She is the water and earth of me

And the space between each grain too

And why is she blind and cannot see,

She's the rose and I the morning dew?

.'.

Klavier rubbed his eyes as he walked through the halls of the prison he'd become so accustomed to prowling of late and hoped, for the thousandth time, that Ema was okay. He'd felt awful leaving her alone even if her sister was with her. It was difficult to leave her side at all these days what with the attack on her but what made it worse was the fact that he just couldn't be away from her for too long.

He'd grown so used to having her live with him in such a short space of time that he worried constantly how he was going to feel when she eventually left. Seeing her face first thing in the morning, hearing her voice as he ate his breakfast or just the general sound of her moving around their – my, he reminded himself for the millionth time – apartment, made him feel things he hadn't known were possible. Ever since the night of her attack, Klavier's love had grown and every time he thought he couldn't love her more, he was proven wrong. Living with her had revealed her little idiosyncrasies; like the fact that she always had orange juice in the mornings, tapped her bare foot on the floor as she waited for the water in the kettle to boil, made sure the salt and pepper were smack bang in the middle of the table and read the ingredients on everything she ate a thousand times over. He had no idea why these things (and more) endeared her to him but there it was – he was falling harder for her every day.

Unfortunately, he could not be with her at all times – the man who had attacked her was still out there and Klavier would not rest until he'd found him. At the thought of the thug, Klavier's jaw clenched and he tried to control his expression. He finally understood that protective instinct to kill anyone who hurt the one he loved – he would never do it (maybe he'd throw a punch or two), however, he understood;because now all Klavier wanted to do was find the bastard and come down on him like a ton of bricks. When he found him, Klavier would make him pay for every tear she shed because of him, every bruise he'd inflicted on her.

But it wasn't that easy – the police had found traces of blood at Ema's apartment and upon analysis, it hadn't been hers or anyone else they had on the system. It didn't belong to a single Cadaverini and all roads led to a dead end. He was starting to wonder if the Cadaverinis had anything to do with it at all – it didn't seem like their type of thing. When the Cadaverinis went after something, they always succeeded. Klavier was half hoping it had nothing to do with them at all – he didn't want a crime syndicate hunting down Ema, especially one that the police couldn't touch. On the other hand, now he had no idea where to look.

He glanced at his watch and tried to clear his mind. He couldn't be thinking about all this right now. He had two appointments to keep; one with Rafael Rainsford and, from what he'd heard of the man, he needed his wits about him for this interview. He had every intention of finding out everything about Gale's murder and when Klavier Gavin set his mind on something, he succeeded. He was not going to let an animal outwit him. The second was for later on tonight; a party thrown by Ema's sister and he had been invited. He was somewhat looking forward to driving Ema to it.

"This way," the warden said to Klavier and he wasn't surprised to see himself being led through a door to solitary confinement again.

"Why is he in solitary confinement?" Klavier asked.

"He causes too much trouble," the warden said shortly. Klavier didn't bother asking for more information from the man – he'd met the warden enough times now to realise he was a very anti-social person. Instead, he followed silently and cast a glance towards the cell where the criminal was sat on his bed examining his nails with an interested expression. Klavier's first thought was the man was vain – and he had every right to be. The photo he'd seen had done no justice to the man and Klavier knew that he probably attracted almost as many women as Klavier did without the aid of fame.

"Do you want to go inside?" the warden asked and Klavier looked at him in surprise.

"Natűrlich," he said. "Why would you ask?"

"He's in that cell for a reason," the warden said seriously. "Better think twice."

"I will be fine," Klavier said firmly. The warden shrugged as if to say on your own head be it and unlocked the door. Klavier scrutinised the man again and saw that he hadn't looked up from his nails. "I'll be nearby," the warden said opening the cell. "Call me if… you need anything." Klavier had a pretty good idea that the warden had been about to say 'if he does anything'. Resisting the urge to snort, he simply nodded and stepped into the den of the lion with narrowed eyes. He waited for Rainsford to look up at him but the man continued his perusal of his hand as if nothing had happened. Klavier thought he understood – he wanted to set the tone of the conversation and he meant to intimidate Klavier. Good luck, Mr Rainsford, Klavier thought hitching his thumb in his belt and leaned against the bars. He could wait.

