Yay! Part 3! Two more parts to go for this little saga. Then I have a few little scenes that I know you guys are going to love! Also just to point out what some of you have said, it does seem like Luella is a little wary of Mai. Some of that is addressed in this chapter and more will be addressed in the next but one thing to keep in mind is that this little story is completely in Mai's point of view. She's meeting her boyfriend's parents for the first time (well first time as his girlfriend) it's a scary and nerve-wracking experience and when there's another girl who is already practically a member of the family you start to doubt yourself. Plus Mai is completely out of her element and in a whole other continent. Anyway enjoy!

13-England Part 3

"Just when did Evangeline start assisting you in your cases?" Naru asked, crossing his arms and looking at his father after his girlfriend left the room.

"Her father was supposed to be my partner in this case, however, his sister became ill and Evangeline offered to help in his stead," Martin explained simply, as he adjusted the settings on the monitors.

"You knew I was coming." Naru was not amused, he even shot a glance to Madoka and Lin. "You also knew I was bringing Mai. That was never a secret."

"What do you want me to say, Oliver?" Martin was not in the mood for this. He may have been more charismatic than his adopted son, but one thing they definitely had in common was the fact that they were both workaholics. "It's not my fault she came to dinner last night, you have your mother to blame for that."

"I'm not saying it's anyone's fault." If there was ever a time where Oliver Davis wanted to roll his eyes, now was the time. "I'm just saying a little warning would have been great."

"I did try to warn you!" Madoka exclaimed exasperatedly throwing her arms up.

"No, you told me you had nothing to do with what was about to happen."

"I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get you both alone before dinner and I wasn't about to wake you up from your nap," Madoka defended, crossing her arms. "And Eve would not stop talking my ear off when I saw her."

"Are you worried Mai will get jealous?" Martin asked with a raised brow, eyeing his son.

"I'm worried she'll get the wrong idea." Naru shook his head.

"We need to have a little chat." Evangeline's sweet façade disintegrated now that they were alone. Mai took a silent breath to calm her racing heart. "I don't know who you think you are, but," She eyed the young woman up and down with disgust, "you're not really Noll's type."

Mai had to hold back a laugh that rose in her throat. She couldn't be serious. "And you would know?" Mai couldn't keep the smirk off her face. This was ridiculous.

"I'm just saying, it's not like you have a visible connection." The blonde shrugged. "I just don't see this lasting and I wanted to let you know before you get hurt."

"Out of the kindness of your heart, I'm sure," Mai answered, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "And this wouldn't have anything to do with your little crush on him?" She watched the shift in the woman's eyes, Mai had struck a chord. "Or did you think I didn't notice?"

"Look," Evangeline replied, undeterred. "I know you're his assistant and I know Noll knows better than to personally involve himself with coworkers, much less employees, but he's just a man. I can accept that even the Great Oliver Davis may need to settle his…urges."

Fury boiled in the pit of Mai's stomach. She hated hearing such a thing being implied about her boyfriend, especially since they hadn't even slept together yet. Unless you counted falling asleep on the couch at the office. Or that one case years ago? When they had to pretend to be a married couple? No one was happy that case.

"What I want you to understand, is that our families have been friends for a very long time. I was the one who welcomed him and his brother to England when they were adopted. I was his friend first. That in of itself is more intimate than anything you two will ever have."

"Well, have you gotten to share a bed with him?" She regretted the words the moment she said them. Nothing happened on that case, aside from waking up in his arms, but she wasn't so sure that wasn't a dream. It was a stupid thing to bring up, it only confirmed Evangeline's theory.

"Regardless, I was there for him when Gene died. From what I hear you had no idea for years that he even had a brother, let alone who he was."

"Well, I was there when we found Gene's body," Mai retorted. "I saw him off when he went back to England." Even though it wasn't quite as romantic as she implied. She took a step further into the shed. "He came back to Japan and found me, but it's like you said, I'm just his assistant." She tried her best to summon enough venom in her voice to shake the pompous Brit, but just fell short as she turned to leave the shed.

"Just so you know, Noll would never have gone to find Gene's body if I hadn't convinced him." Mai stopped in her tracks as she reached for the doorknob. A cold chill went down her spine. "Or did you not know that he was uncomfortable with his psychic connection to Gene?" Mai swallowed hard. "I know Madoka thinks you two might have a psychic connection, but you're better off just breaking up now before you get hurt. Noll doesn't need a connection, he needs a wife." Her tone was matter of fact as she spoke. There was no need for her to throw in venom, her words were toxic enough. "Someone he doesn't have to worry about getting into his head like his brother could. And you're not that."

