Chapter 5: A New Day

Juniper's dreams were a confusing mishmash of courtroom battles and samurai sword duels, punctuated by the occasional smirk from her black-clad opponent. When she woke up, she smiled at the ceiling in a happy stupor, unable to think of anything except Simon Blackquill. What a bizarre turn of events. If she'd even had an inkling of who her date was with, she would have turned down the ticket and stayed home. She never imagined he could be so kind and funny and wonderful. She never guessed she would make plans to meet him for lunch.

Lunch!

She sprang out of bed and grabbed the clock. It was only 7:00, thank goodness. Plenty of time.

Once she was dressed and ready for the day, she picked up the long brown feather from her dresser. A gift to remember their evening. It was nice—not as nice as a kiss, which was what she thought he was going to give her when he stopped just outside her door, but from him, maybe it meant more.

She twirled it between her fingers. If she had it with her when they met, maybe he would smile again. She stuck it in the corner of her mouth and looked in the mirror.

Not everyone could pull off Simon's style. She shook her head at her ridiculous reflection and fastened the feather between the sunflowers on her hat, instead. It still looked a little silly, but it would give him something to make a few snarky comments about. Then he could help her figure out a better way to wear it.

The last thing she collected was her new Bum Rap Rhiny toy and her medicine, in case she suffered another coughing fit while at the Prosecutor's Building.

Before she left, though, she checked her phone. She'd missed several calls the day before—all from Athena. Very strange. Even if Thena expected her to go home right after The Only Girl for Me, it didn't explain her call right before the show. Juniper picked up the phone and started to dial, but then she hung up.

She could thank Thena in person.

#

Athena met Apollo on the way to work in the morning.

"Any word from Juniper?" he asked.

"None yet," she said. "I'm so sorry your date didn't work out."

He laughed. "Why are you apologizing to me? I had fun."

She smiled. "It was a great show, wasn't it?"

She imitated the snarky antagonist from The Only Girl for Me as best she could, with some added help by being able to adopt the feigned emotions the actress used in the play. Apollo laughed and followed up with his own impersonation of the hotel manager who had to deal with her. Although his laughter marred it, his impression was great, complete with a Chords of Steel shout of, "Deplorable!" as he threw open the door of the Wright Anything Agency.

Phoenix regarded the two of them from his desk. "What's deplorable?"

"Nothing," Athena said. "It's just a line from the play. It was just as funny as everyone says!"

"Glad to hear it."

Trucy entered the room with a thick folder. "Daddy, I got the paperwork you—Athena!" She bounced on her heels. "How was your date? Did you have a good time? Tell me everything!"

Athena exchanged glances with Apollo.

"Well," he said, "she sort of ended up on a date with me."

Trucy's eyes widened, and the voice of her heart confirmed the hurt and confusion in her voice. "What? But…but your dates…"

"It's all right," Athena said. "There was just a misunderstanding."

"Yeah, the whole 'blind date' thing didn't quite work." Despite his words, his voice glowed with happiness. Either he really liked the play, or…

Heat crept into Athena's cheeks. Maybe he really enjoyed being with her. She cleared her throat. The last thing they needed was an audience for a conversation like that.

"So anyway," she said, "thanks for trying, but Junie never showed up to meet Apollo, and my date never arrived, either. Our best guess is that they arrived early and left together by mistake."

The folder crashed to the floor and spilled papers everywhere. Trucy clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh no, poor Junie!"

Wait, what? Athena put her hands on her hips. "What do you mean, 'poor Junie'? She ended up with my date, remember?"

"Yes, but poor Junie's so…fragile." Multiple emotions threated through her statement—strong amusement, a great deal of guilt, and just a hint of fear.

Phoenix folded his arms. "All right, Trucy, out with it. What did you do?"

The young magician fidgeted. "Well, see, it was supposed to be Athena, and that would have been all right, but oh, poor Junie!"

"Who—"

Before Athena could finish, the door to the Agency opened, and Junie peeked in. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, come on in!"

Junie entered the room with a Bum Rap Rhiny toy clutched to her chest. She smiled, although when she saw Apollo, she quickly looked away. Apollo cleared his throat, looked from side to side, and crouched to clean up the scattered papers. Trucy still looked horrified.

"Thena, I'm sorry I didn't return your calls last night."

