A/N: Sorry it's taken me this long to get the second chapter up. I'm no good at updating regularly
Hope you all enjoy!
The Past – Courthouse June 2019:
"He's getting away!"
The man runs out of the trial, with guards running after him. They were heading in Gumshoe's direction.
"Quick! Stop him!"
Gumshoe, who was by the snack machine as his attended trial was in recess, turned around, preparing to restrain him, as he got close.
"Your going nowhere pal!" He says. As he make a grab for him. Only to have his own body weight used against him. The guy throws Gumshoe over his shoulders, causing him crash into the guards chasing him.
The man turns his head around, still running to laugh at the three men he just escaped from. As soon as he disappears around the corner, there was the sound of someone getting punched and thrown to the floor as they screamed.
Gumshoe and the guards – he fell on – picked themselves up from the floor. They quickly run round the corner to find the man they had just been chasing on the floor in a daze. With an officer – with blond hair and sunglasses – holding him down keeping both his hands locked behind his back.
"He's not going anywhere." He calls, handcuffing him. "Good thing I was here to stop him, before he could get outside." He says with a massive grin.
The guards come over, thanking the officer while lifting the guy off the floor, gripping him on both sides while staggering. Gumshoe can only watch as the guards walk pass him taking the man who was just upper handed back to the courtroom.
"I must say, you did good work in stopping that man before he got away. And on your first day too."
Gumshoe turns back around to see Prosecutor Greyjoy – a middle-aged man with short white hair, wearing a grey suit, black shirt and grey tie –congratulating the young officer.
"It was nothing sir, I did it in the name of justice!" the happy officer salutes - tooth twinkling when he smiles. "I heard the commotion, and thought they needed a hand so I came running. As I saw the guy come round the corner I quickly acted on instincts – and with my justice strength, I took him down." He says, laughing at his own words.
"Well its good that we do have people like you on the force, I can see a bright and shiny future for you."
Who is this guy? Gumshoe thinks the young officer might have exaggerated the last part. Yes he did just take the guy down, but the guy wasn't looking where he was going, when he ran round the corner. He distracted himself by laughing at Gumshoe, giving the officer the perfect opportunity to upper hand him to the floor.
"Hey sir?" Gumshoe calls getting there attention. "What about me? I helped too you know."
He ought to have some credit.
"Gumshoe if it wasn't for this young go getter – fresh out the police academy – the guy would have made a break for it!" Greyjoy replies, patting the officer on the back. – He did have a point. "I would have thought someone with your years and experience would have been able to stop that guy easily with little assistance. It doesn't set a good example for our future detective."
"But sir! I-"
"You're lucky that I'm not considering in cutting your salary!" Greyjoy snaps at him. Gumshoe falls silent, not wanting to anger Greyjoy any further. He knew better then to argue with prosecutors, especially when they can cut his salary at a moments notice. Gumshoe has had his salary cut more times then anyone in the police force. "I expect you to be vigilant and ready the next time someone makes a break out of the courthouse!"
"…Yes sir." Gumshoe replies with a glum face.
"Don't feel bad." The young officer says with a smile. "It was a good thing I was only round the corner…maybe if you had more protein in your diet you wouldn't be weak as a kitten."
Gumshoe frowns "What's that suppose to mean?!"
The officer recoiled "I'm just saying," raising his hands, "If you eat more of a balance diet, instead of snaking on junk food – which is bad for you by the way – you would have the strength to take down a man half your size."
"Why you…!" Gumshoe clenches his hands into fists. When you have to live on a very low salary – prosecutors always cutting your pay – it's not easy when you can only afford to eat instant noodles every night. His lucky he still has enough money to eat something during the day, before his next paycheck. "Not everyone can afford that kind of luxury…pal! And who are you to tell me-"
"Enough!" Greyjoy interrupts, looking very unimpressed. "I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in a courthouse! Detective! You should be thanking this officer, after you cause yourself embarrassment! I will not hear anymore about this! Do you understand?"
"…Yes sir." Gumshoe doesn't speak anymore.