And he did. He continued to observe Rainsford and he found it quite difficult to reconcile the man he'd heard about with the one before him. He seemed like a, vain but, normal man. He was very well kept for a prisoner and Klavier's eyes narrowed again wondering if he'd managed to corrupt someone in the prison to get his hands on certain amenities. Klavier made a note to investigate that – he would not allow such things especially not for a man like this.

Rainsford's pose was cocky and relaxed at the same time and Klavier wanted to kick him. It was childish, immature and somewhat amusing but he really just wanted to kick the man. Not a punch – a kick. Right in the –

"You look uncannily like your brother, Mr Gavin," Rainsford said and Klavier's attention was diverted from his thoughts. The insufferable man was still staring at his nails… so when had he looked at him?

"Ja," Klavier agreed, willing to play along for now. "That is where the similarities end." His voice was casual but his words were dripping with meaning and he was sure that the message was clear.

"Hmm," his inspection turned to his other hand and Klavier wanted to give Rainsford a cast very much like the one he'd had – except he wanted it around his body, not just his hand. "I know. Your brother told me all about you."

Klavier was taken back and his expression faltered, giving way to shock. When and why had Kristoph talked to this – this bastard about him? Rainsford looked up at this point and the deep blue eyes further disconcerted him – they reminded him of Kristoph. When he saw the amusement glittering there, Klavier's own narrowed in anger and he realised the man had meant to catch him off-guard and he'd managed to do so. Klavier had no difficulty believing Rainsford had been sitting there wondering which way to best unsettle him and unwilling to give him that, Klavier wiped his face of all emotion.

"We are brothers after all," Klavier said coolly. "It is natural for him to mention me."

Rainsford chuckled and leaned forward until his elbows were resting on his knees and his fingers were entwined and he looked straight at Klavier. "I would offer you something to eat… drink… but as you can see," he glanced about him, gesturing at his cell. "I have very little to offer."

"Do not be so modest, Herr Rainsford," Klavier said with a smirk. "I believe you have much to offer."

"There's no need for formalities," the other said with a pleasant smile. "Call me Rafael."

Klavier didn't respond straight away; he was having a hard time understanding Rafael. He had no doubt that had he met the him on the street he would have thought him a pleasant man and not at all capable of the atrocities he had read about. He would have to be careful with him.

"That is gracious of you, Mr Rainsford," Klavier said somewhat mockingly but Rafael simply flashed a grin at him. "I am here in the hopes that you will help me with a little problem that has been… confusing me."

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Rafael said. "Please… sit down," he gestured towards the chair near him.

"I prefer to stand," Klavier said in a bid to signify that he was not easily commanded. Rafael, however, seemed unfazed and he gesticulated as if to say 'it's your choice'. "Now, you are on death row for the murder of Gale Rainsford."

"That's right," Rafael said casually and Klavier had to fight hard to keep his face devoid of emotion.

"You kidnapped, abused and murdered her?" Klavier said although it wasn't really a question.

"According to the evidence and the courts, yes – I did," Rafael said with a smile.

Klavier wasn't even going to comment on the callousness of Rafael's tone. "I want to know why."

He was hoping for some sort of a reaction from the man, anything to indicate that he had caught him off guard but all Rafael did was lean back against the wall, put his foot on the edge of the bed and rest an arm on his leg.

"I can see what Kristoph meant," Rafael said after a moment and Klavier frowned. Since when had his brother and Rafael been on first name terms? "You're very forthright." Klavier remained quiet, keeping his gaze locked with Rafael's knowing that he was only trying to steer the conversation away from his question. "You met Gale." Again, Klavier was taken aback but this time he was able to prevent a physical reaction to the statement. How did he know? "Gale never mentioned you but it's clear you met her."

"Why is that?" Klavier asked nonchalantly.

"Whenever she met a man, she left her mark on him," Rafael said with a shrug. "Personally, I don't know what the fuss was about. I didn't see anything special in her. She wasn't even much to look at."

"You murdered a woman," Klavier said coldly. "I do not expect you saw much in anything."