"No, it's all right. Listen, Junie, I'm so sorry about your date. It was just—"

Her friend's laughter cut her off. "Don't apologize, Thena. I'll never doubt you again. I thought you were crazy at first, but I had such a wonderful time."

"You did?" She racked her brain for something to say. She couldn't very well ask who her date was, since Junie didn't realize there was a misunderstanding. And her happiness was so strong it made Athena dizzy. To let her know her wonderful evening was a mistake would be cruel beyond belief.

Worst of all, Junie knew her well enough to realize something was wrong. On the other hand, the glow in her cheeks, the light in her eyes, and her repeated uncharacteristic giggles suggested she was so far gone, she wouldn't notice at all.

"Oh yes. I hope you don't mind we didn't go to The Only Girl for Me. Neither of us really wanted to—I mean, it sounded like a funny show, but the theater was so crowded and there were all these horrible people gossiping about us and I was just going to force myself to endure it, but you know how he is, he was all, 'Grrr, let us do something else,' which was kind of scary but it made me feel better at the same time, and then he gave our tickets to this couple who really wanted to go and when I saw how happy they were, I just knew—" She stopped. "Is Mr. Wright's daughter okay?"

Trucy looked about ready to collapse. Her eyes bugged out of her head, and although her mouth moved, nothing came out. "Poor Junie's" reaction seemed to be too much for her.

"She's fine," Phoenix said, whose heart contained more curiosity about the date than he let on. "She's just embarrassed because I'm here for a conversation about dates."

Junie giggled. "Oh, Trucy, I should be thanking you, too, since you were involved."

The girl gave a slow nod. "You're welcome. You…actually had a good time?"

"Yes!" She blushed. "I'm going to meet him for lunch today, actually."

If Trucy's eyes bulged any further, they would fall out. "You have a second date with him? You like him that much?"

"Yes, I-I've never felt this way before. I felt so connected to him." Her face was bright pink. "I'm not sure what it is. He's so hard to read, but at the same time, something about him is so—" She glanced at Athena. "Well, you know."

"I don't quite know in the same way," Athena said. Maybe Junie would take the cue to compare their relationships to the mystery person.

But of course, she didn't.

"I just feel like I could spend every minute of every day with him and not get bored. I don't know if he feels the same way about me, but he wants to see me again, so maybe?"

"I'm sure he does," Athena said with a smile.

"Thanks, Thena. If anyone would know, you would."

Apollo finally got all of the papers stacked and back in the folder, and he stood up with it. "All right," he said, with just a touch of the Chords of Steel, "I feel left out of this conversation. Who'd they set you up with, Juniper?"

Athena struggled to keep her curiosity from her face.

A trace of uncertainty fluttered through Junie's voice as she regarded Apollo. "Oh, you want to know?"

"Sure," he said. "I'm your friend, aren't I?"

That seemed to hearten her, and she smiled. "Yes, of course. Well, you won't believe this, but it was—"

"Pal!" The door of the agency flew open and Detective Gumshoe burst in. "You gotta help me!"

"Calm down." Phoenix reached out a hand to steady the detective. "What's wrong?"

"It's Maggey! She's been arrested for murder!"

"Again?"

"I know, pal, it's terrible." He slumped. "There was a murder at the theater last night, after The Only Girl for Me. Maggey was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it looks bad for her, pal, but I know she's innocent!" He clenched his fists. "And they're making a big deal out of the fact that neither of us are on record for buying tickets, too."

Junie's eyes were wide. "That's not fair."

"Huh? Oh, it's you!" He brightened. "Will you testify for us, pal?"

"Of course."

"And we'll defend Maggey," Phoenix said. "Do you have any idea of who the prosecutor will be?"

"I don't know." Gumshoe's body shook with laughter. "I never thought I'd say this, pal, but I sure hope it's Prosecutor Blackquill! He gave us the tickets, after all!"

Papers flew everywhere again as Apollo dropped the folder.

Trucy smacked herself in the forehead in an exaggerated gesture of surprise. "Look at the time! I gotta go to school! Bye everyone! Bye Daddy!" She kissed Phoenix on the cheek, grabbed her stuff, and fled the office.

Athena dropped to help Apollo collect the papers again, and to hide her shock. Trucy set her up on a date with Simon? The girl's reactions to the mix-up made sense—as much as it hurt, most people still saw Simon Blackquill the Twisted Samurai, the very scary convict prosecutor, rather than the good man he was inside.

