A/N: Another chapter, yay! This one is a non-case chapter, meaning of my original creation.

Here we go!

Chapter 18: Interlude

June

After the Kitaki case, I had a lot of free time. Dad quickly healed from his sprained ankle (it was a minor sprain), and Trucy continued her tricks at the Wonder Bar. Now that I knew about Stickler, I had a quick talk with Mr. Winks, who barred the college student from the bar ("he never bough' any'ing anyways. And he always a'e all my free samples!") and I always went to meet Trucy and walk her home.

I also continued my fruitless investigation into Kristoph Gavin. Now that I was a fully-fledge lawyer, I had access to the reading room in the courthouse, so I used it often.

It was walking home from there, that Clay spotted me.

"Apollo!" he called from across the street, running over to me. "I was just about to call you!" he said. I smiled.

"Hey Clay. What's up?" I asked as we walked. He slung an arm around me.

"Last time you dated was college," he said.

"Uh, yeah? So? I just graduated like… last month," I reminded him.

"Yeah, but still!" Clay pressed. "So, I set us up for a double date."

"Wait, what!?" I gasped.

"Clay, remember the last double date we went on. My girlfriend cheated on me, and I nearly got my face beat in," I reminded him.

"It'll be different this time," Clay promised with a grin. "Please, Polly?" he pleaded. I sighed.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" I asked.

"Nope! Come to my house around five on Saturday, okay?"

"Fine," I groaned.

The girls we picked up at six on Saturday were sisters: Lisa and Brenda. I sat in the back with my date, Brenda, while Lisa sat in the passenger seat, next to Clay. Those two hit it off immediately.

"So, what do you do for a living, Brenda?" I asked.

"I'm a hair dresser," she said, eying my spikes. I reached up self-consciously, flattening them in a nervous way. "You?"

"A lawyer," I said. Her eyes lit up.

"Really? Does that mean you make a lot of money?" she asked.

"Er…" I muttered thinking about the two cases I had under my belt. The first was Dad who, obviously, didn't pay me, and the second was Wocky Kitaki. I got a nice fee for that, but most of that went towards an advance payment on rent and towards my student loans. "Kinda," I finally said.

"Oh," Brenda said, leaning back against her seat again in an uninterested way.

Well, okay then… I thought, glancing up at the review mirror. Clay caught my eye in the reflection and shrugged slightly.

My conversation with Brenda went much the same way until we reached the restaurant. Clay walked in, holding hands with Lisa, while Brenda walked next to me, her arms crossed. I pulled out a chair for her, but she simply rolled her eyes and took a different seat.

Well, this is going well… I thought. Clay caught my eye again and gave me an apologetic look, while the girls silently communicated through looks. Finally, the waitress came and got our orders, and Clay and Lisa went back to talking. Brenda pulled out her cell.

"You didn't really want to come, did you?" I asked her softly, leaning in close. She looked up.

"What was your first clue?"

"The very uninterested way you're acting," I said. She shrugged.

"My sister dragged me into this. I didn't really have much of a choice," she said.

"Well, join the club," I replied. She simply huffed, and rolled my eyes. "Whatever," I muttered, standing.

"Apollo?" Clay asked, looking up. I smiled, motioning in the direction of the bar.

"Just getting a drink," I said, before walking away.

At the bar was the last person I expected to run into.

"Ema?" I asked, sitting next to the detective. She jumped and looked up, seeming a little startled.

"Apollo!? Hey," she said. I noticed a file in her lap, with a comic hidden inside, as though she was trying to hide the fact that she was reading it.

"Hey, is that a vintage Galaxy Wars comic?" I asked, pointing to it. She looked between it and me, blushing.

"Yeah. It's uh… um… evidence," she said. I smiled.

"That's a shame. The police probably won't take proper care of it," I said. I knew my geek was showing, but I also could tell Ema was lying about it being evidence.

Hell, one didn't even need my Perceive ability to see that.

"You like these things?" Ema asked. I nodded, ordering a Rum and Coke, before turning to her.

"Yeah. They're pretty interesting, and they add to the story more than the movies," I admitted, before chuckling. "I guess you can say I'm a bit of a Sci-fi geek…"

"A magician who's into Science Fiction?" Ema asked before laughing. I chuckled as well.