Rafael laughed. "Aaaah! See, Klavier! There! It's that look…" He flicked a hand towards the prosecutor. "It's that anger… that passion. I see it burning in every man whoever spoke a word to her. It was quite a talent she had." He shook his head and Klavier's jaw clenched. "But it didn't save her life."

Klavier took a discreet, deep breath and reminded himself that the bastard was just trying to provoke him and he had to remain calm. He was dealing with a real professional and he knew how to get under Klavier's skin; he'd already managed to do that to him twice in under ten minutes.

"Why did you take her life?" Klavier said calmly.

"She was of no importance to me," Rafael said dismissively waving a hand. "Simply a means to an end. She failed me so I disposed of her."

"Do you always rape your rubbish before you throw it away?" Klavier asked in a tone of forced calm.

Rafael threw back his head and laughed heartily. "No, not always. But when it's my brother's rubbish then yeah, I might have a rummage to see if any valuables fall out."

Klavier experienced a swooping sensation in his stomach at these words, like he'd missed a step, and he suddenly felt sick. He had to struggle to control what his face gave away, however, considering Rafael's next statement, he wasn't doing a very good job.

"You're shocked," he said amused. "Don't tell me you've never gone through Kristoph's things before."

"I do not understand," Klavier said, swallowing the bile rising in his throat.

"I was looking for my brother," Rafael said with a smile. "That's all it means."

Klavier struggled to control himself again and with considerable difficulty, he cleared his face of emotion again determined it would be the last time he would have to do it and he was grateful for the steadiness of his voice when he spoke. "What did your brother have to do with Gale?"

"Can't you guess?" Rafael said, raising an eyebrow. Klavier stared at him blankly as several thoughts hit him at once. The surnames. The sorrow in her voice. The grief on her face. "Looks like you figured it out. You're as sharp as Kristoph."

Klavier ignored him, inwardly scowling at how easily the bastard was reading him. "They were an item."

"Yep. The lovesick Gale took the surname even though he left her," Rafael said his eyes back on his nails and then he swept the room again. "Thought I could force his destination out of her but she proved to be a little too loyal. You should have seen the look on her face when I approached her asking for his whereabouts," Rafael laughed and it took all of Klavier's willpower to prevent his hand from curling into a fist.

"So when she would not help you, you killed her."

"Oh, no, no," Rafael said, chuckling. "I thought he might come to save her or whatever it is heroes do for their heroines. I figured he did actually love her," he chuckled, shrugging good-naturedly as if he'd simply lost a game to a friend. "I guess I watched too many movies…" He flashed another grin at Klavier. "He's more intelligent than I thought but I should have expected it. He is my brother after all."

Klavier crossed his arms nodding, not trusting himself to talk. A lot of things were making sense now. This explained the 6 months in which Gale had been held hostage, the surnames and many other questions. However, now he had new questions.

"Why did you go to such lengths to find your brother?"

Rafael was silent for a moment and Klavier could have sworn the man before him changed physically; he seemed to grow bigger, darker… stronger. His head rose slowly. "He and I have unfinished business," Rafael said and Klavier was disturbed at how quickly the smile disappeared. Those eyes were fixed on him again and there was none of the fake friendliness in them now, none of the pleasantness that had been there since the beginning of the conversation. Now, they were filled with a dark power that Klavier had seen many times before but never with such… intensity.

"Business important enough to kill for?" Klavier asked, his own icy blue eyes blazing now.

"You believe in criminals getting what they deserve don't you, Klavier?" Rafael murmured standing up for the first time and Klavier pushed himself away from the door, straightening his back, and took a step toward Rafael.

"I do."

"Your brother's in prison for a murder. If he hadn't been discovered, and you found out one day, would you have turned him in?"

Klavier's shock at the question paled in comparison to the unexpected answer it brought forth from him; "Yes." I would?

Yes… I would.

