Chapter Ten

Mai let out a soft yawn and stretched her arms above her head. She looked at the clock and sighed. It was nearly eleven but the office was empty. Oliver and Lin were both off doing who knows what, and Yasuhara had the day off. She couldn't believe it was already Friday; her first week at BSPR had flown by.

She looked at her empty desk. Everything was filed and organized. She wished there was something she could do to pass the time. She already thoroughly read Oliver's book so she couldn't even pass the time by reading.

Suddenly a thought came to her. She remembered Lin telling her Oliver had written six books. Standing up from her desk, she cautiously looked around the office. After confirming she was alone she slowly opened up Oliver's office door and made her way to his bookcase. After a moment of searching she found the books he had written on the bottom shelf. It surprised her slightly that he didn't have them on display for the world to see, but instead kept them nearly out of sight. Kneeling on the floor, she trailed her fingers delicately over the spines of the books. They were sorted by chronological order of when he had written them. Her fingers stopped on the second book and she gently slid it from its place. Turning the leather-bound book in her hands, she admired the cover and smiled when she saw the golden letters that were his name. Opening the cover gently, she noticed the pages were in pristine condition. Noting their condition she sighed in defeat and was about to close the book when she spotted the dedication.

For Gene.

She wondered who Gene was and slowly closed the book before putting it back in its place. Judging by their condition, she came to the conclusion that these must have been a private collection of his not meant to be read, like some sort of personal trophy.

"I guess I'll just have to go to the bookstore later," she decided and rose from her place on the ground, dusting off her black leggings and straightening her blouse. Taking a deep breath she furrowed her brows when she realized how stale the air was in the office. "Would it kill him to let some fresh air in here from time to time?"

She raised a finger as she thought of something and quickly left the room. Within seconds she returned with the potted pothos plant from her own desk and placed it on an empty space on his bookshelf happily, admiring how the vines cascaded down.

"There we go!" she said proudly while wiping her hands together. "Let the cleansing of the air commence!"

The sound of the front door opening caught her attention and she quickly made her way out of her boss's office, silently closing the door behind her. She wondered if it was Madoka coming to start their training.

A woman's voice reached her ears. "Oh bother, I forgot Yasuhara took the day off today. What a shame, I wanted to catch up with him. I haven't seen him in ages!"

Mai made her way to the main lobby and was greeted by the sight of a man and a woman she had never seen before. The woman was beautiful; tall and slender with pale skin and blonde hair pulled back into a neat bun. She wore a pair of black heels, a form fitting black dress, and a fashionable black trench coat. Her lips were painted red, contrasting the deep blue of her eyes. The man to her right was even taller. His brown hair was beginning to grey, hinting at his age. He had a well groomed beard and glasses. Mai had to admit he was rather attractive for an older man. He wore a slim grey suit and long trench coat as well. Mai could tell from the worn creases around his eyes that he was a kind man.

"Luella, dear, you saw him just three days ago," he chuckled as he shrugged off his trench coat.

"Oh Martin, a lot can happen in three days. And, I love you dearly, but you're not known for your lengthy conversations," the woman pouted and kissed the man on one of his scruffy cheeks.

Mai knocked lightly on the doorframe next to her, drawing their attention. "Good morning," she smiled. "You must be Oliver's parents. I'm-"

"Mai!" the woman beamed and quickly made her way over to the brunette, her heels clacking as she ran, and pulled her into a hug. Mai laughed shyly. Everyone really liked to hug here, she noted. "Madoka has told me so much about you! I've been so excited to meet you. Please call me Luella."

"Hello Luella," she said, bowing slightly in greeting to the woman before doing the same to her husband. "Hello Mr. Davis. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Mr. Davis, who had his hands casually in his pockets, held one out to her in greeting. The creases next to his eyes deepened as he smiled. "Martin is fine. Welcome aboard."

Luella placed her hands on Mai's arms happily. "Madoka's words didn't do you justice! What a looker! And I hear you have brains to match," she said cheekily while shimmying her shoulders.

Mai laughed in embarrassment. "Nothing compared to your son," she joked and her eyes widened after realizing what she said. "The brains I mean!"

"Ooo I like her," she gleefully called to her husband. "When Noll told us he hired a young woman as his assistant I could have sworn he was lying to us. He's told us for years he had no need for one!"

Martin nodded. "Yes, and I hear there's more to you than meets the eye. Madoka told us the news about how she and Lin will be helping you with your first round of training. Would you mind having a chat with me about those abilities of yours?"

Luella nudged him with her elbow and shot him a look. "No experiments on the new hires. I swear, you're just like your son."

Martin shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Who said anything about experimenting? I'm just curious as to what type of abilities she possesses in order to catch our son's attention, that's all. You know how oblivious he is to people most of the time."

Luella rolled her eyes and laced an arm through one of Mai's. "You can have her when I'm finished. You'll get to spend more time with her anyway since your office is here."

Mai couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the whirlwind that was Oliver's parents. They were sweet beyond compare but she felt like a new toy being tugged on between two children. She chuckled to herself as Luella steered her to her desk in the other room. The woman was quick to drag a chair from her son's office and set it next to Mai's desk.

