A/N: Here we go with the next chapter!

Again, no time jump here!

Chapter Eight: A New Home

My head pulsed through my temples as I plastered a huge grin on my face, doing a sweeping bow. "Thank you! I'll be here all week!" I announced to the thunderous applause of the Wonder Bar patrons.

And probably forever… I thought, hopping off the stage and threading my way towards the bar. Mr. Winks, the bartender smiled at me as I sat, placing a glass of soda in front of me.

"I tell ya' 'Pollo, ever since you and your sister showed up two weeks ago, we have never been so busy!" he said. I smiled weakly at him, sipping the soda.

"Speaking of my sister, where is she?"

"Oh, the missus took her upstairs. The poor thing was starting to fall asleep," he replied. I nodded, rubbing my head, fatigue settling over me. "You look exhausted, 'Pollo. Maybe you should go get some sleep too."

"No, I'm fine," I said with a smile, taking another sip. Won't help anyway. I can't sleep, with trying to figure out what to do. We can't stay here forever… Trucy can't stay here forever... I rested my head on my arms, trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Apollo?" a very familiar voice said. I looked up and over my shoulder. It was Mr. Wright.

All the anger I felt towards Zak's disappearance suddenly exploded towards this man who was partially responsible for Zak's disappearance. I surged to my feet, my headache and fatigue forgotten, and punched the defense attorney right across his face. A few gasps came from the surrounding people, and Mr. Winks immediately stood to attention.

"You got some beef with this guy, 'Pollo?" he asked. Mr. Wright stood up straight from his bent over position, rubbing his jaw. I vaguely felt some throbbing in my right fist.

"He's the defense attorney who defended Zak," I said. When I first came here, and asked for employment, I told Mr. and Mrs. Winks our situation, so he knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Ex-Defense Attorney," Mr. Wright corrected, and I detected a note of sadness in his voice. "Look, Apollo, I had no idea your dad—"

"He's not my dad," I snarled, sitting again. Mr. Wright sighed.

"I had no idea Zak was going to do that, or else I never would have defended him. That trial cost me my badge," he admitted. I studied him. In the last few weeks, even before Grandfather's death and Zak's disappearance, I had noticed that I was able to tell when someone was lying. A small twitch, some unconcious tell, would tell me everything, and wearing Mom's bracelet made that perceive ability stronger. That's how I knew Grandfather had been lying when he said Mom was dead.

But now, I wasn't reading anything off of Mr. Wright. My shoulder's slumped, the anger draining, and my headache and exhaustion announced itself once more. With a soft sigh, I rubbed my temples.

"What do you want, Mr. Wright?" I asked tiredly.

"Tomorrow, can you and Trucy come by the office? I have something I want to talk to the two of you about," he said.

"The Wright and Co. Law Offices?" I asked. "But if you're not practicing law anymore…"

"I just haven't changed the name yet. Honestly, I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to keep it," he said with a sigh. "Please? Around ten?"

I hesitated a moment longer before relenting.

"Alright. We'll be there," I said. "And… sorry about your face."

"It's fine, Apollo. No worries," he said with a smile, patting my shoulder before leaving. I sighed and returned to my seat at the bar.

"You sure about this, 'Pollo?" Mr. Winks asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. After all, what do I have to loose?"

Since Zak's disappearance, Trucy has been quiet, despite my best efforts to cheer her up. I knew she could sense my anger… and hatred… towards the man I used to call 'Dad,' and she was too young to understand we were abandoned. I was scared that she'd start hating me.

This was how she was when we entered the Wright and Co. Law Offices the next morning. An uncomfortable silence filled the air, until Mr. Wright sighed.

"Trucy, Apollo, there's something we need to talk about," he started. Neither of us answered, and Mr. Wright sighed again. "It's been two weeks since…" he glanced at me, "since Zak Gramarye… disappeared. We need to start thinking about… your future."

My head began to throb again as that problem was once more thrown in my face. I didn't really care about what happened to me, but Trucy… Trucy couldn't live at the Wonder Bar forever.

"I um… did some calling around. This is hard to say, but…"

"But we have no living relatives. I know. I've already tried that," I said. Mr. Wright looked at me.

