The Fall

A child's spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still and, for love, it will soon itself come back.

–Arthur Miller

.'.

She didn't expect him to come at all. After she'd had time to think, Ema had reasoned that he'd forgotten all about her. He wasn't some normal guy after all (they were bad enough and barely noticed her) so she wasn't going to be stupid enough to fall for his smooth lines. She wasn't going to humiliate herself by dressing up for a guy that was never going to turn up. So, she'd grabbed some hotel snacks, turned on the TV and jumped in bed for a night of well-deserved rest after the help she'd given Edgeworth.

However, just as she was really getting into the show (Forensic Toxicology: The Poison for Every Poisoner), her phone rang. Her initial reaction was to ignore it but it occurred to her it might be Edgeworth so she sprang across the bed to pick it up. There was no number so she answered it, wondering if it was Lana.

"Hello?"

"Fräulein Skye," a smooth voice said and Ema frowned.

"Yes?" frowning, wondering who was ringing her. She didn't recognise the voice but it was distinctly German. She was sure she'd told everyone that she was going to be out of Berlin for a while.

"I will be there in 20 minutes," he said. "I trust you are ready?"

"Er, wh – oh!" she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as recognition hit her. She was speechless and Klavier didn't say anything, evidently waiting for her response. "Um…"

"Allow me to hazard a guess, Fräulein Skye," Klavier said and she could hear the smile in his voice. "You forgot."

"No I just didn't think – " Ema clamped her hand over her mouth again when she realised what she was about to say but it was too late.

"You did not think I would honour this date?" Klavier chuckled. "And why would I not? You owe me for the insult you paid me this afternoon, ja?"

Ema's face flushed in embarrassment. She didn't know what to say – every time she opened her mouth to talk, she made a mess of the situation and ended up just humiliating herself. However, as she was about to apologise, she heard a knock at her door and thanked God for it.

"One minute," she said into the phone and hastened towards the door.

Her relief was short-lived; as she swung it open, there she saw Klavier Gavin, fully dressed and smiling at her. She looked at her phone in confusion and saw that he was still on the line but then he raised a hand to his ear and pressed at the headset. The call on her phone ended and she groaned inwardly in protest.

Klavier's eyes roamed down her body, taking in the t-shirt she had on and the legs displayed beneath it. Ema flushed in both mortification and annoyance.

"I see that Fräulein Skye really was not expecting me," Klavier said with a chuckle. "May I come in?"

She stepped aside silently, still in a bit of a daze as Klavier walked into the small room she'd rented out. Ema watched, astonished, as he openly examined it.

"I thought you said you wouldn't be her for another 20 minutes!" she blurted out.

Klavier turned to her with twinkling eyes and hitched a thumb in his belt. "Indeed I did. However, when Fräulein told me she forgot our date, I had a change of plan. And you forget – I am in residence in this hotel also."

Ema instantly felt relieved. She wouldn't have to spend time with him and she could just go back to her life, uncomplicated as it had been before having fallen right into this mess. But it was okay now and all she needed to do was show him how apologetic she was. Maybe she could offer to pay him back – he probably wouldn't ask for any, he was a gentleman after all…

"I thought we could spend an evening in. However, I have rented the penthouse suite so it will probably be better if you were to follow me there," Klavier said.

"W-w-what!" she spluttered.

Klavier chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his full attention to her. "I assumed Fräulein wanted a night in? We can do it upstairs. In my suite."

Ema barely managed to hold back the words of disbelief that were dying to escape her mouth and the only thing that held her back was the reminder that she was already Idiot #1 in his book. There was no need to add to it. And even though the pause did nothing except add to the excruciating silence that had fallen around them, Ema used it to try and gather her thoughts.

There was no use panicking and she just had to think this through logically. He was Klavier Gavin, so what? The only difference was that everyone knew his face and he earned millions just for that. There was no need to feel intimidated by him just because she saw his mug on posters and billboards and newspapers and TVs. All she needed to do was look at him like any other person.

So, what would she do if any other person had suggested such a thing to her? Well, she'd have dumped a handful of chloronitrobenzenes in his face.

Um… I might have to remember he's a prosecutor…

"Would you like to get changed?" Klavier asked, breaking into her reverie.

She blinked at him in confusion but when he ran his eyes down her body again, her face heated up. "Um, you don't have to…" she bit her lip, uncertain.

Klavier cocked his head and continued to smile at her pleasantly. "I don't have to what, Fräulein?"

"You don't have to do anything with me just because you said you would!" she blurted out. When she realised her words could be construed in two ways, her eyes widened in mortification.

Klavier chuckled. "You are not trying to back out on me, are you?"

Ema cursed inwardly. "Look, I – "

"Fräulein," Klavier said kindly but in a tone that brooked no argument. "Please get changed. We are losing time."

He stepped outside the door and closed it after him with a smile leaving her staring after him with a dumbfounded look. Unable to believe what had happened, she walked to the door, twisted the knob, and popped her head around the door. He was leaning against the wall next to the frame, clicking his fingers and humming to himself. He winked at her, causing Ema to snap back inside with a blush and slamming the door shut.

