A/N: A brief note here to Tatiana.

First of all, thank you for the reviews. I love getting them.

Now, if this spoils anything for you (or any of my readers), my apologies. But FYI, this story is up, in its entire 42 chapters on Ao3, along with a one shot 'All I Want For Christmas'. However, please finish 'A New Order' before reading that one, or I swear to you it will make NO sense at all.

CHAPTER 23 - Beware The Coffee (or Looking For Home)

"Oh, not again?" Audrey lamented as she stepped up behind her bar counter in the early evening only to find a very unhappy looking Layton sitting in his favorite place, a small tumbler of amber liquid in front of him that he was looking at like it was indeed his last friend in the world.

Just from the looks of him Audrey was pretty sure that wasn't the first of his friends he had been talking to that evening.

Layton only cast a brief glance up at her before turning back to the glass.

Sighing dramatically, Audrey leaned over the bar, staring back at him.

"All right." She said. "What's she done to my poor Andre now?"

Layton slowly turned the glass around on the bar top. "What makes you think it's something she's done?"

"Because you're the one sitting here, not her. And when she's mad at you, she usually tosses you for the night."

"And what makes you think she's 'tossed me'?" Layton asked with the smallest touch of a smile for the woman.

Audrey pulled up a little so she could see over the bar. Looking down, she gave the suitcase sitting next to his chair a long look before slowly sliding back down over the bar top again until her feet rested back on the floor.

A knowing look was all that answered him.

Layton only turned his eyes to her. "Well, you're wrong." He answered her look.

"Your suitcase just got lonely and followed you here?"

Layton favored her with small laugh this time. "She didn't toss me, Audrey. I left."

Layton swore the woman on the other side of the counter top looked like she was about to have some sort of attack.

"Wha...what do you mean, 'I left'?" She stammered. "You...you walked out on her? Wha...why wou..." Audrey stopped talking and turned around. Within a matter of seconds Audrey snatched the tumbler out of his hand and a small white cup was quickly slid under his nose.

"Here's a new friend for you, Mr. Layton." She told him firmly. "It's name is 'coffee' and it really wants to get to know you better right now."

Layton quickly pulled up from the smell and frowned at it. He swore the steam alone could peel paint off the wall in the next car.

"Whoa, woman!" He stated. "When did we make a stop in Cuba?"

"That's my special brew." Audrey stated. "It's called 'Drink your dumba** sober and go apologize'."

"But I want to talk to my other friend some more. The one called 'I'd rather drink until I pass out on the counter."

Audrey slid the cup further towards him with a stern look.

Layton slid it back.

A deep frown now accompanied the look as the cup was slid a bit slower under his nose.

"Drink it or wear it." Audrey warned. "Because either way it gets the desired results." She added with a small smile.

Layton sighed, then lift the cup and cautiously took a sip. He immediately pulled up in his chair with a look like he had just been force fed a spoonful of turpentine.

"Geezzzz, Audrey!" He coughed. "That could knock an elephant off its feet."

"That's part of its appeal." She smiled at him.

"That it may kill you?"

"That it doesn't take much to sober you up."

Layton frowned at her as he put the cup back down on the bar top. "I'm not drunk."

"And I'm not running a bar on a train that constantly circles the globe after an apocalyptic freeze." Audrey replied. "Drink up!"

Layton sighed again as he wrapped his hands around the cup. The only good thing about Audrey's coffee as far as he was concerned was that it was warm.

"I'm not drunk, Audrey." He repeated. "I'm just tired."

Audrey gave him a questioning look. "Tired-tired, or tired of something or someone else?"

"I'm tired of trying to make this work with her, Audrey. Just when I think we've made some sort of progress forward, she seems bound and determined to drag us ten steps back."

Audrey gave him a small smile. "And I told you she wasn't easy, Andre. Just go ask Mr. Knox. You once told me you didn't think Melanie knew the meaning of the word 'afraid'. And I told you the one that isn't in her vocabulary is 'emotions'. But you seem to keep forgetting that."

"So what, I just treat her like an emotionless machine?"

"Sometimes that works pretty well with her. But when you hit the right button, you'd best be prepared."