Mai held her breath. If she dared let it out, she wouldn't be able to control the emotion let out with it. It seemed that Evangeline was done, as she brushed past the brunette to the door. She gave a wicked grin as she brushed Mai's hand away.

"If your connection gets much stronger, he's going to pull away. So don't get too attached Mai Taniyama-oops! Too late!" The laugh she gave would echo in Mai's mind for a long time. The blonde was almost out the door when she stopped. "Oh! And by the way, don't call him Naru anymore. You haven't earned that right. Only one person called him that and it's not you."

Mai bit the inside of her cheek so hard it bled. She needed the distraction as she followed the blonde out. They left together, they had to go back together. She couldn't let anyone get suspicious. She couldn't wait to get back to the mansion and call Kiko or Ayako. Someone. Anyone. What time was it in Tokyo again?

It was late by the time they drove back to the mansion. The day had been filled with information about the case. Luckily it was just the distraction that Mai needed. Unfortunately, not much seemed to happen throughout the day and Evangeline insisted on being partnered with either her or Naru all day. Despite the distraction of the case, Mai's chest felt tight and heavy, like she were on the verge of sobbing all day.

Back at the mansion, Luella had prepared another phenomenal meal for the crew. Mai felt horrible that she had no appetite, but ate the meal anyway. It sat like lead in her belly. She excused herself for the evening, intent on a hot shower and a conversation with someone in Tokyo.

So Mai found herself with her hair in a towel, in front of her computer, quietly explaining her ordeal with Evangeline earlier that day. She was praying that the walls were thick enough for no one to eavesdrop. "She did what! That bitch! I'm going to kill her!" Ayako was the first to respond as she stomped around the background of Mai's computer screen. She was glad she had her earbuds plugged in.

"You need to tell Madoka! Eve's a bitch and can't get away with telling you that!" Kiko agreed, also shouting at this point.

"I will, if I can get her alone," Mai replied with a breath. Her chest still felt heavy and she knew why. She needed to know. "Is it true?"

That stopped both women from their rants. "Is what true?" Ayako repeated, eyes darting between the two brunettes.

"What she said. About their connection?" Mai wasn't sure there weren't listeners on the other side of the wall and kept names out of her conversation. When she saw Kiko bite her lip, Mai's heart sank further.

"Kiko…" Ayako's tone held that of warning.

"In short? Yes," Kiko admitted, watching Mai's head look down. "But you need to understand the type of connection that they shared. They would telepathically bounce their abilities back and forth in order to do whatever PK they were demonstrating."

"And Naru wasn't comfortable with this?" Ayako pressed with crossed arms.

"You also need to remember that I hung out more with Gene when I would spend summers there," Kiko explained, giving a sympathetic look to Mai. "Naru preferred to be alone and Eve would insist on spending time with him, so I don't know if he told her anything. I don't see why he would-"

"Unless he trusted her…" Mai remarked bitterly. Ayako shot a look to Kiko.

"Look, I remember one day Gene and I were just hanging out by the lake and he told me he hated his ability that he shared with Naru." Mai's head perked up a little. "They had a telepathic connection but not one of thoughts, more like images. Growing up, before Lin came around to help them control their abilities, Gene would get random flashes of what Naru was thinking."

"And that made him uncomfortable," Ayako finished with a solemn nod.

"Naru's a very private person. He doesn't tell you anything about himself unless asked and comfortable enough to reveal that information," Kiko added with a nod. "Even after Lin taught them to control their abilities, Gene would still get random bits of things Naru was thinking. It caused him to become even more closed off. He was distancing himself from Gene and Gene felt guilty. When he died, I guess Naru felt guilty, too."

"Did she convince him to go?" Mai's hands were trembling. Her voice was a mere whimper. She didn't want to hear any more. Yet she needed to. "Did Eve convince him to find his body?"

"I can't answer that," Kiko replied honestly, earning a jab from the priestess. "Ow! What I mean is I can't answer that, because I don't know. The last time I was in England was two years before Gene died and I haven't been back since."

The priestess raised a brow. "You didn't go to his funeral?" The girl shook her head.

"I couldn't bring myself to do it. I regret it now, but back then I just wasn't ready." The girl looked at her screen and saw Mai's head bent down. "Mai?"

"I-I think I'm gonna turn in. It's been a long day," she admitted with a sad smile.

"Mai, remember," Kiko said, stopping the girl from ending the call. "Naru came back to Japan to find you. You're a big reason why he stays here instead of living in England."