"If you knew he had committed crimes that were not punishable by law," Rafael approached him slowly, his eyes never leaving Klavier's. "If you knew he had destroyed so many lives… But you could not bring him to justice in court… What would you do?" He stopped two feet away from Klavier who was watching Rafael with cautious eyes and on guard for an attack. "If he had hurt the woman you loved…" Klavier's mind instantly went to Ema and her attacker. His mind's eye recalled the bruises he'd seen on her of late, the tears she had shed and the subsequent anger arose in him once more. "If because of Kristoph… a heartless, cruel man… the woman you loved more than life itself was made almost catatonic…" Klavier stiffened as, unbidden, an image of Ema in a hospital bed crossed his mind. "If he had used emotion to destroy emotion… What would you do?"

Klavier imagined the fire gone from Ema's eyes, neither scowl nor smile gracing her lips – instead a blank face devoid of emotion and he winced. Had Rafael suffered from something like that? Had he loved a woman whose demise had unhinged him? Klavier wavered in his judgement of Rafael, picturing Ema again. He didn't know what he would be capable of if he ever saw her face like that… But just as that image was torturing him another voice spoke up in his mind and he centred his attention on Rafael with suspicious eyes.

"You have a wife," he shot at him. "And she's perfectly fine."

Rafael laughed suddenly and the darkness in his face had vanished. "I never said she wasn't, Klavier!"

Klavier's eyes closed as his fist curled and it was with tremendous effort that he prevented it from connecting straight with Rafael's face. When he opened his eyes, he saw the man back on his bed with an extremely satisfied and amused expression on his face. Klavier knew it was time to go – he couldn't control his temper anymore and he couldn't benefit anymore from this interview. What was more, Rafael had proven to be a formidable adversary who had the devil's very own tongue – he had to think things through before talking to him further. He knew it was far from over; in fact, he was sure it was just beginning and if he wanted to be successful in the investigation, he couldn't do it if he was being victimised in mind games. So he simply called out to the warden who came much more hurriedly than Klavier had ever seen him walk. He turned to Rafael.

"I have an appointment elsewhere, Mr Rainsford," Klavier said. "We will talk again soon."

"Well, make sure it's sooner rather than later, Klavier!" Rafael said tapping his wrist as if to indicate a watch. "I'm living on borrowed time!" He laughed.

As Klavier walked away, a nasty feeling overcame him and it went beyond the unease at the sadistic personality he had just encountered. Somehow, he believed he was in deeper than he realised… And he wasn't going to get out unscathed.

"Fräulein?" Klavier called upon entering his apartment, his keys jingling in his hand as he threw them aside and walked towards her bedroom. When she didn't reply straight away Klavier looked around himself. Her things were scattered around the flat and it warmed his heart that she had made herself at home. Her coat was thrown across the back of the sofa which meant she wasn't out anywhere. He'd left her with Lana so even if Ema didn't reply, her sister should have. He turned back to the door with a frown and knocked. "Fräulein Skye?" he called, hoping one of the Skyes would answer him. However, when he still didn't get a response, alarm swept through him and he turned the handle of the door.

He had been expecting the worst – but he found the best. Ema was on the bed, asleep. Klavier's eyes roamed over her admiring the graceful pose of her sleeping body. She was wearing the same clothes she'd been wearing this morning – a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He had seen the curves of her slender legs before leaving for work but now he saw that they were in fact much more beautiful than he had first noticed. He wondered what it would be like to touch them, to have his fingers trail up the flawlessly creamy skin, to have them –

Klavier shook his head and a string of German curses burst forth from his lips. He shouldn't be thinking like this – she was his friend's girlfriend and what was more, she didn't even like him – there was no way she would ever let him do any of that to her. He had to get a grip on himself, he had to stop fantasizing about things that could never be…

And yet, despite all this reasoning, Klavier found his fingers moving towards her brown hair that was sprawled out around her on the pillow, framing her angelically beautiful face. He knew how soft that hair was – he'd felt it when he'd kissed her neck…

He winced. That memory still bothered him despite her obvious forgiveness. She had been civil to him, sometimes even bordering on friendly, and it was hard to keep in mind what he had overheard. He knew that it was the man in him that loved her to death that wanted to forget the truth of the matter – she hated him. He'd tried to reason himself out of it – every day. He told himself there had been some mistake but then his insecurities rose again as he remembered the way she'd made it further clear when she'd told him she didn't care if he hated her. Although how she could have ever thought he hated her baffled him.