"Good! I do not want anymore trouble! I expect you back for our pending trial once this recess is over." Greyjoy turns to walk away from Gumshoe. When he walks up to the officer, he raises a hand as a gesture for him to walk alongside with him. "What's your name son?" He asks him.
"Bobby Fulbright sir."
"Fulbright huh?" Greyjoy looks at him curiously. "Are you by any chance, related to Detective Dominic Fulbright?"
"Yes sir, he's my father."
"Ah! I see… I knew your father very well. He was a good man, always thinking about our justice system and educating everyone the differences between right and wrong… looks like you've got a lot of high standards to live up to."
"My father wanted me to follow his footsteps, that's why I joined the police force… I wish to become a detective, just like him."
"Trying to make your father proud, I respect that."
Gumshoe was still standing in the same place, hearing the whole conversation in silence. He guesses this detective Dominic Fulbright had worked with Prosecutor Greyjoy in the past, Gumshoe never heard of him until now, and doesn't know anyone in the police department who goes by that name – maybe he's retired - Great not only is this guy full of himself, he also has family known to have been in the police force. He thinks to himself. What next…a pay rise?
"I'll see to it that the you get a pay rise in this month salary."
Never before has Gumshoe wanted to punch someone so badly.
The Present – Gumshoe House:
Gumshoe doesn't know how long he's been staring at the ceiling, in truth he didn't care. Since the funeral several weeks ago, he had been thinking about Fulbright every night before falling asleep, only to wake up again.
Thinking about the first time they meet, how they became friends, the good times they shared, he had known Fulbright better then anyone. They didn't have a good start, in truth he thought Fulbright was a hotheaded, loudmouth, who would use the word justice repeatedly. But that wasn't the case; Fulbright was more then that.
The sound of his cell phone fills the room, causing Maggey to stir from sleep.
Who could be calling at this time of night?
Without bothering to lift his head from the pillow his picks up his cell phone and answers it. "Hello Detective Gumshoe here." Only to be startled and quickly moves the phone away from his ear.
"Sir! It's Officer Meekins sir! Didn't mean to wake you sir! But there's something you might want to know sir!"
Meekins bellowed so loudly, he causes Maggey to spring out of bed, falling onto the floor with a massive thud.
Gumshoe winces when a harsh squealing sound coming from the other side of the line echoed throughout the room, and at that same moment the howls of a crying baby could be heard over the baby monitor.
A disgruntled Maggey picked herself up from the floor, leaving the room to attend to their son.
"For crying out loud Meekins!" Gumshoe replies in anger, sitting up from the bed, "Will you put that megaphone down! I can hear you fine without it! Even George heard you!"
"Sorry sir, but your not going to believe what just happened tonight! It's the talk of the evening…nobody else can believe it! They're looking into everything to work out-"
"Meekins!" Gumshoe cuts him off. "What's so important that you had to phone me in the middle of the night!"
"Sorry sir…we got tip on a gangster hideout tonight, we raided the building to find no one there-"
"You phoned me just to tell me that?!" There was irritation in Gumshoe's voice. "Look pal! It's three in the morning! And I'm suppose to be meeting Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth at nine-"
"No wait sir! Hold on a minuet! I haven't finished!" Meekins protests. "That wasn't the surprise sir! I have more to tell you!"
"What is it then?" Gumshoe sighs; lately he didn't care about any news or updates going round the police department.
Everytime new events happen his mind would always be somewhere else.
"Bobby Fulbright is already long dead. An unidentified body that was found a year ago, has now been proven to possess' Bobby Fulbright's fingerprints."
"Then does this mean…?"
"Yes. That man there is an imposter pretending to be Bobby Fulbright."
Gumshoe decided to watch the trial that day. He was off duty at the time, and thought it would be exciting to see Edgeworth facing off against Phoenix Wright once again, like old times.
It had been a long time since he'd seen Miles Edgeworth stand on the prosecutor bench. Not something you would expect for someone in his position to be doing, but he was requested specially for the case, a case he was more than willing to prosecute.