She was well and truly trapped.

An hour later, Ema was sitting across from Klavier at a lavish table decorated with significantly lesser impressive food; having had to compromise, Klavier had ordered enough Thai cuisine to feed 20 people. She'd been extremely quiet since setting foot in his penthouse but the Klavier didn't seem to mind. He talked away, trying to engage her in conversation but she remained curt and short, hoping he would tire of her.

No such luck.

"Champagne?" Ema said as Klavier produced a bottle and nobody could have missed the criticism in her voice. "Are we celebrating something?"

"Our meeting, of course!" Klavier answered cheerfully as he poured her a glass and handed it to her. She lifted a hand to accept it but as she did so, their fingers touched.

Ema felt as though she'd been struck by lightning.

She looked at him in shock and his eyes were twinkling, his smile mischievous. Ducking her head, she chastised herself; keep your head on straight, Ema! Boys like him are after one thing and they'll do anything with any girl to get it.

"You have been exceptionally quiet this evening, Fräulein," Klavier said, sitting himself down beside her. "And, from experience, I know that you are quite capable of being vocal."

Ema looked at him to see if he was making fun of her but the smile was good-natured. She shook her head and took a sip of her drink, looking around at his suite. It was so big and ostentatious that she felt severely dwarfed by its size and embellished furnishing. The floor was black marble and warmer than was natural beneath her bare feet; she suspected it was lined with heating. Her eyes roamed over the white walls, the black furniture and the massive windows before them. She scrutinised the buildings in the dark and wondered if anybody could see her in here.

God, she didn't want to be caught with Klavier Gavin in his penthouse, with a champagne!

Rattled, Ema stood up and walked to the window, her senses buzzing. Was he watching her? Was he behind her?

"You just recently became a prosecutor, didn't you?" she asked and was surprised at the randomness of her own question. Still she was glad that, for once, nothing stupid had come out of her mouth.

"Ja," Klavier replied and she could tell he was still sitting down. Thank God.

"What made you want to join the Law? I mean you're already successful at what you do." Ema took another sip of her glass before glancing down at it in alarm. She had to be careful – she didn't want to get too talkative. She looked at the window again, thankful that she could see his reflection.

Klavier chuckled. "If I had to choose between my two careers," he said and she tensed when he got up, leaving his glass on the table. "I would always pick Law. It has been my true passion for a long time."

"Why?" Ema asked.

He walked up to her and he was looking at her reflection as well but she wasn't shy now. There was something a lot easier about this form of communication. Maybe it was the fact that it wasn't direct and she wasn't facing him – she had always found that position far too vulnerable.

"Because," Klavier said as he stopped at her shoulder, "Law is honourable. It is important. It is a job in which you can truly make a difference. I may not be performing surgery to grant somebody a longer life but I like to think I am helping the world by keeping criminals off the street."

"Why didn't you become a defense attorney like your brother?"

Klavier looked out at the sky. Even in the darkened glass, Ema could see the brightness of his eyes. "I do not know," he admitted with a small smile. "Kristoph was the reason I became interested in Law but I was always more drawn to the prosecuting side. I always believe there is a lesser chance of a wrongful conviction if you are at the prosecution's bench. You cannot prosecute unless you have evidence against somebody," Klavier explained when she looked puzzled. "And more often than not, evidence against somebody usually points to a guilty defendant."

"I don't believe that," was Ema's automatic reply. How could she after what she'd gone through with Lana?

"Oh?" Klavier said, turning his attention back to her face in the glass. There was an interested look in his eyes. Ema instantly regretted her outburst.

"I-I think that science is the best way forward," Ema stuttered unconvincingly but when she grasped the truth of her words, she found the self-assurance to go on. She turned to him then, with renewed confidence, and looked him square in the eye. "It's unbiased and logical and I think it's the best tool for catching criminals."

To her surprise, Klavier didn't argue. "I agree. Science is very important. Without science, we would not have prints, autopsies, toxicology reports – " Ema beamed, her opinion of him rising with every word " – DNA tests, ballistic markings and much more. It is these things that aid us in capturing the right criminal."

"So it's not just about a perfect win record?" Ema asked and then gasped. So much for suppressing stupid remarks. She closed her eyes in defeat and shook her head, waving a hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that you – "

"Nein," Klavier interrupted her with a soft laugh. "I understand your question. I am fully aware of my predecessors and their youthful obsessions with winning, whatever the reason. I am not so inclined."

"Really?" Ema said, impressed by his honesty. She had to admit, she'd never thought of Klavier Gavin, rock-star extraordinaire, as giving any thought to such profound matters.

"Really," Klavier repeated. "Now come," he said, placing a hand on her back and making her jump. "We have fallen into such deep conversation. We have the rest of our lives to discuss such matters." He indicated the sofa but Ema wasn't paying attention. Her narrowed eyes were fixed on his happy face.

"What?" she demanded sharply.

Klavier looked surprised, as if there was something he knew and had expected her to know as well. "Are you not aware, Fräulein Skye?"

