A/N-So at the urging of one of my reviewers, I decided to add another chapter on to this story. I rarely do longer stories, but I figured I'd give it a try so this story is tentatively ongoing at the moment. We'll see how long this lasts. Please let me know what you think. Reviews are great encouragement and are always appreciated. Special thanks to Xero Wright for beta-ing this chapter for me.

Clutching her sketchbook tightly to her chest, Vera began to tremble as Apollo opened the front door to the Wonder Bar, fighting to restrain her panic as the noise of the rowdy crowd drifted through the door. Suddenly the confidence she had managed to build up during the cab ride here with Apollo had vanished to be replaced by intense fear. Still trembling, Vera pressed herself close to Apollo's side, taking comfort in his presence.

Glancing worriedly at Vera, Apollo reached out to grab her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Not wanting to push her too quickly, he closed the door to the building and turned his attention to the frightened young woman at his side. "Vera, are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft and gentle to keep from scaring her more. Getting no reaction from Vera, he frowned as his concern deepened and spoke again using a slightly louder voice. "Vera. Vera, please look at me." Placing his free hand beneath her chin, he gently pushed her head up so that he could see her face. "Vera, please answer me. Are you okay?"

Surprised by the feel of Apollo's gentle touch on her chin, a slight blush spread across her face as a wave of pleasure ran through her back forcing the crippling fear. Upset by the worry in his voice, Vera nodded and tried to respond. Still shaky from the experience, her voice wavered as she spoke. "I-I'm o-okay n-now. Seeing the worry reflected in his eyes intensify, Vera took a deep breath to steady herself before talking again so that her voice wouldn't shake when she spoke. As her courage began to return to her slowly, Vera drew a smiley face on her pad to reassure him. "I-It's really okay. I'm not sure what came over me there, but I feel better now. I-I'm sorry if I worried you."

"You don't need to apologize, Vera," Apollo told her with a smile as he watched her carefully. Looking over at the building's entrance, he lapsed into silence for a few moments as he thought things through, not wanting to risk scaring Vera like that again. Finally coming to a decision, he suggested, "Why don't we go in the back? I'll call Trucy's cell phone and ask her to open it for us." Turning back to Vera, Apollo watched her reaction carefully as he asked his next question. "Are you sure you still want to do this?"

Vera hesitated as she considered Apollo's question, nibbling on her fingernail as she thought it over. Although still nervous about being surrounded by all those strangers, she really did want to see Trucy's show. She had loved magic since the first time she saw it performed when she was very young, and here she had an opportunity to see magic performed live on stage again. Her fear of the outside world had controlled he life for a long time and although Vera could still feel that fear well, the fear of allowing another opportunity to slip away, as had happened with so many other experiences in the past, scared her far more. Besides, she thought as she glanced over at Apollo who was waiting patiently for her decision, everything always seemed to be much less frightening when he was with her. As she reached her decision, Vera found she was able to actually smile rather then just drawing one as she had done earlier. "I-I really want to watch Trucy's show. Please."

"Okay," Apollo said, grinning at her response. Pulling out his cell phone, he quickly called Trucy to make his request and then led Vera to the back of the building where Trucy was waiting for them.

"Apollo! Vera!" Trucy cried out happily when she saw them, clearly fighting the urge to let go of the door she was holding open and rush over them. Placing her hands on her hips, she called out impatiently, "Well, get over here already!"

"Come on, Vera," he said, chuckling softly at Trucy's eagerness and giving Vera's hand a gentle tug, "We should get over there before Trucy gets annoyed at us for making her wait." Seeing Vera nod her approval, they jogged over.

"Vera! You actually made it!" Trucy cried happily, her eyes shining as she spoke. "Apollo mentioned that you were coming, but I thought he was just teasing me." Touching her hand to her hat, Trucy's smile widened. "Are there any special tricks you want to see tonight?"

Feeling slightly overwhelmed by the outgoing girl's enthusiasm, it took Vera a few moments before she could voice a response. "Well, maybe..." Vera started to say, but then hesitated. Changing her mind, her gaze fell to the ground, "N-no, I don't need anything special. I'm sure whatever you choose will be wonderful."