Edgeworth had to handle a lot of bad media for allowing a prisoner to prosecute, especially one scheduled for the death sentence later that year. But that never fazed him; he's handle worst things then this. Even if Blackquill showed to be mischievous in court, he still stood by him, just like Detective Fulbright–
Or thought to have been Detective Fulbright.
He couldn't help but wonder when did Fulbright get murdered. Was it before he knew he was to be assigned to prosecutor Blackquill or sometime after.
He remembers hearing about the body had been found, stuffed in a black bag, and thrown in the middle of Gourd Lake. Gumshoe didn't want to know the full details of the body, but he knew the face was unrecognizable.
Whatever Meekins had to tell him, it would have to be something big to catch his attention.
"When we got there… there was no one in the building, except…" Long pause, Meekins breaths in before he continues. "Except for Detective Fulbright sir…he was-"
"Wait! What…?" That got his attention, "Meekins? Did I hear you correctly? You found Detective Fulbright?"
"…Yes sir… he was found alive… in the basement." Meekins stated more carefully.
"What do you mean found alive?"
"Detective Fulbright, was in the basement of the building…alive."
Gumshoe froze, there were several moments of silence as the information slowly sinks in.
"S-sir? Are you still there?"
Found… alive…? He was found…alive…? Detective Fulbright… was found alive…? Bobby is alive- BOBBY'S ALIVE!
"WHAAAAAAAAAT!" Gumshoe shouts in surprise, once again hearing the wailing cries of his son from outside the room – And very annoyed Maggey, calling for him to keep it down. "Are you serious?!" He replies to Meekins – voice a little quieter, but still surprise. "I-is this a joke?!"
"No joke sir!" Meekins answers.
"B-but he's dead!" Gumshoe says in disbelief "He's dead pal…! His fingerprints were identified on a body that was found a year ago!"
He's wrong! There wrong! They must have got it wrong! They must have found someone else!
"I know sir… we all thought that too… But he was found… chained up and beaten! He passed out not long after we discovered him… He's in hospital right now."
Gumshoe jumps out of bed and goes straight to the closet to pick out a shirt – cell phone still in his hand. "Tell the chief I'm going straight down there, I'll be there soon." He hangs up and starts changing into his normal work clothes.
"What's going on?" Maggey asks him, standing by the door, cradling George – finally asleep – in her arms.
"It's Bobby…" Gumshoe replies – putting on a pair of trousers. "He's in the hospital."
Maggey tilts her head to one side. "But honey, Bobby's dead. We went to his funeral-"
"Apparently not." Gumshoe replies, adjusting his tie. "He was found on a police raid tonight… he's alive Mags."
Maggey frowns "Are you sure? How do you know they haven't got him mixed with someone else…? Or another imposter?"
She did have a point, Gumshoe couldn't argue with that. He knows he shouldn't get his hopes up, but if they're sure the person in hospital is Detective Bobby Fulbright, then there will be a lot of questions, and a mystery to solve.
An unidentified body that was found a year ago, has now been proven to possess' Bobby Fulbright's fingerprints.
If it really is you Bobby, then everyone will want to know.
He's still doesn't believe what he just heard, but he needs to be sure "That's why I'm going to find out."
"Just don't get your hopes up."
The Past – Courthouse Restroom:
"Look pal! I don't need your help!"
"B-but sir! At least let me help you get cleaned up!"
The same incident that happened the first time they meet had happened in a similar fashion once again. This time Gumshoe did manage to restrain the guy who had busted out the courtroom. But the guy was cunning and managed to spit in Gumshoe's left eye, causing him to loosen his grip, allowing the guy to break free from him and push him into a nearby trashcan. The rest was all a blur as Fulbright sprinted right passed them and tackled the guy to the ground by the legs. Leaving the guy in a daze as the guards handcuffs him and took him back to the courtroom for sentencing.
Right now Gumshoe and Fulbright are alone the men's restroom, Gumshoe trying to clean himself up, or he would be if Fulbright didn't insist on helping him.
"I'm a grown man pal! Now give me some space, so I can clean myself up!" Gumshoe says in annoyance. Fulbright is standing next to him with a white handkerchief in his hand insisting on cleaning the dirt patch off Gumshoe's cheek. "Besides I didn't need your help in stopping that guy, I had it under control!"