Maybe the misunderstanding was a miracle. He was a wonderful friend, but the absolute worst outcome would have been if he harbored romantic feelings for her that she didn't return.

Apollo stood up with the papers and stared at Junie. It was his turn to move his mouth without actually saying anything.

His and Trucy's bewilderment wasn't completely unfounded. As much as Athena cared for Simon and hated when people put him down, she could not picture him with quiet Juniper Woods.

"Thanks so much," Gumshoe said. "I'll go tell Maggey the good news!" He dashed out of the office.

Apollo finally found his voice. "You went on a date with Prosecutor Blackquill?"

Junie turned scarlet.

His jaw dropped. "Wait, did you say you're going on a second date with him?"

"Y-yes." She coughed and gripped her stuffed animal as if it gave her strength. "He's really nice once you get to know him!"

"Are we talking about the same Prosecutor Blackquill?"

Athena kicked his ankle. "Don't mind him, Junie. I'm really happy it went so well for you. A lot of people can't see past Simon's darkness. I'm glad you have."

"Thanks, Thena."

"Say hi for me, okay?"

"Of course."

#

A few hours later, Juniper hurried toward the Prosecutor's Building. She was early, but her stomach was churning enough as it was. Once she got there, maybe she would calm down.

The prospect of seeing Simon again made her dizzy. It couldn't come fast enough—but at the same time, it was too close. As she hurried down the street, a thousand worst case scenarios flashed through her mind. He could be annoyed she wanted to see him again so soon. He could have other plans. Maybe he thought things over and didn't care for her after all. Maybe—

"JUNIPER!"

She jumped.

The shout was Robin's, and she and Hugh raced across the street.

Juniper stopped and waited for her friends. "Hello."

"Is that all you're going to say?" Robin asked. "Tell us how it went, maaan!"

"Tell you… how what went?"

Robin giggled. "You know. Your D-A-T-E."

Juniper clapped one hand over her mouth and held onto Rhiny with the other. "W-what? How do you know about that?"

Hugh adjusted his glasses. "Heh. We have our ways."

"Yeah, don't try to keep secrets from us!"

The bushes a few feet away rustled, and a cardboard box popped out. "Sss, sss, sss. Are you two going to play games with her all day, or are you actually going to give me credit?"

Of course. Myriam. Heat rushed to Juniper's face. There could have been a cardboard box at the restaurant, or at the courthouse—she certainly had been too distracted by Simon to check for spies.

"So," Robin said, "are you going to tell us, or not?"

"I'm surprised Myriam hasn't already told you."

Myriam folded her arms. "Sss, sss, sss… I need to do a little more investigating before I have enough details for this story." She pulled out her notepad and poised her pencil over it. "So, Athena Cykes set you up on a blind date. Who was it?"

"W-wait, you don't even know that?"

"You're going to tell us, right?" Robin asked.

"No, I'm not." She could just see the headlines. Simon would be furious. "I don't have time. I'm on my way to meet him, actually, so…" She tried to continue down the sidewalk, but all three of them chased after her.

"A second date?" Hugh asked.

"Come on, now you have to tell us," Robin said. "At least give us an H-I-N-T."

She fiddled with the edges of her shawl. Well, a hint couldn't hurt. At least it would make them give up and let her continue on her way. Too vague of a hint would probably just make them bug her more, but too specific a hint would give it away. She hesitated. "Fine. It's someone we all met for the first time a few months ago. Think about that for a while, and when I get back, we can—"

"I know who it is!" Robin looked like she was going to explode. "IT'S APOLLO JUSTICE, MAAAAN!"

Juniper blushed and looked away. Everyone knew about her crush on Apollo. It was amazing Thena didn't try to set them up, since everyone expected it. Even he knew, if his reaction to her appearance at the Agency was anything to go by. He didn't seem hurt, though. Maybe it was for the best.

Her voice was very quiet. "No, not Apollo."

Robin's eyes were huge. "Not Apollo? But, but then who is it?"

"You already got your hint." Once again, she tried to move on.

"Heh."

She shook her head and stopped.

"You just didn't think things through, Robin." Hugh adjusted his glasses again, even though they didn't need to be adjusted. "With my genius intellect, I figured it out right away."

This ought to be good.

"Juniper's mysterious date is Prosecutor—"

Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe there was more to Hugh's "genius" act after all.

"—Gavin."

On the other hand, maybe not.

She laughed, unable to help herself. "Prosecutor Gavin?"