"The right button?"

"Melanie has emotions, Andre. And you can reach them. The problem is, sometimes, when you do, you get an extremely overrated reaction because she's kept them bottled up for so long."

"Well, I sure hit the panic button tonight."

"So what happened?"

Layton slowly slid the cup back in Audrey's direction. "First, could you introduce this to one of my other friends? I think if they mixed and mingled a little, this stuff would start to be more sociable."

With a small sigh, Audrey took the cup and quickly poured it back in the pot behind the bar.

Layton immediately took notice of the action.

"SERIOUSLY?" He stated. "I drank some of that, Audrey!"

The woman simply gave a small shrug. "Trust me, nothing could live in this stuff." She replied as she brought the tumbler back up from underneath the bar.

Layton immediately grabbed it and, taking a drink, quickly began swishing it around in his mouth.

"It was a fresh pot!" Audrey emphasized as she raised an eyebrow at him.

Layton stopped, then mimicked her shrug and quickly swallow his improvised mouthwash.

"Now tell me what's going on." She repeated.

Layton gave a deep sigh this time. "You said it ten seconds ago, Audrey...'Trust me'. That's what it all comes down to with her. 'Trust'. And she doesn't."

"And we've had this discussion as well, Mr. Layton." Audrey reminded him. "It takes a very long time for Melanie to trust someone. And if something happens to shake that fragile foundation, she decompensates faster than you can say 'Oops!'."

Layton nodded as he took a sip of his drink.

"So, what caused her little back slip?"

"Ruth Wardell."

Audrey suddenly pulled back from the bar, holding up a finger for a moment with an extremely pained look. Reaching under the bar she pulled out a glass and a bottle of dark brown liquid and quickly filled the glass to the top. Recapping the bottle, she slowly leaned back over the bar on her arms as she took a long sip from her own cup.

"OK." She said. "Keep going."

"Ruth stuck her nose into our business and now Melanie has decided I'm the worse villain on this train...again."

"Well, that certainly clears it up." Audrey said, making a small circle on the counter with her finger as she sipped at her drink. "But I was wondering if you could maybe add a few more details?"

Layton leaned on his elbows on the bar. "Long story short, I told Ruth something I shouldn't have, and she repeated it to Melanie. End of story."

Audrey stood staring at him for a moment. "And I like long stories, Mr. Layton. Try again."

Layton sighed in exasperation. "All right. The long version is when Ruth was trying to push Melanie's execution sentence, I told her the only reason I was keeping Melanie alive was because she was the only one who new how to fix the train. And Ruth told that to Melanie."

Audrey simply stared back at him as she pulled back up with a somewhat blank expression. "Is that the truth?" She finally asked.

Layton paused before answering. "A few months ago, Audrey, I would have said 'yes'. And to a degree it's still true today. Except that isn't the only reason I want her alive. Yes, the train needs her. But...things have changed between us."

Audrey casually leaned over the counter again with that trademark smile. "Ooooooh, now things are getting good."

"She my FRIEND, Audrey." Layton emphasized.

The smile remained. "Whatever you say."

Layton just shook his head. "The rest of the story is simple. Ruth told Melanie, Melanie asked me if it was the truth, I told her..."

But Audrey suddenly cut him off with a hand slapped on the bar top as she pulled up again. "You DIDN'T say 'Yes'?"

"I don't lie to her, Audrey. That's the firmest rule between us. We don't lie to each other."

Audrey looked like she was all for reaching across the bar and slapping him out of the chair. But instead she grabbed his glass and shoved it back under the bar. Reaching behind her she poured another cup of the brown liquid into a cup and shoved it in front of him.

"Drink up and go apologize!" She stated.

Layton equally shoved the cup back. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

Audrey shoved it back. "And now you've done TWO things wrong. GO. APOLOGIZE!"

The cup made a return trip. "NO!"

For several seconds the stand off continued until Audrey finally backed off. Picking up the cup, she returned the contents to the pot and turned back to him.

"Well, we're not getting anywhere tonight, that much is certain." She stated. "So where are you staying?"