Sitting down with as much grace as Audrey Hepburn, the woman rested her chin on her perfectly manicured fingers and crossed her legs. "Tell me about yourself, Mai."

Mai was at a loss of what to say. "W-What would you like to know?"

"Anything. Everything! When did you come to England? Why?" she inquired enthusiastically.

Smiling, Mai began by telling her about her reasonings for choosing England. Something about the place called to her, like her future was here. She talked about working at Cambridge and how she met Oliver. The woman's eyes sparkled gleefully as Mai told her about her encounters with Oliver and how she helped with a case due to one of her dreams and thus was offered this position.

Luella's smile softened into a motherly one. "That boy surprises me more and more every day," she whispered to herself before looking back to Mai and studied her up and down. "Do you enjoy working here so far?"

Mai nodded fervently. "Absolutely. It's the best job I've ever had."

Bright red lips pulled into a large grin. "Good. My son likes to pretend he can do things all by himself, sure he's got the brains, but that doesn't make him invincible. I have a feeling you're just what we need here. I've also heard you aren't afraid to put your foot down with him," the woman winked.

Mai smiled awkwardly and played with her nails, trying to think of something to say.

"Keep it up. I can see a change in him already and it's only been a week," Luella laughed. She took a deep breath and sighed, her demeanor growing more serious. "Noll mentioned some of the things you've experienced through your dreams." She reached a hand out and placed it over Mai's. "I just want you to know I am always here if you ever need someone to talk to about them. I know he has you writing in that little book of his but it's not the same as therapeutically talking about it. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to never be able to talk to someone."

Mai looked at the woman's hands covering her own and felt a pain in her chest. This woman... she had only known her for mere minutes and yet Mai felt as if she were taking her under her wing. The ache in her chest grew and she missed her mother dearly in that moment. Taking a deep breath to keep her eyes from watering, she smiled up at the woman. "Thank you. I would really appreciate that."

"Anything I can do to help, you're one of us now," the woman smiled. "You know...I truly do think you will be the perfect fit here." Luella stared at her with an unreadable expression. "Are you currently seeing anyone? Romantically, I mean."

Mai's mouth fell open in shock. "U-um, well, no."

"Really? A stunning little thing like you with powers to boot and you're unattached?" Luella pressed eagerly.

Mai blushed and looked away. "It might be hard to image, but most men find me...odd?"

"Oh, rubbish! How so?" Luella gawked.

Mai rubbed the back of her neck. Her blush deepened. She really hadn't planned on having such a conversation with her boss' mother. "Well, apparently having dreams and visions of dead people isn't really much of a turn on?"

To her surprise Luella smirked coyly. "Or maybe you've been looking in the wrong place. So would you say your experience with dating is limited?"

Mai wanted to disappear. How did this conversation go from talking about her dreams to her dating life in a matter of minutes?

"Luella," Martin's warning tone echoed through the room.

The woman's head snapped in his direction and she gave a guilty smile. "Yes, dear?"

"You know what," the man scolded.

The woman abruptly stood and looked at her watch. "Oh, would you look at the time. I have a meeting with the O'Connors, I really must be going! It was wonderful to meet you, dear," she called out to Mai. The brunette watched as the woman hurriedly gathered her things before kissing her husband on the cheek. "Toodaloo!"

Martin sighed when he heard the front door close behind her. "Forgive her. She can be a bit much at times and gets easily carried away."

"It's alright. I can tell she means well," Mai smiled back at the man.

Martin nodded awkwardly. She could tell he was slightly more reserved than his outgoing wife. "Oh yes, Madoka just called, she said she will be here momentarily."

Mai nodded, "Okay, thank you for letting me know."

After a moment of silence, the man turned to her again. "So, you can really see spirits as if they are regular people?"

She laughed at his genuine interest. "Yes, apparently. I hadn't even realized until the end of the case. Oliver says he thinks I am a medium, hence the training."

Martin looked like a child meeting a celebrity. "Very interesting. After you get settled in a bit more, would you mind coming to the lab someday? We obviously have our experiences with mediums but each is different in their own way with their own specialties. True mediums are actually somewhat rare to come by."

Mai smiled in agreement. "That sounds smashing, as long as it is alright with Oliver and Madoka."

"True. Madoka will most likely be bringing you to the lab someday next week anyway so we can talk about it then."

The sound of the door opening again grabbed their attention and within seconds Madoka turned the corner, holding her belly with one hand and a sour disposition.

"I am beyond ready for this little fellow to get out. Do you know how long it took me just to get out of the bloody car?" She looked down at her stomach. "You hear that, baby? Mummy loves you, but she needs her body back. Thank you for being a dear and keeping Mai company until I arrived, Martin," she said, patting the man on the shoulder as she walked by.

Martin took that as his cue to leave and turned to Mai. "Pleasure meeting you, my dear. We'll talk soon."

Mai waved as he exited the room and made his way into his office.

Madoka turned to her and sighed. "Is he already recruiting you for lab testing? Just know you don't have to if you don't want to."