Surprised by the sudden shift in Vera's response and recalling her request for Mr. Hat earlier, Apollo glanced over at Vera, confused that she hadn't mentioned anything to Trucy about what she wanted to see. Realization came over Apollo as he watched Vera fiddle with her sketch book with her eyes downcast that she must be too nervous to make the request. Although he knew that Vera trusted Trucy a great deal, he also knew that she was still nervous from her earlier experience. Having never been a big fan of Trucy's Mr. Hat trick, Apollo sighed heavily and reminded himself that he was doing this for Vera's sake. If it made her happy, then he would simply have to deal with it. "Trucy, you were planning to use Mr. Hat tonight, right?"

"Huh? Mr. Hat?" Trucy asked. Tilting her head back a bit, she crossed her arms across her chest as a thoughtful expression came over her face. "Probably. The Amazing Mr. Hat always manages to wow the crowd." As Trucy tucked one hand behind her, a large figure suddenly loomed beside her draped in a blue costume similar to the one Trucy wore. "Isn't that right, Mr. Hat?"

"But of course," Mr. Hat appeared to respond, eliciting the biggest smile of the night from Vera.

Although cringing slightly at the puppet's appearance, Apollo had to admit that Trucy was quite good at that trick. Had he not known better, he might well have believed that Mr. Hat had spoken. "Why don't you save that for later?"

"Well, if you insist, Polly," Trucy said cheerfully, tucking the puppet away again. "My show is about to begin. I think Daddy went to go reserve a table, so you guys should go meet up with him."

"Is your dad here?" Apollo asked. Phoenix rarely missed his daughter's magic shows, but he'd received a call the previous night which had convinced him that he needed to go out town the next day. Although he had been rather secretive about where he was going, Phoenix had promised to try and return in time for Trucy's show, but they still hadn't heard from him by the time Apollo had left to go get Vera. "I was starting to think he wouldn't make it back in time."

"Daddy got here about ten minutes ago," Trucy responded happily. "I knew he'd make it. He promised that he'd try his best, after all. I think he's sitting somewhere in near the stage. After I mentioned to Daddy that you said Vera was coming, he decided to go find a spot for you guys that wouldn't be too stressful for her."

Apollo smiled, relieved to hear that Phoenix seemed to have the situation under control. Squeezing Vera's hand gently, he asked, "Will you be okay with Trucy for a couple moments while I go talk to Mr. Wright? I won't be gone long."

After a moment's hesitation, Vera released his hand as she opened up her sketch pad. Although she scribbled a smiley face on the pad, Apollo noticed how much she had tensed up at the suggestion and made a mental note to himself to keep his absence very brief. After shooting her a reassuring smile, Apollo walked quickly toward the entrance of the other room, his eyes scanning the room for Phoenix amongst the crowd. It didn't take long as he was sitting at a small table near the stage which he had pulled away from the rest of the crowd.

Catching Phoenix's eyes, the older man smiled and walked over to greet him, leaving his blue hat behind to reserve the table. "Welcome back, Apollo," Phoenix said cheerfully, his eyes briefly scanning the area around them. His search failing, a small frown crossed Phoenix's face. "I take it you couldn't get Vera to come."

"No, she's here, Mr. Wright," Apollo assured him. "I figured that it might be smarter to check out the room first and make sure there were no surprises waiting for us."

Phoenix's smile returned at this and he nodded his approval. "Sounds smart. She's been through a lot recently, so there's no point in rushing her. How's she doing?" he asked inquisitively.

"Vera's doing great," Apollo grinned. "There have been a few rough patches today, but she handled them like a pro."

"That's good to hear, Apollo," Phoenix said, a glint of pride reflecting in his eyes. "I've been quite worried about her, but it sounds like you have things under control. Do you need help getting her in here?"

"No, I think I've got it," Apollo responded quickly, shaking his head. With that he headed back to where he left Vera and, after wishing Trucy good luck with her act, they headed back to the audience. It took several minutes of gentle coaxing, but Apollo did finally manage to get Vera over to the table where Phoenix was waiting for them.

There was little time for the three of them to speak before the lights dimmed and the show began. Trucy performed trick after trick, each more miraculous then the last, which the crowd greeted with loud approval. Vera particularly watched the show with wide-eyed delight, completely entranced by the spectacles being performed on stage. As entertaining as Trucy's show was, Apollo found it strange that his gaze kept drifting back to Vera. There was just something special about her, although he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. As he watched Vera now, her beautiful smile lighting up her face, he felt himself smile as well. He might not know exactly what to make of all this, but the one thing that he knew for sure was that he was happy right at that moment simply being near her.