"Hmph. No offensive to your capabilities sir, but it didn't look like you had it under control." Fulbright replies, adjusting his sunglasses. "It look like the guy overpowered you, and pushed you into that trashcan."
Gumshoe growled "…It was all part of my plan pal!"
"And what plan was that?" Fulbright tilted his head, looking at him curiously.
"…A plan you screwed up!" Gumshoe snaps, he didn't know how to respond to the question and he was really irritating him. "My plan was to make him think he had overpowered me! But then you came running and ruined everything!" In truth Gumshoe didn't have any plan – grab him and restrain him – "And to make things worst they gave you another pay rise by taking it out of my salary!"
Fulbright gasps raising both hands up in shock. "S-sir I…I" At that moment Fulbright tilts his head back, one hand holding his nose while the other waves the handkerchief as he cries a river of tears. "I didn't know sir!" His cries. "I was only trying to help you get justice!"
Gumshoe recoils when Fulbright's tears splash onto his sleeve. "Hey, hey! Take it easy pal…! You're embarrassing yourself."
Fulbright doesn't turn off the waterworks. "But I was always taught to look out for fellow comrades who may be in need of assistance! So justice can prevail"
Gumshoe raising an eyebrow. "What's with you?"
"I was taught that justice was about helping those in need, not just putting criminals behind bars!" Fulbright replies with a glum face, joining two fingers at the tip – he looked pitiful.
"Did your dad teach you that?" Gumshoe asks, remember the conversation he overheard with Prosecutor Greyjoy.
Are you by any chance, related to Detective Dominic Fulbright?
Yes sir, he's my father.
"Y-yes sir." Fulbright replies. "It was him who taught the meaning of the word justice, so I can…"
Gumshoe watches him curiously when notice Fulbright reaching for something on his right, only to realise he was reaching into his gun holster.
"H-hey wait a minuet pal!" He raises his hands and slowly backing away. "I don't want to cause any trouble, but there's no need to resort to-"
"So I can join the police, and become detective and spread justice around the city!" Fulbright cuts him off, flashing his police badge in front him. His badge was in a holder, with a photo ID card of himself, dressed in police uniform with the title 'Officer Bobby Fulbright'.
Gumshoe was dumbstruck, nearly falling to the ground, he was completely lost for words, his mouth hung open twitching, feeling a sweat drop come down the side of his face. He felt foolish, for a moment he thought Fulbright was going to turn a corner and point a gun at him.
"Hahahaha, sir you should see your face!" Fulbright laughs with a beaming smile. "You look like you just got the wrong end of the stick. Did you think I was going to threaten you or something?"
You don't seem like the type who would, Gumshoe thinks, breathing a sigh of relief.
Fulbright seems to be genuine, even if his overemotional outburst was awkward. Good thing they're alone, it would be difficult to explain if someone was to walk in and see Fulbright flooding the men's room with his own water works.
"So you want to be a detective huh?"
"That's right, I want be a detective just like my father."
What are you some kind of daddy's boy?
"Hey pal, where is your father? How comes I never heard of him?" It was a question that had been bothering the detective since he overheard the conversation. "I don't know anyone from the police department who goes by the name Dominic Fulbright."
The huge grin on the younger man's face disappears "That's because he's dead sir… No one speaks about him."
There was an uncomfortable silence between the two
"…Oh…" was all Gumshoe could say, staring at him.
Fulbright's posture was hunched, head lowered, eyes shut.
"Was it recent? Did you know it was going to–"
"N-no sir… My parents died when I was really young." Shaking his head.
"Sorry pal… I didn't know."
"It's alright sir, as long as I'm helping to keep injustice at bay, there deaths are being avenged!"
"They were murdered?"
"Not exactly, it's a little… complicated." Fulbright opens his eyes, but he doesn't look at Gumshoe.
Gumshoe was taken aback, this was the first time he saw him like this, pain and grief clearly seen in his eyes; it looks like Fulbright was completely self-absorbed with bad memories brought back to the surface. – Gumshoe realises he must have overstepped the mark by asking him the question – whatever must have happened to both Fulbright's parents, Fulbright was never able to come to terms with it, never found any closure for his loss.