"Who is also a Lawyer," I said, taking a sip of my drink as it was placed in front of me. "I'm quite interesting, aren't I?"

"You can say that again!" Ema laughed at me, and I joined in. She then shook her head with a smile.

"You're not here alone, are you?" she asked.

"Ah. No. I was here on a double date Clay forced me on…" I admitted.

"Oh," Ema muttered. "Where's the lucky girl?"

"Back at the table on her phone. She's not interested. Didn't even come willingly," I explained.

"Wow," she said. "So you're hiding over here for a bit?" she asked.

"Maybe," I smiled. "So, is Galaxy Wars the only one you read, or…?" I trailed off, returning back to the comic book. A smile broke across her face.

"I read a lot, actually. And I watch the shows. My main obsession right now is the newest season of Professor Who," she admitted.

"Really!?" I gasped. "Same here! Overall though, who's your favorite Professor?"

"The tenth one, duh!"

"Eh, really?"

Ema and I continued to talk about our favorite Sci-Fi shows for a while, before moving onto other things, such the craziness surrounding the Kitaki case, and her dreams of becoming a Forensic Detective. Finally, she looked at me.

"Hey, Apollo? Why'd you become a lawyer?" she suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"Was there any specific reason?"

"Well…" I thought over everything for a moment before nodding.

"Sorta, though I do also just really enjoy law," I admitted. Ema smiled warmly, leaning closer.

"What's the reason though?" she asked. I laughed.

"Well, one is to save Dad," I admitted. She pulled back slightly, surprised by that.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Dad… is amazing. He saved so many people… myself included. After Zak disappeared… well, it was a pretty dark time for me," I said. "But… it was a pretty dark time for Dad too. One he's still going through. I know he didn't know that evidence was forged, and I plan to prove it," I explained.

"Wow…" Ema sniffled. I immediately realized the alcohol was making her emotional. "That's so great…"

"Heh, thanks…" I muttered, not telling her the second reason.

That I wanted to find my mother.

"I want to save Mr. Wright too. He saved me as well, you know," Ema admitted.

"Ah. The reason you came back to the States," I said, remembering. She nodded.

"Yep." She smiled at me, taking another sip from her drink. I sipped on my own Coke and Rum. I looked over at her, and she smiled back, making my stomach do a sudden back flip.

"Apollo, here you are!" Clay's voice suddenly said from behind. I spun the stool around, and the world tilted slightly.

"Whoa!" I said, grabbing the bar and laughing at myself. Ema laughed as well, while Clay rose an eyebrow. The girls stood behind him.

"How many drinks did you have, dude?" Clay asked.

"Uh…" I stalled, looking back at my now empty glass.

"Three," the bartender said as he picked up the glass. "Do you want another?" he asked.

"No, I'm going to get him home before he goes from tipsy to full on drunk," Clay said, coming over to help me gain my balance. Ema laughed harder from where she still sat, and Clay looked up.

"Oh, hey, Ema. Uh… do you need a ride home?" he offered, noticing the drink in front of her.

"Hrm… probably," she admitted, putting her file in her bag. She followed me, Clay, and the two girls out, back to the car. Clay, who didn't drink at all, dropped Lisa and Brenda off first, then Ema.

"G'night, Apollo," she said with a warm smile. I smiled warmly back.

"Good night, Ema," I replied.

We waited for her to reach the door to her apartment building, before Clay pulled away.

"So, not interested in Brenda?" he asked.

"Nope. She wasn't in me either, though," I said with a shrug.

"Figures."

"You and Lisa though?" I asked.

"Eh, I don't know. She's… clingy," Clay complained. I snorted, laughing at him, and Clay laughed as well.

"Well, you and Ema?" Clay asked.

"Uh… well…"

"I saw how cozy you two were together, dude!" Clay laughed. "You like her, don't you?"

"Yes? No? I don't know…" I sighed. Clay snickered for a moment, before looking at me.

"Well, I can tell she likes you. I am totally setting you two up!" he announced.

"Wait, what?" I gasped.

"Just trust me, okay?"

"But I… I don't know, Clay," I said. Clay just grinned at me as he pulled to a stop in front of my apartment building.

"Just trust me," he said with a wink.

A/N: Yes, Apollo and Ema did totally just get half-drunk together. It had to be done. It just had to be!