"Thanks, Kiko," Mai said with sadness in her eyes. "But we both know there are just more interesting hauntings in Japan compared to England. That's why he stays."

Mai ended the call before either woman on the other end could stop her. "I knew coming here wasn't a good idea," she muttered bitterly as she got ready for bed.

The next morning, Mai put on a brave face and met the group for breakfast. She was silently grateful that Evangeline decided to go back to her own home the night before. Despite her lack of an appetite, she made sure to finish her plate and compliment Luella on her work. That's weird, I feel like she doesn't like me too much, Mai noted as she got into Martin's car. Then a terrifying thought popped in her head.

What if Luella is hoping Naru falls for Evangeline? She could feel the color drain from her face as she processed the thought. I knew I shouldn't have gone here.

"Mai?" Her head shot up at the sound of her name and the hand on her knee. She turned to come face to face with a pair of concerned looking indigo eyes. "Is everything alright?"

No. "Yes," she said with a smile. "I was just thinking about the case."

She internally cursed herself for the lame excuse and the fact that Naru obviously didn't buy any of it. But he didn't respond other than a nod and continued looking out the window. Mai had never felt as homesick as she did in that moment. What she wouldn't do to be back in Tokyo among her "family."

Soon Martin pulled up to the estate. Madoka and Lin pulled up behind them. It appeared that by the third car in the driveway, Evangeline had already made it there. Great, Mai internally groaned.

"Evangeline," Martin said once the group walked into their Base, "when I said it was dangerous to be here alone, you were not an exception." The blonde was making notes on a clipboard. She looked up and smiled.

"I know, but I wanted to get a head start on today. I didn't leave Base, I assure you," she said smoothly.

"And if you disappeared as well?" Martin was still not amused.

Naru, you're more like your father than I realized, Mai noticed amusedly as she remembered another case.

"Noll would be able to save me," she replied with a wink.

And that is almost the exact same response Madoka had given Naru during the Urado case, Mai thought, biting her tongue and keeping her face calm. She couldn't let Naru know that Evangeline's comments affected her this way. Hell, he probably already knows. But you have to keep a good impression!

"So, I spent last night doing a little research into the property." Madoka changed the subject swiftly as she sat down into one of the chairs and pulled out her notebook. "Turns out that our owner didn't purchase the property until last year and it was only about a month ago that he officially moved in with his staff."

"Why did it take him so long to move in?" Mai asked, taking a seat.

"Issues with his now ex-wife, go figure," the woman shrugged, turning the page. "Now, prior to that the property had been owned by a Clifford McDowell. He passed away about twenty years ago and left the estate to his only son, Mason. This is where it starts to get weird."

"Keep going, Madoka." Naru was not in the mood to play this game.

"He had always been known to be depressed and apparently his father's death was the last straw." Another page flipped. "It's believed that he committed suicide shortly after the estate was made in his name."

"What do you mean, 'it's believed?'" Mai asked with her head to the side.

"I mean there was no body ever recovered." The woman sighed and turned one more page. "He left one night into the woods and never returned. He didn't take his car or keys or money or well, anything. Just the clothes on his back. All that was left was a note on his coffee table saying, 'I can't do this anymore!'"

"So Mason was the first disappearance," Evangeline determined with a solemn look on her face. "And I'm assuming there wasn't another occupant in the house until our client, Maxwell Jacobs, and even when he had renovators come in and fix everything, there wasn't a disappearance until people started living here again."

"That's right, we have a total of four unsolved disappearances," Madoka said with a breath. "Mason's was ruled a suicide thanks to the note, however the other three staff members…"

"Is it possible that Mason's disappearance was really a suicide and his spirit is causing the disappearances now?" Mai piped up. "The three disappearances that we know about happened very quickly. I'm getting the feeling that there were more that we have yet to find out because they might not be directly associated with the property."

"That seems a little far fetched, don't you think?" Evangeline answered with a raised brow. Naru turned to his girlfriend.

"Is this your intuition talking?" he asked. Mai knew exactly what he meant. Did you have a vision? Were his unspoken words.

"It's my intuition telling me we're missing something. And my logical side giving me options to look into," she replied with a smirk. Eve may not believe in me, but at least Naru does. And, almost, always has.

"I'm going to head into town, then," Madoka decided, turning to her husband for the keys. "I'll see if there are any unsolved disappearances in the surrounding area close enough to possibly involve the property."

"Make a note of disappearances where the body was found," Naru added as Madoka stood up. "If Mai's right and Mason's spirit is behind the disappearances, we just might find where those people went."