Before Gumshoe could say something, his stomach let out a massive grumble.
Fulbright quickly look up, his sorrow expression had disappeared. "S-sir? Have you not had lunch today?"
Gumshoe turns his head and stares at the wall – his cheeks were slightly red "I don't stop for lunch pal."
Fulbright raised his eyebrows in shock "But sir… how are you suppose to fight for justice on an empty stomach?"
Gumshoe snorts, "Not everyone can afford lunch like you can."
"Hmm…" Fulbright adjusts his sunglasses "How about… I pay for both of our lunches? I earn more then enough, ever since my salary was increased."
Gumshoe looks back at him. Was he serious? He was offering to buy him lunch? After he was so tempted to punch him?
Since their first meeting, Gumshoe grew to detest the young officer – spreading the word justice like a broken record, always striding around the police department, acting like he's got the good life because he's popular with prosecutors and fellow co-workers, and can afford what ever he wanted, because he had money, money to pay his bills, his rent, food, all because he gets pay rises instead of – Allowing him to starve because he can't afford lunch.
"I can't accept that from you pal." Gumshoe sighs. "You earn that pay rise."
Fulbright waves off his words. "I never wanted the pay rise sir. I don't do this job for the money, I do it for justice!"
He really loves that word.
"Besides…" Fulbright continues, once again joining two fingers at the tip and giving a glum look. "I did steel some of your salary, at least let me make it up to you."
Fulbright didn't technically steel his money. Prosecutor Greyjoy decided to gave him another pay rise, the same time he deducted Gumshoe's pay – the guy really loves to show this kid his good side.
He gives Fulbright a faint smile. "There's a café not far from the station, where officers go if they don't want to eat the food in the cafeteria. The service is great there, and they even serve stake lunches "
"Do they taste good?"
"You won't know till you try it pal." Gumshoe laughs.
Fulbright smiles back. "I think I will sir."
Gumshoe puts an arm over Fulbright's shoulder; they both start to walk out the bathroom – never considering how awkward this might look – "Hey pal just call me Dick… or Gumeshoe if ya want."
Fulbright gives a pleasant laugh. "Hey Dick, how about after lunch we go find some justice, just you and me, what do you say?"
Gumshoe laughs back. "You know what pal...? You're alright."
The Present:
He doesn't know how long he had been kept in darkness, weather he was awake or asleep it didn't matter. For as long as he could remember, he was kept in darkness since they captured him. Only ever seeing light when they come to see him. He doesn't know where he is, all he knew was they kept him in darkness.
However this time something was different.
The darkness was no longer silent.
The noise of beeping echoed in the distance. The sound of hushed voices started to become audible, as the beeping noise got louder.
He then started to smell something strong, a strong disinfectant smell, not a horrible odor smell.
And he wasn't cold, he felt warm and comfortable.
Eventually finding the strength his slowly opened his eyes slightly, he groaned when he saw the light, and quickly shut them again. He didn't know what was going on, his head hurt, the light didn't help, and was slightly confused.
He tried opening his eye again; everything was a blur coated in the bright light.
The light it's so painful-
"BOBBY!" a familiar voice shouted in surprise. He wished they didn't, it made his head worst. "Speak to me pal!"
It took some effort but he managed to find his voice, even if it only came as a whisper.
"…T-too…bright."
Fulbright could see two people standing above him, he couldn't make out who they were, the light blurred his vision, but he could see someone walking to the side of the room, then he could hear some rustling noise and the light disappeared, making it easier on his eyes and his headache bearable.
"Is that better?"
Vision clears, his fogged mind now clearing, and he could see that he's in a clean sterile room with Gumshoe and a doctor looking down at him.
"Where am I?"
"The hospital." The doctor replies, "you were brought here several hours ago, we didn't expect you to wake up so soon."
The doctor ran several tests on Fulbright, checking his stimulus and injuries –injuries that'll turn to scars he warned him – once he was finished, the doctor quietly left the room, leaving Fulbright and Gumshoe alone.