Ema murmured something, startling him. She ran a hand across her eyes, stretching, and sighed. Klavier shuddered remembering the many dreams that plagued him at night. He had to wake her up or they would be late for the party. More importantly, he had to wake her up or he would be lost.

"Fräulein?" he said softly, putting a hand to her shoulder, careful not to touch her skin. "Wake up. HerrEdgeworth is expecting us."

He expected it would be harder to get her up but Ema's eyes opened and she gazed at him for several long moments as if uncomprehending his presence and yet mesmerised by him at the same time. Klavier's heart began to beat faster with every passing second she continued to stare at him. Her hand, which had been by her face, lifted to cover his and the softness of her fingers on the back of his hand made his body tingle. What was going through her mind? How could she look at him like that if she hated him? He wanted to lean down and kiss her now and he was certain she wouldn't push him away…

Ema's eyes widened and she sat up suddenly, turning her glare on him.

"What are you doing, glimmer-boy!" She demanded.

Klavier chuckled although his insides were just screaming at him to run… run away, back to your special spot… have some time… get away from this constant rejection and pain…

"Your sister and Herr Edgeworth are expecting us remember?" Klavier said instead. He tapped his watch. "The party is at 4, ja? It is half past 3. Should you not get dressed so we can go?"

"Half 3!" she shrieked jumping out of bed. "Dammit why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"I just came home, Fräulein," Klavier said, hitching a thumb in his belt loop and smiling as she rushed around. "I am somewhat surprised that Fräulein Skye is not here and that you did not go with her when she left."

"She had to go prepare for the party," Ema said, her face buried in one of her suitcases. "And I wanted a nap."

"Why do you not hang your clothes in the closet?" Klavier asked. "It would be much easier to find what you need."

"I won't be here long," she said, yanking something that looked remarkably like… Klavier looked away, his face turning red and his sadness at her comment was quickly replaced by embarrassment.

"I will leave you to get ready," he said, hastily walking out of the room. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

He didn't wait for a response. He was closing the door behind him and marching to his bedroom, shutting his own door as well. He was in a cold shower within minutes and it was 15 minutes later that he felt somewhat calm enough to face her again. He pulled on a pair of his usual pants and a white shirt (after all, nobody had said it was a formal occasion), opting to leave his jacket at home; he had suffered in the day's heat enough. Just as he opened his door to step out, he picked up his chain from the table. He walked out into the lounge pulling it around his neck but stopped when he saw Ema was already there. She was running her hands through her hair that was, for once, not tied back in any way. It fell about her face, brown tresses highlighting the creaminess of her skin and accentuating the green of her eyes. Klavier took a deep breath willing himself not to look at the rest of her but his eyes had a mind of their own; she was dressed casually in a pair of capris pants and camisole but she looked beautiful, her natural curves displayed…

Klavier shook himself mentally. "You look nice, Fräulein," he flashed a grin at her as he headed over to where he'd throw his keys.

"Why do you always wear skin-tight shirts?" She asked.

Klavier fought the urge to laugh; he supposed that was her way of reciprocating the compliment. "Why, to display my impressive physique of course!" he said, picking up his keys and winking at her. "I am flattered you take the time to notice."

"Hmph." She glowered at him.

"Shall we?" he said opening the front door for her. "I am glad you chose to wear those clothes."

"Why?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him as she passed through the open door.

"It will make the ride on the hog easier," Klavier said and he had to fight hard to keep a straight face at the way she froze and stared at him with wide, horrified eyes.

"What!" Ema yelped and he grinned at her, his worries and burdens forgotten again. How could he have thought he had lost this with her? She was his release just as always – just looking at her was the balm for his searing wounds. "I'm not getting on your hog!"

"I am just joking, Fräulein. We are taking my car," Klavier said, gesturing down the hallway and flashing her his best smile. "After you."

"You fop," she mumbled as she marched past him and Klavier smirked. Everything was alright again. Maybe she had been annoyed with him when she'd said she hated him. Who knew what the reason was? Ema was a grouch after all – he wouldn't put it past her to say things she didn't mean. He quashed the voice of insecurity that rose in him again. No, he was a prosecutor, he knew that things weren't always as they seemed. So, with a light heart, Klavier followed after her, admiring the way she walked. He wondered what she would call him if she knew where he was looking.