"What about your biological father, Apollo? Does he have any family left?"

"No clue," I said with a shrug. "He died when I was a baby, and Grandfather never really let Mom talk about him." I crossed my arms, glaring at the floor, until I felt a small hand grip my cape. I looked down, my features softening. Trucy never looked up from the floor, but she was gripping my cape tightly, and I couldn't help but feel bad.

"Ahem… right," Mr. Wright muttered, obviously uncomfortable. "So…" he adjusted his tie. "I was wondering… if you wanted to stay with me for a while," he offered. "Just until your daddy," he hesitated, looking at me. "Um… Zak, comes home. It won't be long." His fingers that were on his tie twitched towards his left lapel, where his attorney's badge used to sit. My bracelet squeezed.

Liar. You have no clue, but you highly doubt it, I thought bitterly. That had been a tell.

"Uh, of course, it's totally your choice. If you don't like it here, you can go wherever you'd like. I could look up some placed you might like to stay at…" he said. I closed my eyes, knowing I should say no. Knowing I should say we'd be fine.

But the words stuck in my throat.

"…Mr. Attorney. Daddy told me about you," Trucy said softly, and I looked down at her in surprise.

Great, another thing dear ol' Dad didn't tell me.

Asshole.

"He said Polly and I could trust you." Trucy looked up… and smiled. She actually smiled for this man, who was a virtual stranger, when I couldn't come close in the last two weeks.

"Huh…?" Mr. Wright asked, looking between the two of us. I shrugged.

"He didn't breath a single word of this to me," I said, crossing my arms again. Mr. Wright sighed softly, before looking back at Trucy. "Really?"

"So, if we stay here," she began, crossing her arms. "Does that mean you'll be our family?"

"Huh? Uh… um… I guess so?" the man stammered. I ground my teeth together.

That's the last thing I need. More family, I thought bitterly… until I looked at the smile on Trucy's face again. She'd be happy here. It'd be a lot more stable then a bar, too.

My temples throbbed again, and I could feel sweat on the back of my neck. I reached back, wiping it off with a sigh.

"Um… Mr. Attorney?" Trucy asked.

"Er, actually, why don't you call me… Nick," the man offered with a smile. He then looked thoughtful. "Or you can call me 'Daddy' if you'd like. It doesn't have to be today, or anything."

"Okay!" Trucy chirped. "Say, Daddy?"

That was fast! I thought, glancing down at Trucy. To me, he'd still be Nick for a while.

I pulled my cape tighter around me. I had the chills, all of a sudden. The sweat on my neck certainly didn't help.

"Yes?" Nick asked.

"If we move here, we have to switch schools, right?" she asked.

"We were home schooled, remember?" I said. Trucy huffed at me, making a shushing sound. I sighed, going back to rubbing my throbbing temples, only half listening as Trucy made plans for turning the office into a talent agency and redecorating. She even expected me and her to support Nick, which I'm sure wasn't what he had in mind.

Suddenly, the room spun, and next thing I knew, I was on the ground, Nick supporting my head and neck. Trucy was peering at me from above.

"Ugh…" I moaned. Why does my body ache, all of a sudden?

"Apollo? Man, you're burning up," he said, his hand covering my forehead. "Have you been sleeping?"

"No, he hasn't," Trucy said. "Or really eating what he should be, for that matter. He's just been work work work since we got to the Wonder Bar," she huffed.

"Weren't they feeding you?" Nick demanded, sounding angry.

"Of course they were, Daddy!" Trucy said, sounding surprised. "Polly just never touched his food. I think he's still upset…" she said, looking down.

"And he worked himself right into a fever. Probably the flu," Nick looked back down at me, and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm going to take good care of you two now, okay?"

I looked between the Nick and Trucy, realizing that I didn't have a choice in the matter anymore. It was up to Trucy, really, and she wanted to stay. I wearily nodded, even if doubt wormed its way into my mind.

A/N: At fifteen (or any age), working that hard and that much stress can lead to not eating or sleeping properly, which can lead to a weaker immune system, which can lead to illnesses, such as the flu. Apollo's in the early stages here, but no worries! Papa Phoenix will take care of him! Even… if Apollo doesn't trust him to not disappear…