Fulbright turns to Gumshoe starring at him with a suspicious frown, not one he was use to seeing on the older detective. He thought he would be glad to see him.
"What is it?"
"…Father's name?"
"What?"
"What was your Father's name?"
Fulbright blinks up at him "…Dominic Fulbright." He answers, puzzled by the question, "Why are you–"
"Your mother's name?"
"Amelia, Dick wha–"
"When did you become a homicide detective?"
"Not long after I joined the police… Dick I only just woke up–"
"How did we meet?"
"W-why are you asking me all these questions…? Don't you–"
"How did we meet?" Gumshoe repeats with bitterness in his voice – unusual for him.
Fulbright stares at him, he may still be slightly haze from only waking up no more then half hour ago, but he couldn't help but think, from all the years he had known Gumshoe, this was the first time he had ever known him to be this skeptical.
He expected Gumshoe to be overjoyed he had been found alive and in a stable condition, bawling his eyes out and trying to hug him, but no there's none of that, only Gumshoe towering over him arms folded, face serious, like he doubts the person resting in bed to be real.
Fulbright felt a tight pain in his chest, and a lump forming in his throat. What's been happening? He thinks but never asks.
He swallows a few times before he trusts himself to speak.
"We were in the courthouse, someone just ran out of a trial, you tried to restrain him but failed, then I stopped him." Fulbright swallows again, "then a similar instant happened again not long after, we talked, then we out to lunch together… we became friends ever since."
Gumshoe stares at him, and the serious expression on his face slowly changes, eyebrows raised, eyes swelling with tears.
"Bobby?" He says quietly.
"Yes… who else would I be?"
All the skeptical doubt on Gumshoe's face finally disappears, and filled with joy, so much Fulbright let out a yelp when he bent down to grab him into a massive hug.
"Bobby it really is you! I can't believe it!" Gumshoe cries ignoring the hiss of pain coming from Fulbright when he tightens his grip at the end of his sentence.
It felt like a bear hug – Gumshoe being the bear – squeezing you so tightly, that you can't move any part of your body, while feeling a lot of discomfort and causing any injuries or pain to feel worst.
"Dick…!" Fulbright gasps. Despite the suffocation and the pain he couldn't help but smile.
He had known Gumshoe since he was fresh out the police academy, and had consider him to be more than his friend. With no living relatives to turn to, he thought of Gumshoe like a brother.
"It good to see you too, but could you please get off of me…! I can't breath."
"Oh! Sorry pal!" Gumshoe lets go, rubbing the back of his head and giving a lopsided grin, as Fulbright takes several deep breaths. "I didn't mean to suffocate you." He laughs, "but I thought you were gone forever… still can't believe they found you on that police raid."
Fulbright coughs and breaths for air few more times before speaking "…Police raid?"
"Yeah pal, you were lucky they took a look down in the basement when they found no one else there."
Fulbright vaguely remembers seeing several people wearing blue – must have been police uniform he thinks – he couldn't remember everything that was happening, but he knew they were surprised and concerned – Like he was the last person they would expect to find – but that didn't matter to him, his faith in justice – he would be found before his life could end – came through. Everything will be fine, everyone can now find relief that Detective Bobby Fulbright was found alive and was safe, getting the medical treatment he needed – or so he thought.
"I knew you'd eventually find me… you all must have been looking for me day and night." Fulbright gives a bright smile, but that smile quickly disappears and he gives a puzzled look, when he saw Gumshoe turns his head away "…What is it?"
Gumshoe's body stiffens from hearing the question it took several moments before he answered. "I don't know how to break this to you pal…but we didn't know you were missing." He doesn't lift his head, but the guilt on his face could be seen loud and clear. "We all thought you were someone else until-"
"W-wait what…?" Fulbright raises his eyebrows in shock; it's the same facial look he always does when surprised. "What…what do you mean by someone else?"
There was a long deathly silence, only the sound of the heart rate monitor filling the room.
Gumshoe draws in and lets out a long deep breath before looking back at Fulbright, expression unchanged.
"You best brace yourself pal."