavier had known Lamiroir personally, he wrote a song with her and performed with her, so he couldn't just dump the information about the attack on him via text message, but he felt like Klavier should know.

By the time Apollo got around to telling Klavier that "something happened", Klavier was calling him directly. So he answered the phone, and told Klavier about the incident.

Immediately he insisted on coming to the hospital to visit and for moral support. Apollo didn't want Klavier to see him in such a mess; crying and covered in blood, but found himself unable to say no. So he asked Klavier to bring him a change of clothes, and said he would meet him in the waiting area of the hospital.


A/N: I'm so sorry. I really wasn't planning this until I got right up to the moment Thalassa answered the door. It was going to be Apollo at the door, but then my brain was like "you know what you could do instead..."