"Will do, once I have a list of bodies found and still missing we'll be able to look for a pattern." With that the cheerful woman was out the door and onto her mission.

"In the meantime, why don't Noll and I take a look at the attic?" Evangeline offered, placing her clipboard on the table. "Perhaps we could hold an E.V.P. session up there and see what we might find."

Mai felt the air around her changed slightly. It wasn't much, not as though a spirit had entered bent on destruction. No, this was subtle. A small pressure change. Like her boyfriend didn't want to be paired up with the blonde investigator.

"Actually, why don't I go with him," Mai offered, giving her warmest smile. "We work very well together and we might be able to find something if we're paired up."

"Noll has mentioned you two work well as a team," Martin quipped. Mai enjoyed the strain on Evangeline's features a little too much. Take that, you pompous Brit.

"Very well," Naru said. Instantly the odd pressure change had ceased. And Naru took Mai's hand as they left the room.

That's odd, he never wants to hold my hand in public, Mai thought as she followed him. Wait, culture check, PDA isn't taboo in England like it is in Japan. She determined and hid her smirk as she realized something else. Someone wants Eve to leave them alone. I should have listened to Kiko.

Together, they walked up to the second floor and then to the attic, which was connected by a set of stairs rather than a ladder. Once they were alone, Naru closed the door and let out a breath. "This…" he began as he turned back around. He may have been a workaholic but even he understood that sometimes little moments could be stolen during stressful cases. "…isn't how I expected this case to go."

"Didn't expect your ex-girlfriend to be working on the same case?" she teased, despite her smile she hoped there was enough bite in her words. He could have warned her about Evangeline before they took off. Then again, maybe she wouldn't have gone.

"She's not my ex," Naru spat, but shook his head and softened his features. "We were never together, I mean. She's-"

"Her family is friends with yours and your fathers work together, I get it," Mai replied shaking her head with a smile. When she saw the question in his eyes she crossed her arms. "Our first night I called Kiko and she explained it to me since I couldn't discreetly get ahold of Madoka. Remind me to wring her neck, would you?"

"You can count me in on that." He had the softest smile as he spoke. She realized that this was the first moment they truly had alone since their first day in the country. She wasn't going to waste it.

"You know, we've hardly really seen each other the last two days, with the case and your parents-"

"As soon as this case is over I'm taking you sightseeing," he interrupted, his smile growing larger. "Some days my parents will join us, but mostly-"

"Naru, did you actually plan a real vacation?" She couldn't help but giggle as she spoke. His smile only confirmed her suspicions, but it faded when he pulled out a small voice recorder.

"Shall we?" Mai nodded as they headed in further into the attic. Naru found a small dusty table and placed the device on it. Despite the red light blinking Mai couldn't help but speak the thought that came to mind.

"For someone who only just moved in, it's really dusty up here." She could have smacked herself for speaking when they were supposed to be investigating, but it seemed Naru might have thought the same.

"It looks like nothing's moved in here for quite sometime. After Mason McDowell died, Madoka didn't mention anything about family taking over the house or its belongings." He turned his attention back to the recorder. "Jacobs Estate, attic, Oliver."

"Mai." Mai waited a moment before taking a breath. "Is there anyone here with us?"

Waiting a few beats, Naru added, "Is the spirit of either Clifford or Mason McDowell residing on the property?"

Listening intently to the silence, Mai tried to pick up on something, anything. But the room was completely soundless, aside from their breathing. There was nothing in there. Well, I think I know why Eve wanted to do an E.V.P. session up here, Mai thought bitterly. Good thing I stopped it.

A few more questions were asked between the two investigators before Naru looked and read Mai's eyes. "End of E.V.P. session." He clicked off the recorder and looked to his girlfriend. "You're not sensing anything?"

Mai put her finger to her chin in thought. Was she really sensing nothing? Or was she sensing nothing? "No, it's not that. The silence in between our questions didn't feel normal." Her brow furrowed as she looked into his indigo eyes. "I mean, none of our sessions have ever gone that smoothly, especially in a decades old attic. There should have been a creak of the boards settling or something. A draft. A squirrel running across the roof."

"You're right," Naru agreed with a nod. He assumed his thinking pose. "So is this where our spirits hide or-Mai?"

He had turned to look at her but her eyes were dazed. She no longer saw him as she swayed side to side. Her eyes rolled back as she fell forward almost too quickly for Naru to catch her. "Mai!"

Hope you guys enjoyed! Please leave a review!