Layton glanced down at his suitcase for a moment. "I guess I'll go back to the Tail. I'm sure my old bunk is still available. I can stay there for now."

Audrey immediately squelched the idea. "You can't go back to the Tail, Andre. At least not to live. And I certainly wouldn't recommend to sleep there."

Layton frowned at her. "Audrey, I lived there for nearly seven years."

"But you haven't lived there for the last seven months."

"I've been down there."

"But you've never STAYED there, Andre." Audrey emphasized. "Listen to me. Things down there...they've changed."

"Aside from the obvious..., like what?"

"The people there have changed, Andre. There are still a lot of Tailies there. The people you knew and lived with. Those that were just too comfortable with their misery to leave or too stubborn. But others have moved to the Tail. First, Second, Third. Those who didn't learn the new rules fast enough."

Layton gave her a slightly confused look.

Audrey sighed in exasperation. "Aren't Lights and Pike keeping you even mildly up-to-date with their area of governing?" She asked. "A lot of the upper train people lost their cabins to Tailies, Andre. One way or the other. And with nowhere else to go, they found the ONLY place to go was the Tail. And a lot of those people feel there's only one person to blame for their sudden reversal of fortune."

Layton echoed her sigh. "Let me guess."

"Nothing would make them happier than a chance to return a little of their misery to you. To put it short, Mr. Layton, it's just not safe for you in the Tail anymore."

Layton stared back at her as he processed the information, finally giving her a deeper frown as he took a long draw off of his drink.

"I never thought I would see the day when I wasn't welcome in the Tail." He lamented.

"It's likely just until things settle down, Andre." Audrey console him. "And it's not all a bad thing that you don't go back there right now. I mean, you're showing up back in the Tail will surely start those tongues wagging like mad. And you don't need to be airing yours and Melanie's laundry for the whole train to gossip over."

"So where am I suppose to go?"

Audrey walked around the bar and, quickly grabbing his suitcase, snuck it back behind the bar. "The first thing we need to do is get this out of sight." She stated.

Layton quickly protested. "Audrey, it's practically the size of a briefcase. I doubt anyone..."

"...HASN'T noticed it, Andre. Trust me, since you sat down in that seat, it's been getting the same amount of stares you have. Possibly more."

Layton sighed once more as he turned back to his drink. "Fine. So, again, where am I suppose to stay?"

Audrey sat the suitcase up on the bar counter top and rested her arms on it. "Well, since your suitcase will probably just get lonely without you, I suppose you can stay here for now."

Layton quickly shook his head. "Audrey, I appreciate the offer, but I'm not going to..."

"...turn down my very kind and generous offer." Audrey finished for him. "I know. Now, do you remember where your room is from the last time?"

Layton sighed, but gave her a small smile just the same. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Off you go then. You look like you could use a good nights sleep."

Layton retrieved his suitcase off the bar top and trudged his way back to the rooms set up behind the club area. While originally intended for another purpose, Ms. Audrey had ingeniously turned the rooms into a money making venture, where several of her staff or anyone else needing a place to sleep for the night, could rent one of the rooms.

Finding his usual room, Layton cautiously opened the door, just in case. He wasn't entirely sure if Audrey rented this room out as well, or he and Melanie's fights were such routine that Audrey just kept the room open for him. Though he doubted the latter as he and Melanie had come to an agreement that she wasn't going to kick him out anymore when they had a fight. Thus forcing them to either settle the matter before they went to bed or, as he had that night, one of them simply chose to leave.

Finding the room empty, Layton sat his suitcase down on what equated to a mattress on the floor and pulled out his thermals. While the room wasn't of the quality or size of the one he shared with Melanie, it was comfortable enough for a few days, he figured. After that he hoped they had either settled the matter, or he would have to start looking for a more permanent place to live.

Getting dressed, he yawned as he finally set the suitcase aside and crawled into the bed. He seriously doubted he would get much sleep tonight. Even though it was in the back area of the Night Car, sound traveled well and the music was usually loud enough for him to be able to follow every note. But after a while his tired senses eventually succeeded in delegating the noise to simple background sound as he eventually managed to fall asleep for a least a few hours.