A soft chuckle from beside Apollo interrupted his thoughts. Glancing over at the source of the sound, he spotted Phoenix watching him with a familiar smirk on his face. His face reddened a bit as he realized he'd been caught staring at Vera. Groaning inwardly, Apollo mentally braced himself for the teasing that he knew would come later, and with great difficulty finally managed to redirect his eyes toward the stage.

The next two hours seemed to pass far too quickly. After Trucy's show, which came to a dramatic conclusion with an unusually long performance by Mr. Hat, the four of them had stopped by Eldoon's noodle stand for dinner. Although Vera certainly still had a long way to go before she would be able to truly conquer her fears, Apollo couldn't help but feel his chest swell up with pride as Vera returned Eldoon's greeting with a soft hello rather then trying to retreat from the situation as she normally did.

After dinner, the small group split up as Phoenix took Trucy home, reminding her that she still had school the next day. After saying their goodbyes, Apollo called a cab to take him and Vera back to her home. As the cab pulled to a stop in front of the building, he was surprised to hear a disappointed sigh come from Vera. Glancing over her, he noticed that she was staring out the window at her home. Laying a gentle hand on her arm to get her attention, Apollo asked, "Is something wrong?"

Startled by the sudden flutter in her chest at his touch, Vera paused a moment before answering. "N-no," she answered, blushing slightly under his steady gaze. Diverting her gaze, she added, "It's nothing."

His gaze never leaving her face, Apollo knew instantly that she wasn't being truthful. Even without using his talents, Vera's uncertainty was clearly reflected on her face. "Vera, I know that isn't true. Please tell me what's wrong."

As she turned back to face him, their eyes met and she could feel her face redden more. Silence fell between them for a few minutes as Vera found herself at a loss for words, unsure about how to express herself. "I guess I'm just a bit disappointed to see the evening end. It's been so wonderful with Mr. Wright, Trucy... and you. It... it gets lonely here." Her eyes watered a bit as she finished speaking, turning her eyes back to the empty house.

"I'm sorry, Vera," Apollo said softly, touching her hand. Silence stretched between them again as Apollo grasped for the words to comfort her. Hesitantly, Apollo spoke up again as he came to a decision. "Why... why don't I stop by early tomorrow and you can come to the office with me? Trucy and I don't have any big plans. She won't even make it to the office until after school and you can bring your painting stuff with you. If it works out for everyone, we can can make it a regular thing."

"Really?" Vera asked, brightening up some at the suggestion. "W-would that really be okay?"

"I don't see why not." His face lit up as another idea came to him. Shuffling through his wallet, Apollo pulled one of his business cards and scribbled several numbers on to it. "Why don't you take this too, Vera," he said, handing over the card. "I've written my cell phone, home phone, and the office phone numbers so you can always reach me. If you ever need me or just need someone to talk to, promise me that you'll call. Okay?"

Although the pain of her father's death still remained with her, Vera found herself able to smile again as she took the card from Apollo. "I-I will," she promised as she stared intently at the small card. "Thank you."

"No problem. You don't need to worry about being alone, Vera. I'll always be here if you need me," Apollo grinned as he got out of the taxi and walked around to her side of the car. Opening the door for her, Apollo offered her his hand. "Come on. I'll walk you to the door."

Quickly reaching out to take his hand, Vera held on to it tightly as she proceeded to follow him up the pathway leading toward her home. Gazing upward, Vera marveled at how beautiful the night sky truly was. When she had been younger, her father had shown her books with pictures of the sky, but none of those books truly did it justice. It was far more incredible than any picture could ever hope to capture. She really had missed so much by locking herself away from everything, but now she understood things more clearly. Never again would she allow herself to forget what she had learned over the last couple of weeks.

As they reached her front door and she turned to face Apollo, their eyes met and she blushed under his kind gaze. Vera knew she still had a great deal to learn, but with him there to help her, she felt confident that things would be okay. The world wasn't nearly as frightening as she'd always imagined. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Vera asked softly, her eyes sparkling hopefully.

"Yeah, I'll be here bright and early tomorrow morning," Apollo confirmed, smiling reassuringly at her. "You can count on that. ... Sleep well, Vera."

"You too, Apollo," Vera responded with a shy smile. "Good night."