A small laugh escaped Mai's lips. "It's quite alright. If I can help him in his research and learn more about my abilities while at it then I don't mind."

Madoka smirked fondly. "You're well on your way to being the Davis's new favorite pet. Just wait until you meet Luella."

"I met her this morning," Mai smiled at the memory. "She's a wonderful woman. A little forward, but wonderful nonetheless."

"A little forward is an understatement," Madoka muttered. "Well then, let's get to it, shall we?"

"Right now?" Mai wondered.

"We're on limited time," the woman said while pointing to her stomach. "The sooner the better."

The brunette laughed in agreement. "Let's begin."

Madoka settled herself further into her chair. "Unlike the others I do not possess any powers myself. However, much to my pleasure, Oliver sees it fit that I train you as much as I can before my husband takes over. I was the one who trained Noll after all. I help when they are stuck on a case; I'm quite skilled at putting the pieces together and noticing details the others have overlooked. They also have me do the research on locations and people but Yasu has been over for me the past month or so."

"So you do a lot of the behind the scenes work," mai repeated.

"Precisely!" Madoka beamed proudly. "That boy is a genius but sometimes that big brain of his makes him look at things too intently; you'd be surprised at some of the things he has overlooked in the past." The woman reached into her large handbag and pulled out a binder. "Here! Study this. It has important terminology. Many of the pages even have case files as evidence to help you learn. If you really want to impress Noll, try to memorize as much as you can. I wouldn't put it past him to give you a pop quiz."

Mai looked at the maroon haired woman incredulously. "You think he would?"

"You don't?" Madoka stared at her skeptically.

Mai patted the binder on her desk. "I'll start it tonight."

"Good. That will be in your free time. As for our one-on-one training, let's begin by learning how to dissect those dreams of yours, shall we?"

Before Mai knew it, another week had flown by. Under Madoka's tutelage she had already learned so much more than she had originally expected. She was still only learning the technicalities and terminology but she had a better sense on how her powers could evolve one day. Madoka helped her by explaining that her postcognitive dreams are like a play. The more she learned about her dreams the more she could learn to control them like a stage manager; such as changing a scene or the lighting onto what is truly important in a case. Mai hoped one day she would be able to control her dreams with such control.

The brunette was staring at her desk, lost in thought about her training when a cool voice called out behind her.

"Definition: astral projection," Oliver quizzed.

Mai quickly snapped her head in his direction, slightly embarrassed at being caught daydreaming. He was leaning against the doorframe of his office casually, with his arms crossed over his chest. Realizing he was quizzing her again she furrowed her brows and focused.

"'Astral projection: an out-of-body experience in which the soul or consciousness separates from the physical body and is capable of traveling outside of said body."

After reciting the definition she looked up at the man waiting for validation. The dark-haired man gave her the slightest hint of a smile and she knew she had answered correctly.

"You're getting better," his deep voice stated calmly as he looked through some papers in his hand.

Mai pretended to straighten something on her desk, humbly attempting to hide the proud smile plastered across her face. "Well, this is probably the hundredth definition you've asked me this week, I'd sure hope I would have improved."

"Seventy-eight," he corrected.

She looked up at him with a humored smile. "How can you remember something like that?"

He shrugged lightly. "It's always been that way I suppose."

Mai laughed at the nonchalance of his answer. "What I wouldn't give to have your brain."

Oliver pushed himself from the doorframe and picked up the binder from her desk. After flipping through the pages he looked up at her, slightly impressed. "You've finished it?"

"I did a few days ago. I've just been going through it once more to really get everything locked down." she replied. "Madoka was so impressed she is actually taking me to the lab today."

Oliver raised a dark brow. "Is she now?"

Mai nodded. "She should be here momentarily. She said she was thinking of running a few tests with your father to see how my brain works during my dreams. She was saying that it might help Lin whenever he starts training me." She looked down at the watch on her wrist and her mouth pursed slightly. "That's odd. She was supposed to be here nearly forty minutes ago."

The ringing of the phone on her desk broke her train of thought and she quickly reached out to answer it.

"BSPR, Mai Taniyama speaking. How may I help you?" she recited. Oliver watched as the brunette's eyes grew wide after hearing the person on the other side of the line.

Lin hung the mobile in his hand and turned to his wife who was currently pouting in her hospital bed. "I've informed Mai about your condition and inability to continue training her."

The woman pushed back a maroon lock of hair and crossed her arms in irritation. "I don't see why I can't continue with the training. All of this is ridiculous."

Lin closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh at his wife's immaturity. "The doctors are concerned about your high blood pressure. You wouldn't be on bed rest if you were actually taking it easy like they have been suggesting for the past month."

Madoka mocked him silently and turned to look out the window. "It's not fair. Things were just getting fun!"

The man rubbed his temples. "I highly doubt she's going anywhere. She'll still be there after your maternity leave."

She looked over at him from the corner of her eye. "Fine," she muttered. "Noll will be done with teaching and back on cases in just two weeks. You're in charge of making sure he doesn't chase her away; I like her. "

"Whatever you say, dear," Lin gave her a tired smile and sat on the edge of the hospital bed before bending down to lay a soft kiss on his wife's cheek.