"Slow down!" Ema snapped at him for the 3rd time since setting off from his apartment – it had only been 5 minutes and already Klavier was having the time of his life. He found that the moment he was in the car with her, his chest had expanded and the butterflies pushed back the darkness that was taking over his life. Yes, he was certain he'd just overreacted to, what was probably, just a heated remark on her part. He felt like he was back in high school, asking a girl out for the first time. But he wasn't doing anything like that – it was just the fact that they were together out of choice rather than necessity. She could have easily gone with Lana and taken a nap at her house, he reasoned, but the very fact that she had remained behind meant she did not mind being with him. Very soon, he'd walk into a party with Ema Skye by his side.

What did he have to be upset about?

Even if she didn't like him, he'd change that. He wouldn't give up on his love for her and he certainly wouldn't give up trying to gain her feelings. The fact that they were now living together just made it that much easier – he got to see her much more often, day or night, and he learnt more about her with every passing minute. The more he knew about her, the more ammunition he had to woo her.

Klavier frowned as her relationship status crossed his mind fleetingly. Deston was a fool – the fact that he'd remained out of the country for several days after Ema's attack had proven to Klavier that Deston didn't deserve her. Much as he hated to admit it, Klavier had lost some of his respect for his friend. Deston had turned up almost a week after her attack with some hare-brained excuse about having some 'really important' business he could not leave and had he not known that Ema was going to be all right, he would have come back no matter what. That wasn't good enough for Klavier – if Ema was going to give her affection to a man, she deserved nothing less than complete devotion. She deserved to be taken care of. As far as Klavier was concerned, Deston might as well have come up to him and told him to steal Ema away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ema said, the volume of her voice rising. "I said SLOW DOWN!" Klavier glanced at her sideways, a smirk on his face, and he decreased the speed – but not by much. "What are you smirking about, Klavier?"

"Nothing, Fräulein."

"What do you mean, 'nothing'?" Ema demanded. "You don't just smirk for no rea…son…" She went quiet and Klavier looked at her sideways, intrigued by her sudden silence.

"What is it, Fräulein Detektiv?"

"Well, you do smirk at nothing." She crossed her arms and looked at him accusingly. "All the time, actually."

Klavier blinked, his eyes fixed on the road before him for several seconds as his mind processed her glare and the words that accompanied it. Then, quite suddenly, he pulled over and no sooner had he turned off the ignition that he put his head against the steering wheel and started to laugh.

"What – ?" he heard her say but his body was shaking and before he knew it he was laughing uproariously, clutching onto the wheel as if holding on for dear life. Funnily enough, he was – she always induced the extreme of every emotion. Had it been anybody else, he would have probably cracked a smile at the most but because it was coming from her… the tone of her voice, the look on her face; it was all too much for Klavier.

"What are you laughing at!" She sounded very irritated and Klavier predicted the words 'glimmerous fop' were resting on the tip of her tongue. "We're going to get late you glimmerous, insane fop! Get…" She went quiet again as another flood of laughter overtook him; he loved that he'd been right. He turned to look at her bemused face and took her hand in his; the contact caused a shock to course through him again but he wasn't taken aback now.

"Fräulein… please promise me you'll never change," he said, gazing into her glittering emerald eyes.

And he was captured.

The moment their eyes met, his mirth died as his being was overtaken by something more powerful, more dangerous and he knew he should let go of her hand, that he should pull away and resume the drive but he couldn't. Something was moving through his veins, lodging in his heart, making it heavy and light at the same time. His heartbeat was going crazy. He was enthralled.

"Y-you what?" Ema stuttered looking at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Please don't ever change," he said softly, his voice low. He put his other hand over hers, covering it in both of his own and, as if his body had a mind of its own, they moved upwards towards his heart. He wanted to put her fingers against his chest, right over his beating heart. He wanted her to feel his heartbeat and know that it was for her. He wanted her to know that he was willing to spill the blood that pulsed through him just to keep her safe.

"Klavier…?" her voice both pulled him in further and broke the spell on him. He glanced down at their hands. Damn it, he thought, what am I doing? Instead, he raised her fingers to his lips and kissed the back of her hand before smiling at her.

