A/N: Last chapter was about Hugh and Myriam. Likewise, this chapter will be about Athena and Apollo. So observe the dynamics of these two have with Juniper, as well as with each other! Enjoy, my readers!

Chapter 8: Then and now

January 10, 2028

Woods Residence, Juniper's bedroom

11:00 a.m.

The moment Athena approached Juniper's bedside, she refused to leave- it didn't matter what anyone said to her. Meanwhile, Athena spoke softly to Juniper, with a tender tone she never used with anyone else. Honestly, no one else wanted to interrupt Athena at the moment.

"...And whenever my Mom or your Grandma would have the time, they would take us to have ice cream," Athena was saying. "Your favorite flavor is strawberry, right Junie?

A small smile briefly spread on Juniper's face, remaining there for a few minutes before fading away. By now everyone in the room stopped reacting to this small changes with surprise, mainly because they were instead trying to see if there was any pattern to it all.

"Juniper's been moving more often the more we've been talking to her," Apollo said, an expression of intense focus on his face. "It seems like this plan is actually working."

"That's all well and good, but what was up with that sarcastic tone at the end of that?" Robin asked, giving Apollo a sidelong look.

"Maybe we should all talk to her, then. I mean, if one person can get a small reaction, then I bet all of us talking would get Juniper to wake up in no time, Kahk Kahk!"

"I get what you're trying to save, Myriam, but let's not overwhelm Juniper," Apollo said. "Maybe we could save that suggestion for later."

The entire time this was happening, Athena was not paying attention to anything happening around her. Instead, she continued her verbal walk down memory lane, of days gone by with Juniper. Out of everyone in the room, Athena was the most affected by Juniper's condition besides Virginia Woods.

After all these years, Athena still sometimes saw the little girl she first befriended.

January 12, 2028

Alternate Wright Anything Agency

3:00 p.m.

"No, Athena, we are not going to sit here and watch you juggle oranges."

"Why not? I could totally do it!" Athena shouted at Apollo.

"That's not really the point, Athena. This is supposed to be a law office," Apollo said in his usual deadpan.

"Actually, this is an Anything Agency! So I could totally juggle in here if I wanted to!" Athena said, grinning.

Juniper, for her part, was torn as to whether she wanted agree with Athena or Apollo in this situation. In the process of getting back on her feet emotionally, today Juniper decided to visit the two of them here at the WAA. Athena, always one to do anything to help Juniper, offered to juggle oranges for her amusement. This derailed into Apollo and Athena bickering with each other as they usually did.

"You brought these oranges for us to eat, didn't you Juniper?" Apollo asked. "So should Athena really be playing around with them?"

"Th-thank you for thinking about me, Apollo," Juniper said, turning light red. "But I don't really mind what Thena does with the oranges. This wouldn't even be the first time we've played with them."

"Oh, I think I know what you're talking about, Junie!" Athena exclaimed, smiling. "I think I might still have those back in my old room at the Space Center."

"I'm guessing this is something that happened back when you grew up together," Apollo said, sitting in a chair to get comfortable. It seemed like today was going to be yet another slow day at the WAA.

Juniper nodded, as she and Athena took their own seats on the Agency sofas. Juniper reached far back into her memories. In those days, she and Thena were near inseparable. At around the same time, her Grandma had just started to teach her about gardening.

"I was growing my very first fruits, and I heard from Thena's mom that she wasn't going to be at school the next day," Juniper said. "So I decided to pick some oranges I was growing and take them to her."

"Except, Junie was so young she didn't understand yet when fruit should be picked," Athena said teasingly. "So what she ended bringing me were these tiny little green oranges. They looked so cute!"

"I'm just glad you liked them even though they couldn't be eaten," Juniper muttered, feeling a little embarrassed about what happened.

"So I'm guessing since the oranges were inedible Athena came up with something else to do with them," Apollo said.

"Not quite. At first we just stacked them on top of each other," Athena said. "But then Mom came along and saw what we were doing. And she gave us a bunch of stuff like toothpicks, glue, and yarn."