"Of course." If he noticed her laughter, he didn't recognize its significance. He looked as smug as if he was showing off a 110% on a test. "We met him a few months ago, around the same time we met Apollo Justice. You even performed with him on stage and got along with him quite well. And"—he fixed her with a triumphant grin—"when we saw you just now, on your way to your second date, you were making a beeline for the Prosecutor's Building."

"Not bad," she said, "but no, it's not Gavin."

Crash!

Myriam's laptop smashed to the ground, and the girl bent to retrieve it.

"What's wrong?" Juniper asked.

"No way." She straightened and gripped the edges of her box so tight, her knuckles turned white. "No way. I've got it. This is going to be the story of the century! Sss, sss, sss, I have a great headline in the works…" She folded her arms, and desperation entered her voice. "But—but if I publish it…he'll burn my box again!"

The world spun around her. Of all people, the crazy reporter actually figured it out. Simon would be irate.

"Burn your box?" Robin asked. "Wait, you don't mean—"

"How did you figure it out?"

"An investigative reporter has to have an eye for details, you know. Hugh's reasoning actually made a lot of sense for once, for one thing."

He shifted from foot to foot, clearly irritated to be the only one still in the dark.

"But more importantly"—Myriam jumped up and snatched the feather from Juniper's hat—"there aren't a lot of people who consider hawk feathers a fashion statement."

"Hey, give it back!" She plucked the feather out of the reporter's hands before it could disappear inside the box forever. "It's mine, it was a gift."

"Exactly."

"You're dating PROSECUTOR BLACKQUILL?!"

"Shh!" If the courthouse was ever unfortunate enough to see a battle between Defense Attorney Justice and Prosecutor Newman, the judge would probably go deaf.

For once, Hugh seemed to be at a complete loss for words. Myriam, meanwhile, took notes at a frantic pace, as if the potential loss of her box was nothing in comparison to such a story.

"You know what?" Robin giggled and twirled around. "I bet the two of you together are just too C-U-T-E."

That was it. Time to get out of there before it got any worse.

#

With the feather back in place on her hat, Juniper adjusted her shawl, straightened her skirt, and entered the Prosecutor's Building. As soon as the door closed behind her, she felt small and out of place. She didn't actually have a place to meet Simon, and the building was so much bigger than the Wright Anything Agency. He could be anywhere.

Well, he was guaranteed to be in his office at some point.

Heat rushed to her cheeks and her stomach squirmed. It was one thing to just walk in to see Athena. Things were relaxed there. Bopping into Simon's office was an entirely different matter. It would annoy him.

She remembered the warmth in his eyes when he said he'd be waiting for her. No, he wouldn't be annoyed. She took a deep breath and headed down the hall.

The building wasn't too terrifying. Parts of it were nice. In the lobby she walked through, there were even some potted plants. Comfortable waiting areas, nice décor, a more calming layout than she expected from the prosecutors—and at the other end of the hall, Gaspen Payne, who erased the calming effect entirely.

He was the last person she wanted to see. Juniper looked around for a place to escape, but it was too late.

"What are you doing here, little girl?"

His sneer and the obvious distaste in his voice made her skin crawl, but she straightened her back and looked him in the eye. After all, she was on her way to meet a prosecutor who could cut him to shreds. Payne couldn't do anything to her.

"I'm here to meet someone." She coughed. "P-Prosecutor Blackquill, in fact."

"You've committed another crime? Are those silly monkeys going to get you out of this one, too?"

"No!" She coughed again and hugged Bum Rap Rhiny to her chest. "I haven't—this isn't—we're friends."

He snickered. "Why would a prosecutor be friends with a little girl like you?"

For the first time, she considered how much older Simon was than her, but she shoved that thought aside. If it mattered, it was something to talk to him about—or to her family, or Thena, or anyone but Payne. "I'm not a little girl."

"Oh, I beg your pardon." His gaze went to Rhiny. "I thought only children played with toys like that."

"W-what?" She coughed. "He isn't just a toy… R-Rhiny holds my medicine."

He said something else before he walked away, but she didn't hear him. His previous words just repeated in her mind. Rhiny looked sadder than ever, but Payne was right. None of her friends still had stuffed animals, or if they did, they didn't let anyone know about it.

Simon definitely wasn't the stuffed animal type. He'd laugh, or worse, think of her as a little girl just like Payne did. That was the last thing she wanted. It would ruin everything.