"Aware of what!"

"Ach! You break my heart, Ema!" Klavier said woefully and despite his wounded tone and the alarm he was causing her, Ema was pleasantly surprised at the way her name sounded coming from him. "When I asked you to marry me and you said yes, I never believed you did not mean it!"

Ema stared at him in horror, unable to believe what she was hearing. There had been moments when she blocked him out and just agreed with whatever he said but surely she couldn't have blocked out such a question, could she?

Could she?

The hand that held the glass trembled and would have fallen were it not for Klavier's fingers wrapped around it, steadying it. His other hand was suddenly around her waist, pulling her closer. Her mind screamed at her to resist but her body wasn't obeying; she was caught in his arms, speechless.

"Now, Fräulein," Klavier murmured. "Do not be so alarmed. It was a harmless joke although if one were to analyse your response, one might be offended. After all, if you believed it possible, it means there must have been a window of opportunity for me to say such a thing and you, in your effort to ignore me, would not have heard me."

Ema was torn between slapping him for the ridiculous 'joke' and embarrassment at the fact that she'd fallen for it. After all, it meant that she had, indeed, not been paying attention to him at times and that she believed it possible that he would even consider proposing to her…

Wait, wait wait! Wasn't she still…?

Fiercely, Ema pushed at his chest and glared at him as he took two steps backwards. She didn't care that she'd just been aggressive towards Klavier Gavin. All she cared about was the fact that he'd embarrassed her and then touched her!

"I am sorry, Fräulein," Klavier said and her eyebrows shot up in surprise at the instant apology. "I should not have done that."

"No, you shouldn't have!" Ema said, not yet mollified. She marched over to where she'd taken off her sandals at his request. Angrily she grabbed at them and rushed towards the door, cursing herself for being here but Klavier was there suddenly blocking her path.

"Wait!" he said and there was a pleading look in his eyes. "Please, I apologise! You do not have to leave."

"Yes, I do," she retorted furiously. "I'm sorry about your guitar okay? And I'll pay you back but I'm not hanging around here!"

She tried to step around him but he stepped the same way and blocked off he route again. "I promise not to do it again." Ema only growled but he smiled in response. "We can just talk, ja?"

"I'm not in—"

"Ema," he interrupted her again. "Please."

Ema didn't know why she did it. She stared at him for a few moments, seeing the pleading look in his eyes, and she didn't have the heart to say no. With a roll of her eyes and an acceptance of the fact that maybe she'd overreacted (humiliating herself for the millionth time in his presence), she threw down her sandals and walked back to the sofa. She thought she heard a sigh of relief but when she saw the mess she'd made, all thoughts escaped her: there, on the floor, was the glass she'd dropped when she'd pushed him away and the spill that had occurred as a result.

"Do not worry, Fräulein," Klavier said when he followed her gaze.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, turning to him.

Klavier shook his head and held up a finger, disappearing for a second and returning almost instantly. He held a cloth in his hand and when Ema tried to take it from him – after all, she'd been the one to create the mess – he refused to hand it to her, lifting it out of her reach.

"Nein," he said. "I will not allow those fingers of yours to get hurt."

Ema was inexplicably touched by his thoughtfulness. She hated to admit it but she was fascinated by the way his tanned, masculine fingers moved, mopping up the champagne. He was done with it quickly and took the cloth away. When he was back, he was drying his hands on a towel that he threw aside.

Ema stood awkwardly near the sofa until Klavier gestured towards it and she fell in it, quiet. He smiled at her widely as he faced her fully, his fingers in his hair. She was about to apologise again – both for pushing him and breaking the glass – but he shook his head and smiled as if he knew what she'd been about to say.

"So, Ema, you are interested in science?"

She nodded slowly. "I'm studying forensic sciences in Berlin."

Klavier cocked his head. "Really? How are you finding it?"

That was all he needed to say. Ema's embarrassment and guilt was forgotten as she told him all about her course, her enjoyment of all things scientific and how she had helped Edgeworth earlier that day. Klavier listened intently, his eyes never wavering from her happy face and she was too absorbed in what she was saying to notice the enchanted expression on his face, nor the fact that he was an unnaturally good listener.

Then again, if she hadn't been so distracted by thoughts of science, she might still not have noticed the interest that Klavier seemed to have developed in her in such a short amount of time. After all, Ema rarely paid attention to guys and vice versa so how could she have ever believed that he, Klavier Gavin of Gavinners renown, was charmed by her?

And when Klavier took her back down to her door at the hotel, he kept his promise; he didn't touch her once as they said their goodbyes with the young singer extracting a promise from Ema that she would meet him again and that he would ring her soon. It wasn't until she'd closed the door that Ema realise she'd never given him her phone number and she made a mental note to ask him the next time she saw him (and the fact that she was thinking in terms of 'next time' made her laugh and shake her head in bewilderment).

Ema Skye didn't know that she didn't need to make a mental note of anything – Klavier Gavin was still there, stood right outside her door, his sapphire eyes boring holes into the door of the room occupied by the most strangely intriguing woman he'd ever met.