"And we spent the rest of the afternoon in Thena's room playing around with those crafts," Juniper said, smiling fondly. "And what we ended up making were little versions of each other. We used the toothpicks and glue to make the body and the yarn to imitate hair. It was a really fun afternoon, and Thena was even able to come to school with me the next day because she wanted to show our creations off to everyone."

"Huh. That did sound like it was a lot of fun," Apollo said. "Almost makes me wish I could have been there."

"Really? You don't really strike me as the artsy type," Apollo," Athena said.

Thinking about it, where did Apollo grow up? Juniper knew that he visited the Space Center because of Clay, so could he have met her and Thena if they'd just happen to cross paths? It was only occurring to Juniper now how little she knew about Apollo's past.

Then again, dwelling too much on the past was probably one of the main reasons Juniper was in her current predicament. If Apollo wanted to talk about his past someday, Juniper would certainly be willing to listen. After all, she wanted to be there for him in whatever way she could.

A lot like, perhaps, the way Athena was always there for her. Even during the seven years they were apart, they stayed in touch with letters. And the story about the unripe oranges reminded Juniper of many similar days she spent with Athena, so long ago.

The was the main reason why Juniper decided to visit the Agency today. Because Athena was one of the few constants in Juniper's life. It made Juniper feel ashamed, actually, that she didn't go looking for Athena when she first found herself in this alternate world.

Because no matter what world she was in, no matter when in Juniper's life it was, one thing never changed: they steadfast bond she and Athena shared with each other.

"Well, I'm not really into art myself, but there is an artist I know," Apollo said, his voice snapping Juniper out of her thoughts.

"Let me guess- you met this artist during one of your cases," Athena said.

"She was one of my clients, in fact," Apollo said. "The case would take far too long to explain. But I'm happy to say that she has a thriving art career!"

No, it couldn't be. In this strange world anything was possible. At the same time, Juniper didn't want say anything, in case it was far too much to hope. But the dilemma ended up being rendered moot when Athena said,

"Oh, I'd really like to meet this artist, then! Do you think we could meet her?"

Apollo put his finger to his forehead. "Come to think of it, she did invite me to an art exhibit she's holding tomorrow at a nearby art gallery. I could see Juniper getting along with her, but I think you'd be too loud for you, Athena."

"Tsk, what's that supposed to mean?! You're just as loud as me!" Athena shouted. "And I could totally be quiet if I tried!"

"You're not exactly making a good case for yourself," Apollo said. "I say that because my friend is pretty shy around new people. It took her a while to warm up to me, and she still doesn't like to be overwhelmed with too much noise."

The more that Apollo described this artist, the more curious Juniper became about her. So the judge student asked, "So why did this artist friend of yours decide to invite you to this exhibit, Apollo?"

"Well, it's been awhile since we've seen each other. Not only that, but there's apparently someone she wants me to meet. A fellow artist that's displaying their artwork in public for the first time," Apollo answered.

"I'd really like go to this exhibit with you, then," Juniper said, making up her mind on the spot. She wanted to know about this aspect of Apollo's life, and she also wanted to know if the female artist leading the exhibit was who she thought it was.

"I'd really like the meet this artist too," Athena said. "That settle it, then! Tomorrow we're all going to go to this art exhibit."

"Then I'll text my friend and tell her to be ready for us," Apollo said, taking out his cell phone.

As Apollo arranged the meeting, Juniper considered everything that happened today, and how it would effect what she would do tomorrow. The little girl that made those orange dolls with Athena wouldn't have considered going to a place as public as an art exhibit. However, much like Athena went from a shy little girl to the energetic attorney she was today, Juniper wanted to demonstrate how much she'd grown too.

Perhaps one day, they could make something new together, to reflect how far they'd come together.

A/N: The story about the oranges I created for this chapter- it just felt like something that would happen with Athena and Juniper. Writing Apollo and Athena was also a lot of fun. Anyways, next chapter is a meeting with a pair of familiar AA characters. See you next time! Please review.