"I am sorry, Fräulein," he said letting it go. He suddenly felt much emptier and his hand much colder. He turned on the ignition and moved onto the road again as he spoke; "I did not think it wise to drive while I was laughing."

Ema didn't respond and Klavier glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed speechless and Klavier smiled inwardly; he thought it a good sign that he'd affected her this way. He hadn't meant for it to happen but he could never regret it – how could he ever, when all he ever wanted to do was to hold her, kiss her and love her? And she seemed… yes, she was definitely affected by what had just happened. Klavier wondered if his plan to make her fall in love with him was more deeply ingrained in his mind than he realised – was his subconscious acting on it when his conscious missed an opportunity?

He drove in silence for a few minutes before trying to engage her in a conversation again, hoping to alleviate some of tension that had thickened in the car.

"Do you know the reason for this party?" he asked.

"Yes," Ema said stiffly and Klavier had to fight hard to keep the smile off his face – he didn't think it would help the progress of the conversation if he smirked again.

"Would you care to share with me, Fräulein Detective?"

"Why do you always switch between German and English?" she asked suddenly and Klavier was surprised but not surprised enough not to notice that she had changed the subject. Knowing he'd find out the answer to his question soon enough anyway, he decided to answer her.

"It is a habit," he said. "I was taught both German and English by…" he paused, shocked at where his answer was going. "…my mother." Klavier frowned, wondering why he'd mentioned his mother when he always focused his energy into not thinking about her. He looked at Ema sideways and wondered if her power over him was such that just being in her presence was really enough to make talking about his mother bearable. How had this young woman bewitched him so?

"Your mother knows English?" Ema said.

"Yes, she did." Klavier said shortly. It may be possible talking about his mother with Ema but it did not mean he was ready to get into a conversation about it.

"Did?" Ema echoed.

"She is dead."

"Oh." A pause. Then – "I'm sorry. I for…" She quietened again.

"To help me learn, she used to mix the two languages together," Klavier explained, choosing to ignore the apology. "She would slip English within German to help me understand the words in context. When I became fluent enough, she stopped but it became embedded in my mind. Ever since, I have been unable to stop combining the two. You could say it is a trait I have inherited from my mother."

"Oh. Right." Ema was quiet again for a moment and Klavier wondered what she was thinking. Somehow, he expected her to have more questions and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her open her mouth and then close it as if changing her mind about what she was going to say. On any other subject, Klavier would have encouraged her to ask but there were some questions he was sure would crop up about his mother that he didn't want to answer.

"My parents are dead too," Ema said and Klavier took his eyes off the road for a few seconds to look at her, somewhat surprised at her willingness to offer this information. Her face was blank but he knew, from experience, that grief always accompanied that look.

"I am sorry, Fräulein," he said. "Do you have any other siblings?"

She shook her head. "It's just us. Lana's had to be my mom and dad for nearly all of my life…" He saw her turn her head. "She's always looked out for me."

Klavier marvelled at how alike he and Ema were – both having lost their parents, both one of two siblings… and yet they were so different. From what he'd seen, Klavier was certain Lana Skye would die to protect her sister while Kristoph would probably kill Klavier to protect himself. He knew this was a harsh judgement on his brother but recent events and revelations had made him doubt Kristoph in many ways.

"Lana deserves to be happy," Ema said and Klavier wondered why she had said that now. Had he missed something she said? He was sure he hadn't. What was going through her mind?

"So do you, Fräulein," he said with a smile. She didn't respond and Klavier saw she was still staring out of the window. Knowing too well the melancholy that came with remembering the death of one's parents, he left her to her thoughts and the remainder of the drive was spent in silence. It was a few minutes later that he pulled into the driveway of a rather large house. There were a few other cars scattered around the road but none that Klavier recognised. He got out of his Aston Martin and just as he made to walk around it and open the door for Ema, she stepped out herself and looked at the house. Klavier was relieved to see that there was no trace of sorrow on her face now – she looked happy to be here and he knew it was because she was going to see her sister.

Somewhere deep inside, where the loneliness resided, Klavier felt a twinge of envy.