It was almost noon. She couldn't take Rhiny home and still return in time. She opened the toy up and took out her medicine. Her grandma thought Rhiny was adorable, but maybe her mother was actually right, and it would be better to carry her medicine in a purse. For now, she would have to hold it.

Her desperate gaze landed on one of the potted plants.

She took a quick look around to make sure no one would see, dashed over to the plant, and shoved Rhiny behind it. His nose stuck out. She hesitated. It wasn't like she expected anyone would steal him—and if they did, maybe, just maybe, it would be for the best, because then she could forget the whole thing and never have to worry again about hiding him from Simon or anyone else and no one could say she was a child—

"Lost, Woods-dono?"

She spun around, arms outstretched to hide the plant as much as she could.

Simon still made an imposing figure, with his long black coat and wild hair hanging down his back, but it was hard to believe she'd once been afraid of him. Traces of affection lurked behind his stormy gaze and twisted smirk, and her heart thumped against her ribcage. He took a step toward her, and she forgot how to breathe.

Her efforts to block the plant did little against someone who was over a foot taller than her.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Attempting to discover what it is about this plant that fascinates you so."

"F-fascinates?" She coughed. "No, no, I was just—" She clasped her hands in front of her and tried to stop trembling. "Well, you see… Gaspen Payne—Prosecutor Payne, sorry… He was talking to me, and it shook me up a little, and I came over to the plant to try to calm down."

He snorted. "Payne. Most of us ignore him on general principle."

"I tried." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I guess he just couldn't resist the chance to be the Visitor Humiliator, or whatever he's calling himself now." Her smile faltered and fell apart.

Simon's expression darkened. "If he ever harasses you while I'm around, you better believe he'll gasp in pain."

Her next smile succeeded. "I don't think even he's that stupid." She edged away from the plant, and his gaze followed her, thank goodness. Time to get him away before he investigated further. "Come on, let's go… wherever it is you want to go!"

She hurried past him with a slight twinge at guilt for her abandonment of Rhiny, but some things were worth sacrifices. Simon was one of those things. Lunch with him would make everything all right.

"Woods-dono."

She stopped in her tracks. He wasn't beside her. "Yes?"

When he appeared by her side, he held out Bum Rap Rhiny. "It's my understanding that the last time you lost track of one of these, Justice-dono was assaulted. Let's try to avoid a second incident."

She took the stuffed animal back from him as gingerly as if it was red-hot. There had to be a way out. A good explanation. One that wouldn't embarrass her. "H-how did this get here?"

It sounded weak even to her.

Simon leaned toward her. "You know, I understand your strange behavior now. Anyone who managed to lose something behind a plant that small would hesitate to admit it. Perhaps you should have your vision checked."

Her ears burned and she lifted her medicine for him to see. "I brought it because it's the only thing I have to carry my medicine in. I was looking for a safe place to store it. I'll just leave it here while we have lunch."

She tried to keep her movements casual, as if Rhiny really was nothing more to her than a convenient way to carry her medicine, and tossed it to the side. As the toy arced toward the ground, she fought to hide her cringe. She didn't want to see it hit the ground like so much garbage.

It didn't. Instead, Simon's hand snatched it from the air.

He held it out to her again.

She stared at the floor.

"Come on, Juniper." His voice was soft and gentle, so unusual for him that it sent goosebumps down her arms. "You don't have to prove anything to me."

She accepted Rhiny and squeezed the toy tightly, even though it was really Simon she wanted to hug.

"Besides…" His tone was sly. "If you leave it here, you might very well forget it, and I would be duty-bound to return it to you. It would destroy my image to be seen carrying a Bum Rap Rhiny toy through the city."

Although she tried to keep her voice steady, a slight tremor entered it all the same. "W-won't it destroy your image if you're seen with someone carrying him?"

Simon smirked, slid his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her to his side. "I'll risk it."

The End

Author's note: Did it break your hearts as much to read that "The End" as it did for me to write it? This story was just a goofy idea when I started it, but somehow I've fallen in love with the BlackWoods pairing (as dubbed by one of my reviewers, thank you!) and I don't want it to ever go away. In fact, my mind is still filled with Simon/Junie fluff, but I don't have another plot for them yet. If I ever come up with one, you can bet I'll write more-it's all I can do not to just keep extending this story with chapters and chapters of goofy, romantic fluff. ;)

Thank you all for being a wonderful audience and for giving this crazy pairing a chance. See you around!